The big boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor finally took place on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The end result wasn’t all that surprising, with Mayweather emerging victorious. In the weeks leading up to the fight, sports bettors saw more bets being placed on McGregor, but the big money bets were still being placed on the favorite. This continued to happen right up to the fight, with two separate $1 million bets placed on the undefeated champion in the days leading up to the bout.
Several Million Dollar Bets on Mayweather
Just days before the fight took place, two separate million dollar bets were placed on Mayweather. This first report came out of MGM Resorts, who stated that a $1 million bet had been placed at the Bellagio. The odds at the time were -550, meaning that the million-dollar bet would result in $182 000 profit if Mayweather was victorious.
Thursday also saw another big bet, this time placed with William Hill. This bet was even bigger at $1.2 million. The odds at William Hill were -500, equating to a $240 000 win. After these two massive bets were made, it moved the line back to -600 for Mayweather at most sports betting establishments in Las Vegas.
Mayweather Win Saves Sportsbooks
While most experts turned out to be correct in predicting that Floyd would win, there was still a constant worry for sports books if McGregor won. More people had placed money on the underdog to win, and it would have been a financial disaster for sportsbooks if the UFC fighter had triumphed in the ring.
While more bets were placed on McGregor, individual bets tended to be smaller. Some reports from Las Vegas indicated that the average bet on McGregor sat at just over $200, while the average bet on Mayweather was over $8000.
With his victory on Saturday, he remains undefeated in his career after 50 matches. We’re sure that the sportsbooks were thrilled that the Irish fighter didn’t manage a surprise victory.
