The spiking of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension moved numbers from London to Las Vegas on Thursday, as bookmakers scrambled to set new betting lines.
The Patriots jumped from 3-point to 7-point favorites over the Steelers in the NFL’s regular-season opener next Thursday.
The 3-point spread was set assuming New England would be forced to use unknown understudy Jimmy Garoppolo, according to Vegas handicapper Pete Korner, who consults with Sin City hotels to set point spreads.
Korner said 85 percent of action is placed on game day, so very few gamblers got stuck with the Steelers getting just 3 points or will benefit from the Pats giving away a mere field goal.
“Virtually no one is getting burned on this,” said Korner.
Before Thursday’s ruling, famed London bookie William Hill had Brady as a 40-to-1 long shot to win the NFL’s MVP award. That bet went down to 15-to-1 after Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman ruled.
The Patriots’ Super Bowl odds also improved, dropping from 10-to-1 to 9-to-1 according to oddsmaker Bovada.