“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” has become the motto of nearly 1,000 people when making Super Bowl wagers. MGM sportsbooks has reportedly taken in plenty of bets on the Cleveland Browns – yes, the Browns – winning it all.
The Browns are destined for two to seven wins, but that’s not deterring eager betters from playing great odds. The Browns have unlikely odds placed on them winning the Super Bowl at 175-1 and 200-1 in Vegas. Making a small bet can turn $5 to potentially $1000. But betting on Cleveland, no matter how small, is essentially throwing cash in the blender.
However, ESPN is reporting that the action on the Browns is stronger than that on several more talented teams, including the Falcons and Eagles.
Since the Cleveland franchise was reborn in 1999, the Browns have had two winning seasons. Yet, heading into this season, the Browns have attracted more bets to win the Super Bowl than 11 other teams at CG Technology, including the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. They have nearly the same amount of bets as the Washington Redskins, a playoff team from last season.
Chris Hovan, a long-time season ticket holder, placed a joke $5 bet with a potentially massive payoff.
“It was made strictly as a joke,” Hovan, a 35-year-old maintenance worker in Brooklyn, Ohio, told ESPN. “I just wanted to place the ticket on the wall of my bar in the basement. I’ve been a season-ticket holder for 14 years and I know that the Browns are going to be horrible again this year.”
Horrible is right. The Browns have actually displayed more team building acumen than ever before this offseason, trading down multiple times in the draft to acquire future assets and moving out spare parts for more draft picks. Former MLB executive Paul DePodesta joined the team’s front office earlier this year, and is helping them go full Moneyball in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean you should too. The Browns stink. One of the only sure things entering the NFL season is the Browns not only not winning the Super Bowl, but missing the playoffs entirely and finishing with a top ten pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.
It’s a fun gag to bet on the Browns, but the chances of anyone seeing returns on their investments has the lowest odds of all.
[ESPN.com]
