The Browns have been the worst team in the NFL two years in a row, but that doesn’t mean no one will put money on them this year.
In fact, Las Vegas sports books are seeing a steady stream of bets on the Browns to get to the Super Bowl.
“There are more bets on the Browns to win the AFC North than the other three teams combined,” a sportsbook manager for Caesars Palace told ESPN. “Only the Raiders and Steelers have more bets to win the AFC [than the Browns]. The public likes the Browns, and I’m not sure why.”
For the sportsbook manager to say he’s “not sure why” people are betting on the Browns is a little hard to understand: It’s easy to see why people are betting on the Browns. People think it’s fun to bet on long shots. Sports books are generally offering odds in the 60-1 to 80-1 range on the Browns, which would pay off $6,000 to $8,000 on a $100 bet if the Browns win the Super Bowl. It’s a lot more fun to place that bet and dream about what you’d do with all that money than it is to place a $100 bet on the Patriots, which would only pay off $600 if they win the Super Bowl.
And there are some reasons to think the Browns should be better this year. Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield make them better at quarterback than they were with DeShone Kizer, and the defense has a lot of young talent. A bet on the Browns at 80-1 odds isn’t too bad a bet.
Enough people have now bet on that long shot that the casinos will be actively rooting against the Browns to win the Super Bowl.
“The Browns are our only liability right now,” MGM Vice President Jay Rood said. “We’re sitting pretty well on every other team except Cleveland.”
If the Browns were to win the Super Bowl after going 0-16, it would be the biggest single-season turnaround in American sports history. It would also make some bettors a lot of money.