With sports still shuttered, sports books are struggling. Next Thursday through Saturday, they’ll have a chance to make some money.
Via Bet-NJ.com, it’s expected that $500 million will be wagered on the NFL draft -- a huge increase over the $180 million that was bet on the draft in 2019. And the available bets take on many different forms.
William Hill, for example, has odds regarding the over-under for a player’s draft position, along with the broader question of whether one player will be taken before another.
And some of the props are interesting. For example, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is -150 (bet $150 to win $100) to be taken before Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who is a +130 (bet $100 to win $130) underdog to go before Tua. (Some believe Tua’s injury issues will cause him to go after Herbert.)
Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb and Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy are -110 as to which goes first. (Lamb looks to be the better bet, currently.)
And at running back, Georgia’s D’Andre Swift is the favorite (-120) to go before Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (even money). (Take Taylor.)
Bets also can be placed on schools that will generate more picks than others, whether more receivers or offensive linemen go in round one, and more. So if you’re inclined to bet generally, the draft may be the only specific chance that you have, for a while.
But, please, only use truly discretionary revenue for wagering, and never bet with the objective of somehow getting rich. You won’t. If you bet responsibly, however, it may enhance your enjoyment of whatever it is that you’re betting on.