Sports Betting Ain't Easy

$82.7 million was bet in Las Vegas this year on the Super Bowl, a $1.2 million increase from last year. Vegas casinos fell short on many prop bets this year--Sin City officials blame the losses on statistically rare plays during the game, such as a made two-point conversion and an interception for a touchdown--but still managed to rake in a $6.86 million profit.

What does this all mean? Well if Vegas ended up big on Super Bowl Sunday, then somebody(s) ended their Sunday night with a much sicker feeling than Peyton Manning--of course these gamblers didn't have to address reporters immediately after their failure like Manning did, so I guess there's that.

"At this time I'm not answering any questions about how I lost my son's college tuition on the Super Bowl"

It's not like bad bets on a Colts victory were made without good cause. The Colts controlled the betting line, handicappers and NFL analysts alike praised the Colts' high octane offense and savvy D...hell, Indy even had the celebrity world in their corner, with everyone from Bill O'Reilly to Maya Angelou to Florence Henderson siding with the Colts.

Our very own embattled former governor Rod Blagojevich even went on the record for Indy, stating, "The Colts offense is better than the Saints' high-powered offense because they have the most valuable player in football, Peyton Manning. And the Colts defense is better and faster than the Saints defense."

Blagojevich also dejected at the possibility of not being invited to Mardi Gras

It would seem famous people aren't always right--who knew?--and some of their wallets now reflect that fact.

Grammy nominated rapper Jayceon "The Game" Taylor recently admitted to losing $1,000 to his fellow rapper and producer Dr. Dre, prompting the necessary but unfunny line "Dre's got Game."

However, The Game's losses pale in comparison to the bankroll hits taken by two well-known high stakes gamblers, Phil Ivey and Billy Walters.

Both Ivey, a high stakes poker pro, and Walters, a high stakes golfer and sports betting guru, gamble big on a regular basis, so it's not entirely unexpected that both placed significant wagers on the outcome of Super Bowl XLIV.

Exactly how significant of a wager, reportedly $2 million each, is what has both veteran gamblers and weekend warriors alike talking, and may have even earned Walter and Ivey the titles of "Biggest Losers of Super Bowl XLIV."

Of course, Ivey has been known to throw million dollar dice and has a reported bankroll high in the tens of millions, and Walters owns many Las Vegas golf courses and has been one of the most successful sports bettors for years, so a $2 million dollar hit, although discouraging, is ultimately probably not all that significant to either of them.

Bigger losers may be those who wagered less than Ivey or Walters on the Colts, but took a significant hit to their overall wealth. And for those degenerates out there who did, my condolences.

"...and I won't answer anything regarding my mortgage or utility bills"

As for me, although I lost a trash bet to the Goose, I still managed to collect a cool Hamilton on some wacky prop bets I made with some friends during the game. And for those keeping track at home, that's Windy City Rounder: +10, Phil Ivey: -2,000,000...be jealous Ivey, be jealous.