If You Offer It, They Will Bet It

If you build it, they will come and come they did. After the Nevada Gaming Control Board signed off on a request to offer propositions on the NFL Draft, sports books across Las Vegas took bets across a range of propositions. From number of University of Alabama players selected in Round 1, to More offensive or defense players selected in Round 1, to the round of the first place-kicker taken, the propositions covered nearly everything.

The most popular though, was the over/under line for quarterbacks taken in Round 1, which was set at 3.5. ESPN reported that William Hill US, Nevada’s sports betting leader, had varied betting on the QB prop, with most dollars wagered selecting the under. A $8,400 bet was booked on Wednesday night, that would net $4,000 if less than 3.5 QBs are taken in Round 1.

Westgate, another prominent Las Vegas sports book, said the number that moved the most throughout the week was number of Big Ten players selected in the first round. That over/under opened at 5.5 but closed at 5-even, after Jabrill Peppers and Gareon Conley news broke mid-week.

Even though just over a dozen propositions were offered by Las Vegas sports books, William Hill told ESPN that the handle on all draft props exceeded some of the most popular props for Super Bowl 51.

“The wagering on NFL draft props has been exciting,” Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US said, adding, “We didn’t expect all the action that we are currently seeing. It makes me believe that in the future, NFL draft wagering will be very popular, with an expanded list of additional props – a good sign for years to come.”

Las Vegas sports books closed NFL Draft proposition betting Wednesday night and based on the immediate success of this year’s prop offerings, they should be back for next year’s NFL Draft as well.