Westgate SuperBook Vice President Jay Kornegay is convinced some bettors knew Tom Brady was coming out of retirement when they placed big bets on his NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kornegay said, “There’s not a doubt in my mind that they knew he was coming back when they placed those wagers” on March 10. Two days later, after all of 40 days in the rocking chair, Brady announced he would return to play for another season.
“It wasn’t a guy with a Tom Brady jersey at the counter,” said Kornegay. “It was a player that we would describe as sharp. With that type of play and the announcement we heard that he was unretiring, there was information that was shared prior to his official announcement.”
Kornegay said he’s certain “that information leaked,” giving those bettors an inside track and an unfair advantage. “I don’t think I’ve ever said the NFL really needs to investigate something,” he continued. “But this is something they need to look into and how it got out, because there are many books that took some sizable wagers in the middle of last week.”
Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of communications, had no comment regarding Kornegay’s concerns. After Brady’s big announcement, the SuperBook lowered Tampa Bay from 14-1 to 10-1 to win the Super Bowl and from 7-1 to 5-1 to win the NFC. The SuperBook may have to pay out six figures in several states if Tampa Bay wins Super Bowl XVII.
“If it was Jameis Winston at quarterback, we wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Kornegay said. “But when it’s Tom Brady you have a six-figure liability with, we’re certainly not comfortable with it. That’s a biggie. It’s not about a player being in or out of a game tonight. You’re talking about the best quarterback of all time playing or not playing.”
At BetMGM, the Bucs’ odds to win the Super Bowl moved from +2500 to +850 when Brady announced he would return, ranking third behind the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Tampa Bay is +375 to win the NFC for the second time in three seasons.
