At a price of around +170, people saw an incredible amount of value on Manny Pacquiao winning the long awaited fight with the polarizing Floyd Mayweather. So much, in fact, that 75 percent of the tickets at William Hill US sports books in Nevada were on him.
Some prop bets included an over/under of 11 ½ rounds for the entirety of the 12-round fight, of which 84 percent of people took the over. One other prop bet for Mayweather winning by decision saw 94 percent of bettors choosing correctly. However, that accounted for only 73 percent of the money wagered for that bet.
Over $50 million was expected to be wagered on the fight, according to RJ Bell from handicapping website Pregame.com, a record of more than double any previous match. However, Jay Kornegay of the Westgate LV Superbook claims $70 million was going to be wagered on the fight, on par with the Super Bowl, minus the prop bets.
The worst possible scenario for the books would have been for a draw, which would return money to people who wagered on each fighter, while paying out 18-1 odds for those who bet on a draw. William Hill received at least one bet in excess of $100,000.
The MGM Grand eventually budged from the exorbitant room rates charged after the announcement of the fight, which skyrocketed at one point to over $1,500. By Thursday night, rooms fell to $499. “If we can sell our rooms all the time for $499, we’d be pretty happy,” said Micah Richins, MGM Resorts International senior vice president of revenue management and services.
