Gambling in the Middle East
Gambling is a popular pastime in the Middle East, but the legality of it varies…
On Saturday evening, the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs saw the Jacksonville Jaguars pull off one of the biggest comebacks in history, erasing a 27-point deficit against the Los Angeles Chargers to win 31-30 with a field goal as time expired in regulation. This comeback resulted in a huge loss for one customer of an online sportsbook, who had placed a bet on the Chargers while they were leading by 27 points in the second quarter.
The game began with the Jaguars struggling, with former No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence throwing four interceptions as the Chargers established a 27-0 lead. However, with 4:25 left in the first half, the NFL predictive analytics model gave the Chargers a 94.2% chance of winning the game, equating to implied odds of -1612. Despite this, one bettor decided to place a bet of $1.4 million on the Chargers to win, with the possibility of a $11,200 profit.
Unfortunately for the bettor, the Chargers are known for their history of bad luck and failure, and as the Jaguars began to make a comeback, it became clear that something unexpected was about to happen. Trevor Lawrence went from zero to hero, throwing for four touchdowns and scoring a crucial two-point conversion, setting it up for a game-winning field goal as time expired.
This outcome serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of sports betting, especially when placing a large amount of money on a team with a history of failure.