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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In Super Bowl, Nfc Best Bet Early Line Favors Packers By A Bunch

Tim Dahlberg Associated Press

It’s become a January ritual in the sports books on the glittering Las Vegas Strip. Throw out a big number on the NFC’s Super Bowl team and watch bettors quickly bet it up even higher.

This year is no different, with bettors so confident in the chances of the Green Bay Packers that they are willing to give away nearly two touchdowns on the point spread to the Denver Broncos.

The 12-1/2-point line posted at most books following Sunday’s conference title games wasn’t enough to stop bettors from putting money on the Packers, who quickly went to 13-1/2-point favorites around the city.

“It does seem kind of high, doesn’t it?” a book writer at the Texas hotel-casino said, even as he accepted more bets on the Packers.

It would be quite high in the regular season, where oddsmakers say Green Bay would be only a 10-point favorite, even at home.

“This line is always out of whack for the Super Bowl,” said Bally’s sports book manager, John Avello. “We just throw a number out and say do with it what you’ve got to do with it.”

So far, what bettors are doing with it is putting their money on Green Bay, ignoring the big spread. Some Denver money began to appear after the initial Packers rush, but Green Bay remained a 13-point favorite at most books on Monday.

It’s the fifth year in a row the NFC Super Bowl representative has been a double-digit favorite, and the second year in a row the line has been in the two-touchdown range.

In last year’s game, the Packers were a 14-point favorite over the New England Patriots. That’s exactly where the game ended, with Green Bay winning 35-21 and most bettors getting their money back.

“We don’t make lines from a historical standpoint, but bettors look at it that way,” said Michael “Roxy” Roxborough, whose Las Vegas Sports Consultants sets the lines for most major sports books.

“The AFC just hasn’t been very competitive in these games.”

NFC teams have been favored in 12 of the last 15 Super Bowls, and won the last two times the AFC champion was favored. Of course, NFC teams have won the last 13 Super Bowls, so their dominance is unchallenged.

One of those games was in 1988 when Denver was favored by 3 points, but lost 42-10 to Washington.

“The NFC is not that much better of a conference from top to bottom, but the top teams in the NFC have been much better than the top teams in the AFC,” Roxborough said. “A lot of it is perception, but when you see scores like 52-17 or 55-10, perception and reality sort of come together.”

Though Green Bay is a prohibitive favorite, sports book operators were more than happy to see Denver in the title game. Denver fans have historically backed their teams with money, and this year’s Super Bowl betting could be the best ever.

“I think we’ll get a lot of money on the underdog,” Avello said. “People may not feel Denver can win the game, but they feel Denver can hang around and stay close enough.”

Roxborough said the attractive matchup combined with the fact gamblers will stop in Las Vegas to bet on their way to San Diego should help betting top the $70.9 million record set in 1996.

In addition, bettors had a good day vs. the sports books Sunday, betting heavily on the Broncos and Packers, two favorites who both covered the spread.

“That’s probably the most important thing of all,” Roxborough said. “They’re walking around with a lot of money in their pockets.”