The consensus is that the Kansas City Chiefs have gotten the benefit of the whistle, but some have taken it a bit far.
Rob Gronkowski even admitted in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that he thought “something” was up with the officials.
But another about whether the NFL has been benefiting the Chiefs, which in turn is giving sportsbooks some extra money.
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Dec. 8, 2019; Foxborough, MA: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to a referee during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. (Paul Rutherford-USA Today Sports)
But that’s not happening, said one longtime oddsmaker.
“Not buying it. I just think it’s an aberration,” DraftKings director of sports operations Johnny Avello said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
Avello admitted that the Chiefs “have caught a couple of good calls and breaks for maybe the last half-year or so,” but sometimes, that’s just the way it goes.
“That’ll change at some point,” added Avello. “I don’t think the refs are doing anything intentionally, I just think that it’s happening and things are going their way.”
Avello did admit that the Chiefs provide an added popularity that would lead to more proposition bets.
“The case in point here is the Chiefs have Kelce, Kelce brings Taylor Swift, people see Taylor Swift, then all of a sudden, more people are interested in the NFL, and we start making props around Kelce and the whole team,” said Avello.
DraftKing’s rival in FanDuel even has “Swift Specials” where you could bet propositions that are named as several of Swift’s songs.
Kelce says feeling the support from Swift has been an “amazing experience.” (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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But at the end of the day, “I don’t think any teams are bigger than the game itself,” Avello said.
The Chiefs are currently 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings, a number that has not changed at all since it originally opened almost two weeks ago.
“Usually there’s some movement. . . . Nothing has moved on the side,” Avello said.
However, Avello noted that 70% of money and wagers were on the underdog Philadelphia Eagles.
“In normal circumstances, when you’re getting plus-money on such a small point spread, this is the betting of some bettors, ‘I don’t think a team is gonna win by one, so why am I going to take the 1.5? Might as well take the plus-money. That’s the rationale behind it,” Avello added.
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But could people be using their Chiefs fatigue to bet against them? Possibly, but that’s not a sound strategy.
“If you’re betting money, and you want to win a game, I don’t think you should use the dislike factor. You should bet with who you really think is winning the game,” Avello added.
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