Inspired by enthusiasm for parlay wagering, as explored in a recent piece by my colleague Gary Rotstein, we’re going back to the parlay well. It’s an exciting and thus popular form of sports wagering, particularly among folks who bet recreationally. It’s a tool to access the thrill of a longshot needle threadings. Once there are about five legs involved, a bettor should expect a loss, but the ticket always promises a chance.
The last time we reviewed longshot parlay paydays, it was just one month after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, and no online sportsbook yet existed outside Nevada. Times have certainly changed. The DraftKings Sportsbook launched in New Jersey in August 2018, the first outside Nevada. They’re now live in West Virginia and soon will be in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
So check out some of these parlay winners that made a bettor’s day (or week or month or even year, some were so profitable).
At DraftKings Sportsbook, someone pocketed $17,798 thanks to the Sept. 2019 Danny Dimes-led Giants comeback at Tampa Bay
If I had a family member that wanted to gamble on sports, I would be much happier if they were betting $10 parlay cards with the worst of it instead of dime straight bets with a small percentage against him.
— Roxy Roxborough (@RoxyLasVegas) September 10, 2019
Through a mobile sportsbook bet via BetRivers in Pittsburgh — the hometown team managed to cover thanks to five San Francisco turnovers: $45,618
At William Hill (online), an incredible combination of baseball sides and run lines and WNBA and a Copa Sudamericana match between Atletico-MG and Unión La Calera ($169,653)
A college football and NFL Week 3 (2019) mashup at Westgate Las Vegas: $8,250
Somehow (i.e. sheer luck), someone successfully predicted an entire weekend of preseason NFL games at DraftKings Sportsbook: $3,716
Through Rush Street (PlaySugarHouse) in New Jersey, another NFL Week 3 beneficiary of Baltimore’s 15-point fourth quarter at KC: $26,351
At William Hill in Nevada in January, an all-favorites 8-legger combo of NBA and college hoops, for a whopping $177,380
This rundown will be amended with more tickets from across the country, as time goes on. Thanks here to DraftKings, Rush Street Interactive, The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and William Hill.
