Betting buzz: Steelers attract second-most Super Bowl bets this week

Everything that happens in sports has additional context when viewed from a betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.

Our betting buzz file -- with contributions from David Purdum, Doug Greenberg and others -- aims to provide fans a look at the sports betting stories that are driving the conversation.

Key links: Sports betting home | MLB odds page | NFL odds page | NBA odds page | ESPN BET

March 13: Steelers attract second-most Super Bowl bets this week

David Purdum: Oddsmakers believe the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears have had the best offseasons so far, while bettors gravitated to the re-tooling Pittsburgh Steelers during free agency.

The Steelers landed arguably the biggest name of the offseason in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for receiver DK Metcalf, a move that sparked a flurry of betting interest on Pittsburgh. The Steelers' Super Bowl odds moved from 60-1 to 50-1 this week at ESPN BET. Since Sunday, only the Philadelphia Eagles had attracted more money from bettors than the Steelers in ESPN BET's Super Bowl futures market.

John Murray, vice president of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said his book moved the Steelers from 50-1 to 40-1 because "we were writing so many bets on them."

The Rams saw their Super Bowl odds improve slightly, moving from 25-1 to 20-1 at ESPN BET, with the re-signing of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the addition of receiver Davonta Adams, among other moves.

"The Rams gave the Eagles the best game of anyone they played in the postseason," Murray said. "They aren't that far off from potentially being a Super Bowl contender, especially with the 49ers losing so many players and we think Seattle will take a step back."

Overall, NFL free agency had minimal impact on the odds to win the Super Bowl; the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs remain the consensus favorites, with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions rounding out the top tier of contenders, according to sportsbooks, and most teams' odds did not move.

"There isn't any one player that has really shifted the market," Murray said.

The Bears' Super Bowl odds moved from 40-1 to 35-1 at ESPN BET, after trading for offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, with the sportsbook taking in the third-most money from bettors to win the Super Bowl this week, behind the Eagles and Steelers.

The shuffling of journeymen quarterbacks -- Sam Darnold to Seattle, Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and Justin Fields to the New York Jets -- did not cause any notable odds movement for those franchises.

The Washington Commanders, who added receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, remained at 16-1 to win the Super Bowl at ESPN BET.

March 4: Mavs' championship odds plummet after Irving injury

Doug Greenberg: Following the high of their NBA Finals appearance last June, the 2024-25 season has gone off the rails for the Dallas Mavericks, with the latest blow being a season-ending ACL tear to star guard Kyrie Irving suffered Monday night. The betting odds have reflected the team's descent all season.

The Mavericks opened at +1000 to win this season's NBA title at ESPN BET, the sixth-best odds in the league. Those odds lengthened to +2500 by the beginning of February, when the trade that shook the NBA to its core went down.

Following the deal in which Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, the Mavs' odds lengthened again to +3300 and further to +4400. The team's hopes perked up slightly when Davis went off 26 points and 16 rebounds in just over a half during his Mavericks debut, but he left that contest with an injury and has not played since.

Dallas went to +7000 following the Davis injury, but gained some steam up to +6600 upon some encouraging play and the hopes that the star center could return for a playoff run. Then, Irving tore his left ACL on Monday night and by late Tuesday morning, when ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed the season-ending diagnosis, the Mavs fell all the way to 200-1, tied with the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns for 14th on the odds board. Other sportsbooks show even longer odds, with FanDuel posting 550-1.

The Mavericks' championship line saw moderate action, at best, throughout the campaign, attracting just 5.6% of the wagers and 4.8% of the handle at ESPN BET.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have enjoyed the spoils of the trade, going 10-2 since acquiring Doncic and 6-2 with him in the lineup. L.A.'s title odds immediately shortened from +4000 to +1600 following the deal, and they've since made it to +1400, currently fifth on ESPN BET's odds board.

Contrasting the Mavs, the Lakers have the most bets (15.1%) and money (16.7%) wagered to win this season's NBA championship, including a league-leading 27.9% of tickets and 31.7% of handle since the fateful trade.

March 3: Table tennis betting sees second straight record-breaking month

David Purdum: A record $31.7 million was bet on table tennis in January with Colorado sportsbooks.

It's the second straight month of record betting interest on table tennis in Colorado, a trend that began five years ago during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Table tennis tournaments in Eastern Europe were among the very few sporting events that took place during the pandemic in the spring of 2020. The tournaments became popular with sports bettors in the U.S. and sustained interest over the last five years. Matches are played throughout the day and all hours of the night, some of them streamed on sportsbook apps.

Colorado is the only state that reports betting figures on table tennis, but sportsbooks say the interest is similar in other states. A spokesperson for BetMGM told ESPN that table tennis comes in behind major sports, "but given the number of matches available daily, tickets and handle can match or exceed betting on MMA and golf."

In January, the $31.7 million bet on table tennis with Colorado sportsbooks was more than tennis, soccer and hockey, as well as nearly triple the amount bet on the sport in January 2024.

Approximately 99.9% of the money bet on table tennis with Colorado sportsbooks in January was placed online. The sportsbooks won a net $1.7 million on table tennis bets during the month, according to figures released by the Colorado Department of Revenue.

More table tennis links:

• New Jersey suspends betting on Ukrainian table tennis after match-fixing alert