The public betting masses had a strong appetite to wager on the USA in its opening World Cup match vs.
A resounding 4-1 victory has run that appetite to ravenous — not just on USA vs.
Australia odds, but on the American side to make an unprecedented run.
"That was a really good performance in the first game," Caesars Sports head of soccer trading Mark Bickerdike said.
"So we’ve seen an increase in business, particularly on the USA to win the tournament and Folarin Balogun to win the Golden Boot." Bickerdike helps dive into odds on Friday’s U.S.-Australia match and World Cup futures odds.
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One-Way Traffic The three-way moneyline for USA-Australia odds has rubber-banded around a bit.
Caesars opened at USA -133/Canada +350/Draw +270, but that was before Friday’s U.S.-Paraguay match.
Following the Americans’ impressive win, the U.S.
stretched to a -197 favorite, with Canada +475 and Draw +320.
Then the Canadians, as +400 underdogs, upset Turkey 2-0 on Saturday night, leading oddsmakers to adjust once again.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 48 hours before a 3 p.m.
ET kickoff on FOX, it’s USA -176/Australia +425/Draw +305.
But bettors are speaking loud and clear in favor of the Red, White & Blue.
"There was a lot of support on the USA in the first game, and that’s continued.
We’ve definitely seen a spike in wagers on the U.S.
It’s one-way traffic very much leaning toward the USA," Bickerdike said.
In addition, customers are betting Over 2.5 total goals, and in player props, they’re looking for Balogun and Christian Pulisic to score.
All that has Caesars — and surely every other U.S.
sportsbook — in an intriguing position.
The books generally root for Draw in these matches, but that might slow USA betting momentum, which is not what bookmakers want.
"For this one-off event, a Draw is important," he said.
"But a low-scoring USA win wouldn’t be the worst result.
Let’s keep this excitement around the World Cup going.
"What we’d be hoping to avoid is a comprehensive USA win, with Pulisic and Balogun scoring.
That would not be good." Translation: Caesars doesn’t want a repeat of USA-Paraguay.
Rather, a USMNT 1-0 or 2-0 victory would be just fine.
Looking Into The Futures A week ago, before the U.S.
rolled over Paraguay, Caesars Sports had the American side at +5000 in World Cup futures odds.
Now, with a big win under its belt, the USMNT has improved to +4000, the co-10th choice along with Belgium and Mexico.
Granted, that’s still a long way from those at the top of the board — France as the +400 favorite, followed by Spain at +500, and Portugal and England at +750.
But tickets and money are flowing fast on the U.S.
over the past few days.
"In the last week, it’s changed considerably.
We’ve see a real influx on Portugal, and the U.S.
after that," Bickerdike said.
1, and the USA is now our second-most-wagered team.
It’s really tight between the USA, France and Spain." And the USMNT is Caesars’ largest liability among legitimate championship prospects.
"Haiti is still our biggest losing side.
But after that, it’s the USA," Bickerdike said.
The Haiti liability is purely a result of massive long-shot odds, currently +250000 (2500/1).
At that price, it takes only a handful of tickets to create substantial liability.
Sources: Fox Sports
