Buffalo Bills’ LeSean McCoy makes $200K bet on Warriors

Bills running back LeSean McCoy placed a $200,000 wager at Planet Hollywood on the Warriors to win the NBA Finals and there’s nothing shady about it.

NFL players are prohibited from betting on NFL games and making promotional appearances at casinos, but are allowed to wager on other team sports, per the league’s gambling policy, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed in an e-mail to the Review-Journal.

McCoy, aka “Shady,” posted an image on his Instagram page of the $200,000 bet he made Thursday at Planet Hollywood before Game 1. The five-time Pro Bowler — who signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Buffalo in 2015 — placed the wager at minus-320 odds and will net $62,500 if Golden State wins two more games over the Cavaliers.

Caesars Palace sports book director Frank Kunovic didn’t confirm that McCoy made the bet but did say a $200,000 series wager on the Warriors was the largest made at Planet Hollywood, which is operated by Caesars Entertainment (Rio, Harrah’s, Flamingo, The Linq, Bally’s, Paris).

“We’ve taken in quite a few six-figure bets,” he said. “Everyone loves the Warriors.”

Six-figure winners

A Caesars Palace bettor cashed a six-figure wager on Golden State to cover the 7-point spread in its 113-91 win in Game 1 and another bettor won a six-figure wager on the Warriors to cover the 9-point spread in their 132-113 romp Sunday in Game 2.

Caesars Palace also took a six-figure wager on Golden State to win the series.

The Warriors were quickly moved to 3-point favorites in Wednesday’s Game 3 in Cleveland after the line opened at 2. The total is at 226 after opening at 225½.

Six-figure losers

Bettors at the Mirage sports book lost a pair of six-figure money-line wagers placed Saturday on the Cavaliers to win Game 2. One bet was on Cleveland at plus-350 and the other was at plus-300.

NHL playoffs handle

The NHL playoffs might have produced more drama than the NBA postseason, but the betting public has bet more than twice as much money on pro basketball.

“The NBA definitely brings in way more than hockey does,” Kunovic said. “Hockey accounts for about 40 percent of what we take on the NBA.”

If you bet it, they will win

Nevada sports books won $10.1 million on baseball in April. It was the state’s highest baseball win amount ever for April and the third-most profitable baseball month ever, according to Gaming Control Board research analyst Michael Lawton.

“A lot of the outcomes were quite surprising,” Kunovic said. “The Cubs getting off to a slow start was a big help for that.”

Kunovic said bettors typically fare better on baseball than the other major sports.

“Usually, it’s our lowest hold,” he said. “We still make money on it but it’s easier to decide the outcome of a game based on pitching matchups.”

Nevada sports books won $15.1 million overall in April, which was the 45th consecutive month that they reported a win.

Their last losing month was July 2013, when a $2.8 million loss in baseball caused the books to lose a total of $546,000 for the month.

Penny lovers

The losses incurred by sports bettors in April paled in comparison to penny slot players, who dropped $258.7 million for the month. Multi-denomination slot players lost $251.9 million, blackjack players $87.1 million, baccarat $79.2 million, craps $31 million and roulette $18.3 million.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-266-6080. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.