Super Bowl record-high total of 59 doesn’t stop over bettors

Bookmakers seemingly can’t make the total high enough for Super Bowl LI.

After an opening Super Bowl record-high total of 58 on Sunday night for the anticipated shootout between the Patriots and Falcons, money on the over quickly pushed the number to a consensus 59, and it climbed to 59½ at Coast Casinos by Monday afternoon.

“I’m a little nervous about that one, as most fans that come to Vegas like to bet the over, being the Super Bowl,” Westgate sports book director Jay Kornegay said. “We’re hoping that the high number will deter some of those over bettors to take the under and even it out a little more. But the early indicators look like they’re going to bet the over despite it being a record high.”

CG Technology sports book director Jason Simbal said Monday he’s taken $27,000 in wagers on the over and only about $2,000 on the under.

“They’ve bet (the total) more than the game so far,” he said. “One of the main reasons why the books have had a below-average football season is because of the Patriots-and-over. And this is going to be another scenario that that’s what people are going to bet.

“That’s why you see such a high total. I don’t think people will bet the under. If the game is under, the books are going to make money no matter what.”

Simbal expects sharp money to show if the number keeps rising.

“(The wiseguys are) going to bet wherever there’s value,” he said. “If the number should be 58 or 59 and the public drives it up to 60 or 61, they’re going to take the under. We haven’t seen them weigh in yet, though.”

Kornegay said the Westgate has already taken a six-figure wager on the Patriots laying 3 points and a couple of “healthy” five-figure parlays on the Patriots-and-over.

New England is favored by 1½ points in the first half with a total of 29.

OVER AND OVER AGAIN

Bettors have cashed Patriots-and-over parlay tickets the past three weeks and in seven of New England’s 18 games this season. The Patriots are 15-3 against the spread.

Bettors have hit the Falcons-and-over in both of Atlanta’s playoff games and in 10 of their 18 games this season overall. The over is 15-2-1 in Falcons games.

SUPER BOWL TRENDS

The Feb. 5 game in Houston is the 10th Super Bowl with a total over 50. Only three of the first nine have gone over, and two of those were by half a point. Four of the last six Super Bowls have gone over after a run of five unders in the previous six games.

The over is 25-24 in Super Bowls (the Super Bowl I total is unavailable), and favorites are 26-21-2 ATS (Super Bowl XLIX was a pick ’em).

Favorites covered 21 of the first 29 Super Bowls but have since gone 5-13-2 ATS, with underdogs cashing in four of the last five and seven of the last nine games.

New England is 2-5-1 ATS in the Super Bowl, and Atlanta didn’t cover in its only Super Bowl appearance, a 34-19 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

PROPOSITION FOR YOU

The ever-popular buffet of Super Bowl prop bets will be released by most books Thursday or Friday. Kornegay said the Westgate will post about 400 prop bets on the board at 7 p.m. Thursday but won’t have the betting sheets until Friday night.

He said it takes about three weeks for him, sports book managers Ed Salmons and Jeff Sherman and other staff members to compile all the props.

“We cheated a little bit and started putting the Patriots on some of them and the Falcons on some of them,” he said. “This is the first year that both favorites won and covered and we didn’t have to change those things on Monday.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.