- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
It’s NFL draft week, a time when even an anonymous post on social media can trigger rushes of betting action at sportsbooks. It happened again Tuesday morning.
Bryce Young remains the consensus favorite to be the top pick, listed at -1400 at Caesars Sportsbook, but Tuesday, multiple sportsbooks reported receiving a surge of bets on Will Levis to go No. 1, causing the former Kentucky quarterback’s odds to move wildly. Levis’ odds to be the top pick moved from 40-1 to 4-1 on Tuesday at DraftKings.
Normally that type of odds movement would be monumental, but the draft betting market is known for its volatility. A tweet or new mock draft can move the odds quickly and significantly. The rush of action on Levis is believed to have been triggered by a post on Reddit that claimed he was “telling friends and family Carolina will in fact take him on Thursday.”
“Given the nature of the draft, we drastically cut the price based on this action and eventually came to a price where the bets stopped,” a DraftKings spokesperson told ESPN. “We are still seeing some small bets trickle through at the current price, but the speculation is all the action was off the back of a Reddit post.”
FanDuel and Caesars Sportsbook also reported an increase in bets on Levis on Tuesday morning.
“There’s definitely been an uptick in the number of bets on Will Levis this morning, but no huge bets,” a Caesars spokesperson told ESPN.
Caesars reported taking a pair of $500 bets on Levis from a bettor in Illinois at 16-1 and an $825 bet on Levis at 12-1 from a bettor in Colorado. All three bets were placed Tuesday morning, after the Reddit post went up around 8 a.m.
A 26-year-old bettor who goes by Mike Gwiz said he saw the Reddit post early Tuesday and quickly put $10 on Levis to be the top pick at 35-1. Gwiz said Levis’ odds moved to 4-1 roughly 20 minutes later.
“I believe it was worth a shot for fun, like $10,” Gwiz told ESPN in a direct message on Twitter. “It kind of reminds me of the Baker [Mayfield] rumors the day of the draft. He wasn’t supposed to be going No. 1 most of the leadup to the draft. This gives me those vibes. I would say it’s most likely not real, but I won’t be shocked either way.”
Last week, BetMGM took Levis off the board in its odds for the No. 1 pick. He had been as long as 14-1. With the buzz building, the sportsbook put Levis back up Tuesday morning at 5-1 to be the top pick.
The NFL draft begins Thursday in Kansas City.
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