For Las Vegas, bookies hope Falcons top Patriots in Super Bowl

Las Vegas casinos are the latest to see the New England Patriots as villains since their share of what is expected to be a record-setting year for Super Bowl wagers will increase if the Atlanta Falcons prevail.

An upset victory by the Falcons, who are a three-point underdog for Sunday’s game, would be much more favourable for the house than if the Patriots were to claim their fifth Super Bowl title since the bulk of bets are backing New England.

“Most of the time we are going to need the underdog in this game and this year is no different, especially since it’s the Patriots versus a Falcons team that doesn’t really have a traditional huge fan base,” Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sport operations at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told Reuters.

“I know that there is this love-hate relationship that we have with New England but most of the general public will bet on the perceived better team and in this case it’s New England.”

The Patriots are a perennial contender and led by one of the NFL’s all-time greatest quarterbacks in Tom Brady but a constant cloud seems to hang over them given a spotty past that includes scandals popularly known as Deflategate and Spygate.