Mayweather-Pacquiao fight a gold mine for bookmakers

Days before the "Fight of the Century", one Manny Pacquiao believer had put US$500,000 on his man in the MGM Grand sports book in Las Vegas.

Now, book operator Jay Rood is working hard to balance the action. "Hopefully we'll take a million-dollar bet on Mayweather," Rood said. "We're trying to get that hooked up now."

Big bets and big fights are nothing new in Las Vegas, but the richest fight ever is also drawing more money at the betting window than any fight before it.

"The handle on the Strip will be astronomical," Rood said. "It will easily become the biggest fight in Nevada books. I think it could fall somewhere between US$60 million to US$80 million."

Pacquiao fans have led the way, betting on their fighter early and often in most of the city's legal sports books. The influx of money on the underdog has caused odds to drop to less than 2-1, though some larger Mayweather bets have kept them from falling even more.

Bookies say they expect the betting to rival that of some Super Bowls, fuelling a weekend at the sports books like no other as bettors line up to plunge on the fight, the Kentucky Derby and the NBA and NHL play-offs.

"It's amazing. I've never seen so much action so early on a fight," said Johnny Avello, who runs the book at the Wynn resort. "Going back two-and-a-half months this has generated business every day and we haven't even got to fight day yet."

Oddsmakers say the betting public is infatuated with Pacquiao, partly because they like the Filipino fighter and partly because he offers more value.