Vegas expects Mayweather-McGregor betting to be ‘bigger than the Super Bowl’

July 19, 2017

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Fights — especially fights that take place in Las Vegas — and gambling go hand in hand. It was expected that the upcoming crossover bout between Floyd Mayweather, the boxing legend, and Conor McGregor, the UFC’s golden boy, would draw quite a betting pool.

According to Kevin Bradley, the manager of online sportsbook Bovada, the amount of wagers placed on Mayweather-McGregor could surpass even the most optimistic of predictions. Bradley is confident this will be the biggest sporting event of the year.

“We knew this fight would be big, potentially even bigger than the Super Bowl, but now we are almost certain it will be,” Bradley told Yahoo! Sports. “The recent trash talking and promotional tour is only encouraging bets and at this rate we cannot even imagine how much we will take on it.”

So, how much money was wagered on the Super Bowl? Estimates place that figure at $4.7 billion — with a B.

An estimated $4.7 billion will be bet on Super Bowl LI in the US alone, says the American Gaming Association, 97% of it illegally. pic.twitter.com/GqxG26KQYX

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 31, 2017

Yes — it’s plausible that the Mayweather-McGregor fight could draw more than $5 billion in wagers.

Mayweather, naturally, is the heavy favorite, but fans have placed many bets on McGregor because of the odds placed against him.

“One thing is for sure though, we will need Mayweather huge,” Bradley said. “A McGregor early round KO as he promised would be a potential disaster, and is partly a reason we are giving a great price on Mayweather at the moment.”

McGregor is currently a 4-to-1 underdog, per Bovada. The fight will take place Aug. 26.