The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers are less than a week away from Super Bowl 50, and it would appear the gambling line is just about set. The line opened with the Panthers as 3.5-point favorites. It climbed as high as six points this week, but does not appear to be moving any higher. Some sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark have come down to 5.5-points, but Bovada.lv has stuck with the six-point line.
The line is not based on the idea that the Panthers will beat the Broncos by six points. Rather, it is set based on what will get the most even amount of money bet on the game. If 50 percent of the money is on the Panthers and 50 percent is on the Broncos, then the house is guaranteed to win because of their cut of all wagers.
For this game, the betting public has been heavily supporting the Panthers. At certain points, as much as 90 percent of the public’s money was on the Panthers. The Broncos have a strong defense, but the betting public has bought into the Panthers in a big way.
All this means is the odds-makers are huge Broncos fans this week. If the Panthers win and cover, it will be a rough day for the house. If the Broncos cover, the house can win big. I spoke with Bovada Sports Book Manager Kevin Bradley to get his thoughts on the upcoming game. He is involved in the process of setting and adjusting the spread. Here is what he had to say about Super Bowl 50:
"Even though the Panthers are not considered a heavily backed public team during the season, it looks like our bettors believe that even Denver's defense cannot stop them at this point.
"We are still holding the line with the Panthers as six-point favorites and continue to see constant money for them. It would be hard to justify moving it to seven, but either way, it looks like we will need Denver pretty big come Sunday."