2025 Big Bets Report: Bettor Correctly Picks Every Week 1 Game, Wins $382k

NFL Week 1 odds attracted plenty of six-figure bets, and lots of five-figure action, as well. 

But in comparison, a relatively modest four-figure moneyline parlay stands out most.

That bettor has the Buffalo Bills to thank for it, after their stunning comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

More on that wager, along with a 16-leg moneyline parlay that cashed huge, and other notable bets, as we recap the weekend that was in NFL and college football betting.

Parlay Partay

Most of those in the public betting masses will only invest five or ten bucks on a long-shot parlay. But there are those who invest a little more on these bets.

Like, say, $1,500. 

That’s what one Caesars Sports customer did, putting together a nine-team moneyline parlay — all favorites at the time of the bet — in NFL Week 1.

If you paid much attention to games, then you saw that several of those teams could’ve killed that ticket. In fact, the Eagles could’ve blown it up Thursday night in the regular-season kickoff.

But Philly held on for a 24-20 victory. The Bengals barely beat the Browns 17-16. The Steelers needed a 60-yard field goal to edge the Jets 34-32. And the 49ers needed a late TD to beat the Seahawks 17-13.

Somehow, the ticket survived all that.

And then it did the seemingly impossible: survived the Bills trailing 40-25 with under five minutes left. 

You all surely know the story by now: Josh Allen & Co. made a miracle comeback, and Buffalo beat Baltimore 41-40 on a final-second field goal.

So the bettor’s $1,500 becomes a hefty $92,528.40 win.

Also at Caesars, a bettor put $400 on a five-leg Bills-Ravens single-game parlay:

• Zay Flowers anytime touchdown +185
• Derrick Henry anytime TD -170
• Lamar Jackson anytime TD +200
• James Cook anytime TD -102
• Bills moneyline +105

That customer cashed out for $42,800.

Minnesota Moneyline Mania

Not to be outdone by Sunday night’s craziness, a Hard Rock Bet customer amazingly saw a 16-team moneyline parlay get to the finish line on Monday night. 

Yes, the bettor picked the winner of every NFL Week 1 game.

Minnesota did make that bettor sweat, however. The Vikings trailed the Chicago Bears 17-6 early in the third quarter, after J.J. McCarthy threw a pick-six. But McCarthy and the Vikings rallied with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to win 27-24.

So the bettor’s modest $100 wager became a massive $382,000 win. And the final two games were both in comeback fashion, getting the Bills on Sunday night and the Vikes on Monday night.

If Week 1 is any indication, it’s gonna be a wild season of NFL betting.

In-Game Gains

Social media Sunday night was littered with pictures of betting tickets from people who made in-game moneyline wagers on Buffalo, even as the Bills fell further and further behind Baltimore. I was one of them, throwing a few dollars on Bills +440.

But the odds got much longer than that. 

At DraftKings Sportsbook, Buffalo was as much as a +4000 moneyline underdog on in-game odds. Ostensibly, the Bills were given no chance to win. But they did.

A DraftKings customer got in for $200 on Bills +2200, netting $4,400 in profit. It’s not six figures, but you can’t argue with that ROI.

Here’s Hoping You Had It

In Thursday night’s NFL season opener, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams ran for two touchdowns. So, too, did Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

That got Troy Machir, senior content manager at BetRivers, wondering what a parlay on those outcomes might’ve paid.

If anyone put just 10 bucks on that two-leg player-prop parlay, the profit would’ve been $900. If you had a spare $100 bill lying around, it’s a $9,000 win. 

Hopefully, someone thought to put it together.

A FanDuel Sportsbook customer got even more crafty and specific. The bettor put $10 on an in-game parlay of Hurts to score on the Eagles’ second drive and Williams to score on the Cowboys’ second drive.

Odds were almost 200/1, so that meager 10 bucks became $2,002.56.

On Campus

College football Week 2 odds saw plenty of interesting wagers, too. 

At Fanatics Sportsbook, one customer strung together a seven-leg parlay on nothing but Overs, hoping for plenty of points in all seven games.

There were a couple close calls: North Carolina State and Virginia combined for 66 points, beating the total by just half a point; Jacksonville State and Liberty combined for 58 points, just beyond the 55.5-point total.

And Florida State did all the heavy lifting vs. overmatched East Texas A&M. The Seminoles scored 77 points to beat the 72.5 total by themselves, in a 77-3 victory.

So the $25 parlay cashed out for $5,477.54.

At Caesars Sports, a customer put $300 on an eight-leg parlay of point spreads:

All eight teams covered the number, leading to a healthy payout of $32,677.80.

I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie

To include all the six-figure and noteworthy five-figure bets in this report, I’d have to go on forever. Big money was flying fast and furious over the weekend, on NFL and college football odds.

So let’s just hit the highlights, starting with a reminder that, just like small bets, a lot of big bets lose.

At Hard Rock Bet, the Miami Dolphins were 1-point road favorites vs. the Indianapolis Colts. One customer wanted a shot at a bigger payout, wagering $200,000 on an alternate spread of Dolphins -5.5, meaning Miami would have to win by at least six points.

But the Dolphins got run off the field, losing 33-8.

BetMGM took a pair of six-figure bets on Eagles -8 vs. the Cowboys, one for $200,000 and another for $100,000. Philadelphia was never covering during the Thursday night game, holding on to win 24-20. So that’s $300,000 in the sportsbook’s favor.

Other notable plays over the weekend:

• $165,000 Giants +6 vs. Commanders (Caesars). Another losing wager, as New York put up just two field goals in a 21-6 loss.
• $165,000 Bengals -5 vs. Browns (Caesars). Yet another six-figure loser, as Cincy won 17-16 but failed to cover the spread.
• $165,000 Oklahoma -4 vs. Michigan (Caesars). The Sooners were in control throughout, winning 28-13. So the bettor pocketed $150,000 in profit (total payout $315,000).
• $165,000 Iowa State -3 vs. Iowa (Caesars). Iowa State won 16-13 on a late field goal. So the bettor was fortunate to get a push and a refund of that $165,000, rather than a loss.
• $150,000 Buccaneers moneyline -115 vs. Falcons (Caesars). Tampa won 23-20, and the bettor profited $130,434.78 (total payout $280,434.78).
• $106,000 Falcons moneyline +102 vs. Buccaneers (DraftKings). Atlanta was right there but missed a field goal that would’ve forced overtime, losing 23-20.
• $70,000 Illinois -3 (-112) vs. Duke (DraftKings). The Illini rolled 45-19, giving the bettor a $62,500 profit (total payout $132,500).
• $60,000 Baylor +3 vs. SMU (Caesars). The Bears actually won outright 48-45, so the bettor turned a profit of $54,545.45 (total payout $114,545.45).
• $40,319.98 cents (yes, 98 cents, too) on N.C. State -2.5 (-112) vs. Virginia (DraftKings). The Wolfpack won 35-31, so the bettor profited $35,999.98 (total payout $76,319.96).

That’s plenty for this week. As the above major wagers show, along with any spread or moneyline bets anyone made on the Ravens, it’s hard to win. Crazy things happen.

So keep it reasonable. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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