[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/chalk/story/_/id/138 ... ng-weekend

Rams, Arizona State help sportsbooks to a winning weekend

David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer

Hugh Citron, a veteran Las Vegas bookmaker, had a decision to make. The Stratosphere sportsbook was lopsided on the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona was a 7-point favorite over the visiting St. Louis Rams, and everyone was on the Cardinals.

Nine times more money had been bet on the Cardinals than the Rams. For every one parlay card that included the Rams, there were 20 cards with Arizona. Every teaser and every moneyline parlay had the Cardinals, too, Citron said.

He could have moved the point spread to Arizona -7.5 to attract some money on the underdog Rams and even out the book a little bit. Instead, he held tight and gambled.

"Who do you want to gamble against?" Citron asked. "Do you want to go to 7.5 against a sharp getting a good number on you? Or would you rather just gamble against the public, which has been a good scenario for the books for the last 30 or 40 years? I'd much rather in the long run gamble against the public than the guys I know play sharp numbers." It ended up being the right move. The Rams upset the Cardinals 24-22, turning a potential losing Sunday into "a very good day" for the Stratosphere.

The Westgate SuperBook, CG Technology, MGM, Station Casinos and William Hill all pointed to the Rams as their primary catalyst to a turnaround Sunday for the books, which had lost two of the past three weeks in the NFL.

"Overall, a good day for the books," said Chuck Esposito, Station's sportsbook director. The Oakland Raiders, favored for the first time in 27 games, were a popular bet in Las Vegas. At William Hill, 86 percent of the money was on the Raiders versus the Chicago Bears. The Bears won 22-20, producing another of the books' biggest wins. Caesars sportsbook director Leon Bismarck said Washington's upset of the Philadelphia Eagles produced his shop's biggest win on a profitable Sunday.

The New York Jets started the day off on a winning note for bettors from Las Vegas to the United Kingdom. The Jets won and covered in a 27-14 win over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London. At U.K. sportsbook giant Ladbrokes, the game attracted 25 percent more action than any of the other NFL games that have been played at Wembley Stadium. At William Hill's U.K. sportsbook, twice as much money was bet on the Jets as the Dolphins, according to spokesman Joe Crilly.

The pro-Jets action was similar in Las Vegas.

"I woke up in the morning losing money, because everybody bet the Jets," CG Technology vice president of race and sports Jason Simbal said.

Heading into the afternoon slate of games, MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood said his shop was facing a second straight losing Sunday, unless the Rams or the San Francisco 49ers were able to pull off outright upsets.

"If all the teasers [had come] in on those games, it [would've been] like losing an additional fourth or fifth game," Rood said.

The Rams obliged, knocking off the favored Cardinals 24-22.

"That wiped out every parlay, every teaser, wiped it all," Citron said.

[Hacksaw]

What if Gurley scored on his last carry instead of laying down? 9 point differential instead of 2.

[Gareth]

What if Gurley scored on his last carry instead of laying down? 9 point differential instead of 2.

No difference Arizona was favored by 7 - not the Rams.

[azramsfan93]

As evidenced by this article, I had a really good football weekend.

The Devils took down the #7 Bruins in the Rose Bowl, and then the Rams took down the undefeated Cards yesterday!!

There are so many disappointing football weekends - it is nice to bask in the glow of my 2 favorite teams.

[Hacksaw]

D'oh!

[Hacksaw_64]

As evidenced by this article, I had a really good football weekend.

The Devils took down the #7 Bruins in the Rose Bowl, and then the Rams took down the undefeated Cards yesterday!!

There are so many disappointing football weekends - it is nice to bask in the glow of my 2 favorite teams.

The Sun Devils +14.5 was a safe bet for sure