NFL betting: Late Bills-Browns venue change has an effect on sportsbooks too
There was never a realistic chance that the Buffalo Bills' home game against the Cleveland Browns was going to happen as scheduled Sunday. There were multiple feet of snow forecasted. There was no guarantee the Browns could even get to Buffalo.
On Thursday afternoon the NFL made the call to move the game to Detroit. The teams had to scramble. So did sportsbooks.
The rules on what happens to all bets for Bills vs. Browns is specific to each sportsbook and their house rules. According to Lamarr Mitchell, the director of the MGM Grand race and sports book, the existing bets on the Bills-Browns game at BetMGM will be voided and refunded.
That's significant, because there was a lot of action on the game when forecasts started saying there could be a massive snowstorm in Western New York.
The point spread moved from Bills -9.5 to -8, anticipating a low-scoring game and perhaps the run-first Browns being better equipped to play in the snow. There were a lot of under bets on the total, which moved from 47.5 to 43 early this week.
Oddsmakers had to readjust the spreads to reflect the venue change. The Bills are now 7.5-point favorites. The line is lower because they're playing on a neutral field instead of a home game. The over/under came back at 48.5. It's even higher than the original line because the two teams will be in a dome.
If you had Bills vs. Browns action at BetMGM, you'll get that bet back. And you'll need to figure out if the venue change is better news for either side.
