All the betting action is on Carolina, but Cowboys still Thanksgiving faves
By Jason Logan
The sights, smells, and spreads of Thanksgiving Day. The holiday Thursday is one of the biggest single betting days of the year, with three NFL matchups on the board. We talk to sportsbooks in Las Vegas and offshore, getting the inside scoop on the betting action and where the lines could end up come kickoff:
Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys (-1, 44.5)
Football bettors were scratching their heads when this Thanksgiving Day spread hit the board last weekend, with most sportsbooks opening with 3-7 Dallas as a 1-point home favorite over the 10-0 Panthers.
Most shops took instant action on the undefeated underdog and swung this spread the other way, with Carolina as a 1-point road favorite. However, with the Cowboys at home on the holiday and Tony Romo playing in his first game in Arlington since coming back from injury, money on Dallas has settled this one at a pick or Cowboys -1.
But while the line is flip-flopping, books are reporting one-sided action on Carolina. According to Mick Sloan, lines manager for offshore book GTBet, bets on the Panthers are out-pacing the Cowboys at a 3-to-1 rate.
“The betting action has been all Carolina despite the fact that this line has been flip flopping for days now, with the line currently sitting at Dallas -1,” Sloan. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ended up back at a pick before the start.”
The same can be said for William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada, which opened Carolina as a 1-point favorite and went to Dallas -1 before settling on a pick’em.
“The public is betting Carolina both on the spread and the moneyline – huge moneyline action on Carolina,” Nick Bogdanovich, U.S. director of trading for William Hill. “If the line does move off pick, it’ll go to Carolina -1 with the Panthers as the faves.”
As for the total, early sharp money trimmed this number from 46 to 44.5 points in the days leading into Thanksgiving. These two teams rank among the top teams in controlling the football, according to average time of possession.
The Cowboys have covered in four of their previous five games against the Panthers but have failed to cash in for bettors on Thanksgiving in four straight years.