Bettor Loses $1.4 Million on Los Angeles Chargers Live Moneyline Bet with DraftKings Sportsbook

Saturday night’s Wild Card Round game between the Chargers and Jaguars was disastrous for one sports bettor in particular in what was perhaps the most idiotic live bet of all-time, placed when the Chargers were leading by 27 points in the second quarter. As we now know, the Jacksonville Jaguars would pull off one of the biggest comebacks in NFL Playoff history when they erased that 27-point deficit against the Chargers to win 31-30 with a field goal as time expired in regulation, resulting in a huge loss for one DraftKings customer.

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The Jaguars looked well and truly out for the count in the early stages of Saturday’s game as former No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence put up an absolute stink-fest, throwing four interceptions as the Chargers, led primarily by Austin Ekeler, walked all over the home team with three touchdowns and two field goals to establish the 27-0 lead. When Cameron Dicker nailed a 23-yard field goal with 4:25 left in the first half, our NFL predictive analytics model gave LA a 94.2% chance of winning the game, equating to implied odds of -1612. 

One bettor decided the odds on offer with DraftKings Sportsbook of -12500 for the Chargers to win on the moneyline was a big enough of an edge to try and make a quick buck, laying down $1.4 million on LA with a possible profit of $11,200.

While the Chargers looked like they had things in control, this is the Chargers we’re talking about here: a team with an institutionalized history of bad luck and failure. As the Jags pulled 7 points back on the cusp of halftime through a Lawrence pass to Evan Engram, there was just a sense in the air that something crazy was about to unfold.

And that’s exactly what happened. Clemson golden child Trevor Lawrence went from zero to hero as he picked apart the Los Angeles defense, throwing for four touchdowns, as well as scoring a crucial two-point conversion, setting it up for a Doug Pederson play calling masterstroke on a 4th Down to put the Jags in field goal range with the time dwindling. When Riley Paterson converted the 36-yard try, the big bettor’s $1.4 million was gone.

We don’t know the full context surrounding the man (or woman) who placed the live bet. He (or she) is probably taking a one-way trip to Thailand with former Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury to bury their head in the sand for a few months. One thing is for sure, it’s a cautionary tale about gambling: betting $1 million for such a small gain is always risky, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE RELYING ON THE GODDAMN LOS ANGELES CHARGERS.

If you haven't already, you should consider signing up for DraftKings here as you can turn a $5 pre-game moneyline bet on any game into $200 in free bonus bets if your team wins.