The Biggest Sports Betting Events of 2022: Super Bowl, World Cup and Mattress Mack Among Them

Now that we're beginning to turn the page to 2023, it's time for us to look back at some of the biggest sports betting events of 2022. We're all beginning to gear up for the next couple of months, which will feature the NFL Playoffs and ultimately Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday, February 12. But it's hard not to look back to the past, as this was one of the greatest years in sports history. We've all come to appreciate big events more after the pandemic wiped away some of our favorite moments for nearly two years. With that said, let's look at some of the biggest sports betting events from the last 12 months, with an eye on both the excitement and the betting aspect of all of them. 

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The Biggest Sports Betting Events of 2022

Super Bowl LVI: Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

In the biggest game imaginable, the Rams earned a 23-20 win over the Bengals. Matthew Stafford threw for 283 yards with three touchdowns, with Cooper Kupp finishing with eight catches for 92 yards and two scores. Aaron Donald also had two sacks in a game. This will also be remembered as a game in which revered offensive mind Sean McVay won his first Super Bowl. It was, however, the Bengals that covered the spread, as they were 4-point underdogs in the game. And the game ended up going Under the 48.5-point total. Oh, and the handle was absolutely outrageous! 

On #LombardiLine, @VSiNVinny broke down the handle on Super Bowl LVI from a bookmaker's perspective, including the shocking percentage of bets that were on props alone!@mlombardiNFL | @TheWrapRadio #WatchNow ⏬ pic.twitter.com/VHrJyhVHYe

— VSiN (@VSiNLive) February 17, 2022

FIFA World Cup Final: Argentina vs. France 

In what was possibly the best actual game of the year, Argentina overcame France in penalties to win the World Cup in Qatar. This was a matchup that featured Lionel Messi, one of the best players in the history of the sport, going up against Kylian Mbappe, who is arguably the best player in the world right now. Both players delivered masterful performances, with Messi scoring twice and Mbappe scoring three times in what was a 3-3 game before penalties. Argentina was a very small underdog heading into the game, but Messi ultimately was able to help his country win. That was the first World Cup victory of his illustrious career. And we all had fun tracking the parlay bettor that could have won $557,000 on France. 

In 2016, Lionel Messi said he'd trade five Ballon d'Or trophies to have just one World Cup for Argentina.

Six years later, at 35 years old, he won his first World Cup and could be headed for his EIGHTH Ballon d'Or win 🤯

Incredible longevity 📈 pic.twitter.com/bgqLFlEuQM

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 21, 2022

The Kentucky Derby

This year's Kentucky Derby featured one of the biggest upsets in the history of the prestigious race. Rich Strike went into the race as an 80-1 shot, but the horse was able to pull off the miracle victory. Epicenter was the favorite to win the race at 4-1, but it ultimately ended up finishing in second. It was one of the more surprising finishes we've seen in horse racing, and it was nice to see something like that happening. We had grown numb to seeing Bob Baffert celebrating his horses in recent years. 

Rich Strike was purchased for $30k last year & just won $1.8 million at the Kentucky Derby.

But rather than train, groom, and board the horse, you could have bet $30k on Rich Strike to win at 80-1 odds today & you would have won 2.4 million.

LESSON: Don't invest, just gamble.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 7, 2022

NCAA Tournament Final: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Kansas Jayhawks

In a meeting between two of college basketball's most dominant programs, the Jayhawks ended up earning a 72-69 win over the Tar Heels in a tremendous March Madness championship game. Kansas came back from a 16-point deficit in the game, which was the biggest comeback in championship game history. Ochai Agbaji ended up being the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and head coach Bill Self won the second national championship of his career. It was, however, a spectacular run for North Carolina, which entered the tournament as a No. 8 seed. The Tar Heels also finished their season off with a cover, as they were 4.5-point underdogs in that one. 

This is what it's all about ❤️💙

An emotional Ochai Agbaji shares a moment with his family after becoming a National Champion 🙌🏾

"You're A Champion!" #MarchMadness

(🎥: @WIBWMitchel x @youngoch) pic.twitter.com/QaUxsPK2kv

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 5, 2022

NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors

The Celtics and Warriors met in the NBA Finals of the 2021-22 season, despite the fact that neither team was the top seed in its conference. And while Golden State still had a core that included champions like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors entered the series as underdogs against a very young Celtics team. Well, that ended pretty poorly for the sportsbooks, as a lot of casual fans jumped on the opportunity to bet on a Golden State team with a championship DNA. And the Warriors ended up winning the series in six games, with Curry winning his first ever Finals MVP award. 

🗣️🗣️🗣️

STEPHEN CURRY IS FINALS MVP pic.twitter.com/zgS7zMbfhu

— VoteStephenCurry4NBAAllStar (@warriors) June 17, 2022

World Series: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros

There was no cheating involved in this World Series win for the Astros, who beat the Phillies in six games to win their second championship in the last six years. Houston was a big favorite to pull it out against Philadelphia before the series began, and it was Jeremy Pena who ended up being the World Series MVP for Dusty Baker's ball club. One of the biggest storylines of this series was Mattress Mack winning more than $75 million on the Astros. It's considered to be the largest win in the history of gambling. 

Mattress Mack celebrating with the Astros cheerleaders 😁 pic.twitter.com/WOud8NlzKD

— br_betting (@br_betting) November 6, 2022