When Clemson’s Deshaun Watson hit Hunter Renfrow for the game-winning touchdown with one second left in the championship game Monday night, football fans everywhere rejoiced.
The Tigers handed Alabama a stunning defeat. It was an upset that no one really saw coming. It was a comeback that seemed to defy logic. The mighty Crimson Tide had fallen after another unblemished season. Clemson found itself national champions for the first time in over 30 years.
While most of the college football world enjoyed this earth-shattering moment, odd-makers in Vegas were left wondering just how much it might cost them.
We now have an answer.
According to ESPN, top Nevada sportsbook William Hill took in more money in bets for the CFP National Championship than any other game in the company’s history with an estimated $15-to-$20 million being wagered on the game statewide. Unfortunately for the sportsbook, most of the money was placed on the underdog Tigers.
“It was as bad as a result as humanly possible,” William Hill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said Tuesday morning, via ESPN.
It was the single-worst loss for a game in the history of the company.
This is a theme that was repeated around Las Vegas as Clemson overcame a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter to absolutely stun Alabama on the game’s grandest stage.
While some will be sad that Vegas lost a ton of money on this game, we’re sure happy that those who placed their bets for the underdog against Goliath were rewarded big time.