There’s a first time for everything and the sports betting industry now has another one. Last Thursday, two NFL wagers were placed, but these weren’t just simple bets. They were the first two ever to be placed from outer space. Jared Isaacman’s name will be forever remembered for not only commanding the Inspiration4 civilian space shuttle, but for making the first sports bets from beyond the limits of our atmosphere.
Sports Wagers From Space
When they said that the number of NFL wagers is skyrocketing, Isaacman, the CEO of Shift4 Payments, took it literally. The tech billionaire was commanding SpaceX’s civilian shuttle Inspiration4 last week, a mission he paid for, and, as the craft was making its trek, he made his call. Connecting with BetMGM, through Darren Rovell of The Action Network, Isaacman placed a $4,000 bet on the Over of the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team (WFT) and a $4,000 futures bet that the Philadelphia Eagles would take the Super Bowl. The call was obviously pre-arranged, but that doesn’t lessen the notoriety of the bets.
After the bets were placed, BetMGM Director of Trading Jeff Stoneback said in a statement, “History was made today. I’ve been in the business for 35 years, and we never even took bets from outside the state of Nevada until four years ago. Now, BetMGM is taking bets from the entire galaxy. It’s a great moment and an even greater cause, supporting St. Jude.” Any winnings will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and BetMGM and SpaceX will donate $25,000 each, as well.
Bets Already Paying Off
It’s way too early to say if the Eagles will be able to pull through for Isaacman. They just lost to the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, 17-11, taking them to 1-1 on the year. The odds of them winning the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM, are currently +6600, putting them in the lower half of the rankings. They share the spot with the WFT and the Carolina Panthers, both of which won their games yesterday. The Kansas City Chiefs still lead the charts, with odds of +475, but they lost yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens.
The WFT has already paid off for St. Jude. BetMGM had the Over/Under listed as 40.5 and Isaacman’s bet on the Over had odds of -110. The final score of the game was 30-29 Washington, easily scoring a win. The wager was worth $3,636.35, plus the original $4,000 investment. In addition to those winnings, Isaacman has stated that he will donate $100 million of his own money to the hospital.