Jason Elam was still trying to keep the football from blowing off the tee for the opening kickoff yesterday and already a few gamblers were tearing up betting slips.
It didn't take long to separate some bettors from some of their Super Bowl money. Not when they had bet on Denver receiving the opening kickoff.
Those who bet the Broncos to win, though, fared much better in the biggest game of the year for wagering.
Long lines formed at most of the city's sports books just after the game, with those holding winning tickets happily waiting for their payoffs.
``We have a lot of happy folks in here,'' said Vince Magliulo, sports book director at Caesars Palace. ``People have to win sometimes and we understand that. We'll probably end up paying out more money than we took in.''
The annual betting feast featured its usual share of winners and losers as gamblers packed sports books to wager on everything from the first player to score to how many passes John Elway would complete.
Millions of dollars changed hands - mostly in the form of crisp $100 bills - in what might have been the most heavily bet Super Bowl yet. Last year, a record $77.3 million was bet.
Oddsmakers reported heavy two-way action on the game, which featured a 7 1/2-point spread that stayed pretty constant in the two weeks of betting leading up to the opening kickoff.
But the late wave of betting was almost all on the Broncos, and they were winning bets.
``Overall it looks like a small loser for the sports books,'' said Cesar Robaina, odds manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which sets the odds at most major casinos. ``Most of the books needed the Falcons to cover the spread to win money.''
