"This past offseason, DraftKings reported taking a $25,000 bet on the Las Vegas Raiders at 100-1 to win the Super Bowl. The Raiders would fall very short of winning the Super Bowl. 102 entries in Circa Survivor, a high-stakes NFL survivor contest operated by a Las Vegas casino, failed to submit their picks by the weekly deadline this season and were eliminated. The contest had a $1,000 buy-in and an $18.7 million prize pool."
"The year wasn't all bad for gamblers. There were some betting success stories that left sportsbook executives lamenting to shareholders about "customer-friendly results" or pleading to gambling regulators to allow them to void angle-shooting parlays altogether. Despite these setbacks, the bookmaking business is expected to survive in the new year. As we reflect on the year in betting, we wish you fewer miscalculations in 2026."
High-profile bets in 2025 produced both dramatic losses and major payouts across sportsbooks, contests, and prediction markets. DraftKings took a $25,000 100-1 wager on the Las Vegas Raiders that failed to pay off. One customer invested $183,954 on Jake Paul to beat Anthony Joshua, and Paul suffered a broken jaw in a knockout loss. In Circa Survivor, 102 entries were eliminated for missing weekly deadlines in a contest with a $1,000 buy-in and an $18.7 million prize pool. A 50-cent, 19-leg college basketball parlay paid $217,370.23, and a $1,000 Heisman bet at 100-1 on Fernando Mendoza won. Book operators reported customer-friendly results and sought regulatory relief on certain parlays, yet the bookmaking business is expected to survive into 2026.
Read at ESPN.com
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