TORONTO — It was no surprise to Proline bettors that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers reached the Grey Cup for a fourth straight year.
Winnipeg advanced Saturday with a 24-13 home win over the B.C. Lions in the West Division final. According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., 65 per cent of bettors had the Bombers -5.5 although just 28 per cent correctly selected the total under 49.5 points.
Winnipeg will face the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup game Sunday at Tim Hortons Field. The Als advanced with a 38-17 upset win over the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division final at BMO Field.
Toronto (16-2) had tied the CFL record for most regular-season wins and swept Montreal 3-0 during the regular season. What's more, the Argos sported a 9-0 home record (one win came in Halifax) and were 10-0 versus conference rivals.
But Montreal forced nine turnovers (four interceptions, four times on down, fumble) in the division final, returning two picks for touchdowns.
Just 38 per cent of bettors took Montreal +10.5 points while 33 per cent had the Als to win the game.
In NFL action Monday night, the Denver Broncos edged the Buffalo Bills 24-22. Fifty-one per cent of customers had the Broncos +8.5 while 59 per cent took the total under 47.5 points.
On Sunday night, the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New York Jets 16-12. Fifty-three per cent of bettors picked the Raiders to win the game while 46 per cent selected the total under 36.5 points
In NHL action, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Saturday night, much to the surprise of bettors. Just 39 per cent selected Toronto to win the game although 90 per cent correctly predicted the total over 6.5 goals.
Meanwhile in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors rallied to defeat the Washington Wizards 111-107 on Monday night. Sixty-one per cent of customers picked Toronto to win but 51 per cent had Washington +8.5 points while 36 per cent had the total under 230.5 points.
A Proline retail customer earned $9,335 from a $36 bet on five soccer ties while another turned a $1 wager into a $2,569 payout with four different NFL same-game parlays. A Proline digital player won $3,570 from a $20 bet on a 12-pick parlay.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2023.
The Canadian Press
