TORONTO — The Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game Sunday night was Proline’s top-selling event of the week according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.
The Packers needed the home win to secure a post-season berth. But the Lions, who’d already been eliminated from playoff contention, played the role of spoiler with a 20-16 victory.
Proline players supported the Packers, taking Green Bay on the moneyline at a 76 per cent clip. The Packers’ -4.5- spread was popular at 72 per cent.
But the Detroit-Green Bay game was just one of a host of NFL games to catch players’ attention. The top five events for the week were all NFL games, including Buffalo versus Cincinnati (No. 2), Tennessee versus Jacksonville (No. 3), Kansas City versus Las Vegas (No. 4) and New England versus the Bills (No. 5).
On Monday night, Georgia dismantled TCU 65-7 to win a second straight U.S. college football title. Before kickoff, the Bulldogs were 12.5-point favourites with 48 per cent expecting them to cover.
And there was also 50-50 action on the over-under of 64.5.
It was a busy week for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who took to the ice four times. The squad defeated Detroit 4-1 on Saturday, then followed up with a 6-2 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday.
A whopping 87 per cent of customers had Toronto winning Saturday night while 74 per cent had the Leafs downing the Flyers on Sunday.
But Proline’s top hockey event of the week was Canada’s 3-2 overtime victory over Czechia on Thursday in the final of the world junior tournament in Halifax. While specific data wasn’t immediately available, the contest was the sixth-highest selling event of the week.
The Toronto Raptors downed the Portland Trail Blazers 117-105 on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena for their first win in four games. That followed the team’s 112-108 home loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Seventy-three per cent of customers had Toronto downing New York while 67 per cent supported the Raptors’ win over the Trail Blazers.
The end of the NFL regular season also signified the final regular Proline NFL pool. It was worth $388,331.97 and was divided between 39 players who went 13 for 13.
And some Proline customers earned impressive payouts last week.
A digital customer turned a $125 wager on a 12-pick NFL parlay into a $19,902 return. Another turned a $30 wager on a 12-pick college basketball parlay into a total payout of $8,424 while a Proline retail customer wagered $2 on a five-pick CBK parlay and won $2,034.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2023.
