The San Francisco Giants made a habit of defying the odds this season and if they continue their winning ways in the playoffs, sportsbooks stand to suffer monstrous losses.
According to ESPN, if the Giants win the World Series, multiple sports betting outlets could lose more than $1 million.
"Honestly, we get crushed if the Giants win," MGM director of trading Jeff Stoneback told ESPN.
The team started the year with 100-1 odds to win the championship, with most handicappers pegging them for a totalof 74.5 wins.
The Giants blew expectations out of McCovey Cove, winning a franchise record 107 wins, capturing the National West title (40-1 longshots before the season) over the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers and securing the best record in Major League Baseball.
The club was just the second team since 1994 to surpass their pre-season betting win total by at least 30 games.
Even throughout the team’s surprising run, Las Vegas prognosticators still didn’t significantly lower their odds. ESPN reported that betters could still find 10-1 odds for them to win the championship as late as July, despite the team’s domination.
As a result, the Giants became a popular team to wager on, due to their success this season, terrific odds and their winning reputation, stemming from their titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
"We didn't think they had a real chance to do this," SuperBook executive director John Murray told ESPN. "We consider the Dodgers to be the best team in baseball. We've thought that the whole season and thought it was just inevitable they would pass the Giants."
As the Giants prepare to start their postseason journey on Friday, casinos are still doubting their chances. The Dodgers enter the playoffs as the betting favorite to win it all and the Giants fourth, according to odds from the Action Network. Both the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays are heavier favorites to lift the championship trophy.
The Giants face their arch-rival Dodgers in a best of five National League Division Series starting Friday night at Oracle Park.
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