DEWALT POWER TOOLS FIGHT NIGHT CLUB 2010, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In February of 2014, Floyd Mayweather Jr. placed a $350,000 bet on the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLVIII facing off against the Denver Broncos.
The game took place on February 2, and Mayweather got his bet on the day before at the M Resort’s sportsbook in Las Vegas. Mayweather is well known for his gambling exploits, and since he is worth an estimated $450 million and calls Vegas his home, he has plenty of options when it comes to wagering his money.
The Seahawks were favoured to win the game by 2.5 points, but Mayweather had higher expectations and bet on them to cover the spread and more. He thought they would win by 7.5 points or more.
The Seahawks went on to win the game 43-8, easily covering the spread and winning Mayweather a total of $1,825,714.28.
Mayweather isn’t always transparent with his bets – he usually shows off his wins but never his losses – so it is odd that he didn’t share an image of exactly how the bet was formed on this occasion.
There was talk that he also had a straight up bet on the Seahawks to win the Superbowl regardless of the score, so we aren’t sure how much of the money came from each bet, but the total amount won has been confirmed by an employee of the Sportsbook at the time.
How the Bet Was Won
Mayweather must have been absolutely loving this game, because the Seahawks came out of the gates fighting and never let up, the Broncos were handed an absolute spanking.
The venue was the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and the game started with a bang, as the Seahawks took an early lead with a safety – the fastest score in Super Bowl history no less. They continued to dominate the first quarter, scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard run by Marshawn Lynch. The Broncos were unable to get anything going, and the quarter ended with a score of 8-0 in favour of the Seahawks.
The second quarter continued to be a nightmare for the Broncos. Seattle’s defence shut down Denver’s high-powered offense, sacking Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning twice and intercepting him once. The Seahawks also added another touchdown, this time on a 1-yard run by running back Marshawn Lynch, giving them a 22-0 lead at halftime.
The Broncos started the second half with possession of the ball, but their struggles continued as Peyton Manning threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by the Seahawks’ Malcolm Smith. The Broncos finally managed to score a touchdown later in the quarter, but the Seahawks answered with another touchdown run by Lynch. The score at the end of the third quarter was 36-8 to the Seahawks.
The fourth quarter was largely uneventful, as the outcome of the game had be decided pretty much from the second quarter onwards. The Seahawks added 7 points to their tally with a 10 yard touchdown but the Broncos final three drives were unsuccessful, and the Seattle Seahawks won their first-ever Super Bowl championship.