Fear not, bettors: the long-awaited football season is finally upon us.
While the annual Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans may not highlight the finest football of the season, it still offers an enticing opportunity for sports bettors. Initially, the Bears opened as 1.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook with a total of 33. However, following the announcement that Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud would not be playing, the line shifted to favor the Texans at -1, with the total dropping to 31.
The Hall of Fame Game serves as the unofficial kickoff to the NFL preseason, igniting excitement among fans and bettors alike. Despite the absence of key players and starters, the game sparks enthusiasm as it signifies the beginning of a new football year. It’s the first chance to engage in betting on live NFL action for the first time since the Super Bowl.
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Although the early action has been light, with many bookmakers noting a slow start, enthusiasm for the upcoming season is palpable.
It appears that the Bears and Texans starters won’t play in this showcase, while both head coaches get an extra preseason game to get reps. Tyson Bagent will start at quarterback for Chicago, and Houston is expected to start Davis Mills.
As of Thursday morning, the line has pretty much settled at the aforementioned numbers (Texans -1, total of 31 points). At DraftKings, the majority of bettors (62%) and total dollars wagered (76%) were on Houston to cover. There were slightly more bets (55%) on Over 31.5, but more money came in on the Under at DraftKings.
With plenty of games to wager on this season, bettors weren’t running to the window yet, according to bookmakers that we spoke with. Several oddsmakers mentioned the lack of betting 24 hours from kickoff, including one sportsbook that hadn’t taken a single bet on the game all day on Wednesday.
“Pretty light action so far,” Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City, said. “Some more money to the Under, sitting at 31.5 at the moment.”
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The game will be played at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but action was light in that state – and in Vegas.
“As of last night, very little action on either side,” Kurt Blakeway, sportsbook supervisor at betJACK in Ohio, said in a text message. “Little interest early on. Only movement we saw was the line flipping in favor of Houston when the Bears announced none of their starters were playing.”
Even though the betting activity is currently low, the anticipation for the upcoming season remains high. With the regular season just around the corner, the excitement and betting action are expected to ramp up significantly.
