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Sportsbooks Unsure of What to Expect from XFL Bettors in Week 2 After Surprising Debut

Matt McEwan

by Matt McEwan in XFL

Updated Apr 2, 2020 · 11:57 AM PDT

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After a surprisingly impressive debut, the XFL looks to continue building upon their success in Week 2 this weekend.
  • Sportsbooks were blown away by the action they saw from bettors in Week 1 of the XFL season
  • One betting site took well into the six figures on each of the four games last weekend
  • See what they’re expecting from bettors in Week 2

Leading up to Week 1 in the XFL’s second stint, I admittedly did not believe this league would be around for very long. While I’m not here to say I was wrong yet, I have to confess that I was extremely surprised with what I saw last weekend, and I’m not the only one feeling that way.

The new rules didn’t come across as too gimmicky; the on-field play was pretty good, especially the quarterbacks; the broadcast was very entertaining; and most importantly, people were interested enough to take to social media and talk about it.

 

The sportsbook noted, “we were expecting the action to be on par with an off-conference college football game (MAC football etc), but we actually wrote more action on each game than we do on an individual college basketball game. We wrote well into the six figures on each of the four games.”

“We wrote well into the six figures on each of the four games.”

And the action got better for the sportsbook on Sunday, as well. A sportsbook reported that they would have been happy if Sunday’s action was on par with Saturday’s, but they saw a slight increase in volume on the second day.

That’s pretty wild considering no one really knew anything about these teams. But the hype and interest in the league resulted in that many people betting blindly.

However, that was Week 1. The league had months to market itself and prepare for their opening weekend. After all, the Alliance of American Football averaged 3.25 million viewers for its two opening games last year. And the XFL’s first stint had a 10.3 Nielsen rating for its opening game, but dropped to 5.1 in Week 2, 3.8 in Week 3, and 2.9 in Week 4.

Does the league have the staying power this time around?

That’s still to be determined. Week 2 will likely give us a strong sign when it kicks off on Saturday, February 15 at 2pm ET.

So far, a sportsbook has reported “modest action” for the weekend. But considering the majority of their Week 1 wagers came in within 48 hours of kickoff, and really started pouring in the day of, they do expect the “faucet to open up” on Week 2 bets in the next 24 hours.

The most bet on Week 2 game to this point is Dallas (-3.5) vs LA – where bettors are taking the favored Renegades – with Tampa Bay (-3.5) vs Seattle closely behind it – the underdog Dragons are receiving the majority of the money there. If you want a little more info on this weekend’s games, check out our XFL Week 2 odds and picks.

Based off what I saw in Week 1, as well as the general response to it by football fans, I do foresee a lot more money being wagered in Week 2. Will you be betting Week 2? If so, let us know your best bet below. (I like the Guardians +7.)


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