I wasn’t 21 yet, but somehow my friends and I snuck into Foxwoods to hit the casino. Shocked they let us in without checking IDs, we laughed for a bit before taking everything in. One 21-year-old friend started gambling with his alcohol intake, putting some chips into a bucket and walking near a slot machine every time the drink waitress walked by, obtaining a free drink every time. I walked around and people-watched, playing a slot here and there. I stopped to watch two friends (who were 21) win every hand of Blackjack. I eventually gave one $5 to play for me. We started well with a 20, which was what the dealer also had. Another 20 ended in another push. Three quick hands later, I found myself down $15 and uninterested in gambling again, not counting the occasional lottery ticket.
Fast forward many years and sports betting became legal – practically encouraged. Advertisements everywhere and sports talk revolved around odds and prop bets. I never paid much attention to it, and only made bets for a friend who didn’t live in Rhode Island (is this fine to mention? I don’t think it’s illegal…).
The punk band I’m part of, The McGunks, played a show on Super Bowl Eve back in 2023. We were Venmoed $40, which we agreed to use on Super Bowl bets. James, our non-sport-fan bass player, hesitantly gave a pick for the coin toss. I bet on the under and one other thing that I lost. I don’t remember if we made any bets in 2024, but we had $15 in our account. I texted the guys with the plan and asked for betting suggestions. No one responded, so I was on my own.
Due to poor time management and Job Lot’s system going down while at the register, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to make my picks before the game started. It was after 6pm (half-hour to game time) in the Not Your Average Joe’s parking lot that I was able to place my bets. The plan was to make three $5 bets. I knew that I would bet tails on the coin flip and wanted to think of something to make me interested until the end of the game. I decided to go with the total score ending in an even number. My final bet was that the game would be tied at halftime, which was a long shot. If all went my way, the band would win a total of $55.01.
A moving story about the victims, families, and first responders of the New Orleans New Year’s Eve tragedy was a great lead-in to the coin toss. The Chiefs, as the visiting team, got to call the coin. Patrick Mahomes called tails and I audibly celebrated when the ref announced that he won the toss, netting us $4.76.
Because I was short on time, I decided to use DraftKings to place bets specifically for the second half. I made an account and learned that you can’t make bets if you live in Rhode Island. I downloaded FanDuel, which gave me the same result. I went back to Sportsbook RI and found out that they weren’t accepting bets for the second half. I registered on Bally’s and deposited $25, but that site doesn’t allow sports bets so I immediately cashed out. I psyched myself up to make second-half player bets and thought it would’ve added an extra layer to this article, but I didn’t mind not having to spend extra money.
Semi-bummed about not being able to make any more bets, I turned my attention to the remaining two bets. I watched the Eagles build a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter. I resigned myself to the fact that the game wouldn’t be tied at halftime, losing out on $45 and putting us down $.24 at halftime. The Eagles were up 24-0, so the game ending in an even score looked promising.
Halftime, in addition to featuring a mesmerizing performance by Kendrick Lamar, gave me another opportunity to make a no-lose bet. Bottaro Law Firm had a commercial with a QR code to register for a chance to win the “Return to Riches” contest. Anyone who signed up would be entered into a drawing to win $77,777.77 if the second half started with a kickoff return for a touchdown. I got the QR Code to work right before the commercial ended and registered. The second half started with a touchback, but it added some excitement to a usually boring play.
The Eagles scored 10 points in the second half while I was apparently zoned out, but the Chiefs had a productive drive that got my attention. I watched Mahomes throw a touchdown and I couldn’t stop myself from yelling for them to go for two, as that would still give a total score with an even number. I groaned for a minute when the attempt failed, but embarrassingly smiled when I realized six was also an even number and I was still winning.
An Eagles field goal had my heart racing, as 37-6 had us losing two of the three bets. Kicker Jake Elliot hit a 45-yard field goal with 8:05 left in the 4th, but an offensive penalty set them back another five yards. That didn’t deter him at all, and the total score was back to an even number. The next 8:01 was going to be excruciating.
I half paid attention to the Chiefs’ drive down the field, yelling for them to go for two once Mahomes threw for his second touchdown of the game. They made it, but the score was still even and we were on our way to making an extra $5.
Fetch had a commercial during the two-minute warning, saying they were giving away $10,000 every ten seconds for two minutes. I registered and was signed on in just enough time to watch the last 20 names drawn. Mine wasn’t listed, but it still had my heart racing, especially since it didn’t cost any money.
Mahomes again threw to Worthy, shortly after the two-minute warning. They unsuccessfully went for two, which all but cemented a victorious bet. They missed and their onsides kick was unsuccessful, meaning all the Eagles had to do was kneel down and let the clock run out. That win netted me $5.25.
There was a bit of a surprise after the game. I checked the RI Sportsbook app to see how much we had won. The math in my head had us up $10.01, meaning the account balance should have been $20.01. The total showed $45.08, which threw me for a loop, but it was more than expected so I didn’t dig that deep.
