Vegas sportsbooks lose record $11.4M on baseball in November

ByDavid Purdum ESPN logo
Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Houston Astros took an $11 million bite out of Las Vegas sportsbooks by winning the World Series.

Nevada sportsbooks lost $11.4 million on baseball in November -- the largest baseball loss in a month for the state's regulated books, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 on Nov. 1, sending bettors to the cashier. In addition to any winning wagers on Game 7, futures bets on the Astros to win the World Series that were placed throughout the year and cashed in November added up to the record monthly baseball loss.

The previous largest loss on baseball came in November 1999, after the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves to win the World Series. The books lost $6.2 million on baseball that November.The 2017 World Series was nearly twice as costly for the books and will be talked about for yearsin Las Vegas.

However, even after the record loss, the books were able to remain open. In fact, thanks to big wins in football and basketball, Nevada sportsbooks actually won $9.8 million overall in November. It's the 52nd straight month the books have come out on top, a streak that dates back to July 2013.

With December's numbers still to be revealed, the books have won a net $213.6 million in 2017, making it the fourth most lucrative year ever. 2015 was the most lucrative year, when the books won $231.7 million.