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The early reports are in.
Tiny Cape Verde, the third smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, kept mighty Spain scoreless for the 0-0 draw.
Spain was a -1300 to -1500 favorite at most books. BetOnline had them at -1425.
Dave Mason of BetOnline reported that just 1 percent of bets were coming in on Cape Verde (which would pay out US$3500 for every US$100 bet). Spain saw 95% of all bets while the draw was seeing the remaining 4% with a payout potential of US$1350 on every US$100 bet. So 4% of those betting this match likely made out like bandits.
Mason tells Gambling911.com nearly all the Cape Verde bets were coming in from the Boston and Providence area. And that makes plenty of sense.
There are roughly 60,000–80,000+ people of Cape Verdean ancestry living in Greater Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. Cape Verdean population within the city of Providence is roughly 2,800–3,000 people. Providence and Boston offer the only nonstop flights to and from Cape Verde. Cabo Verde Airlines currently offers direct (non-stop) flights from the Boston area to Cape Verde.
BetOnline is seen as a welcome option for bettors in Rhode Island, where the state's only regulated sportsbook, Sportsbook RI, has been plagued by customer complaints. One of the largest sportsbooks in the world, BetOnline is also among the oldest. In fact, we here at Gambling911.com happened upon their office when they first opened shop in August of 1999.
Massachusetts offers many more options, including FanDuel and DraftKings, but the commonwealth prohibits betting with one's credit card.
The Athletic FC: Cape Verde, in their debut at a World Cup, had held reigning European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw at halftime. Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has made several heroic saves and the fans in the stadium are chanting his name.
Spain does have a reputation for starting out slow in World Cups.
-Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
