The Baltimore Ravens began last week as five-point underdogs in Super Bowl XLVII, but the point spread for Sunday's game has since settled at 3.5.
The Mirage Resort Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas.
Under normal circumstances, this would bode well for anybody who initially bet on Baltimore. In the Super Bowl, however, all bets are off. When the line of a regular-season NFL game moves at least 1.5 points, gamblers who bet on the opening line win about 53% of the time, compared to just 50% on the closing line.
But RJ Bell, the founder of sports handicapping site Pregame.com, warns not to read too much into the Super Bowl line movement. "The uninformed money is such a vast majority of the action, the line movement is likely not as predictive," Bell said.
—Jared DiamondA version of this article appeared February 2, 2013, on page A11 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Heard on the Field.
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