Hard Rock Bet User Pockets $5.5 Million on Texans' Upset of Bengals

An incredible story of good betting luck and potentially the existence of a crystal ball emerged out of the Florida sports betting scene this past weekend. The newly re-opened Hard Rock Bet platform in the Sunshine State paid out $5.5 million on an incredible four-leg same-game parlay wager on Sunday's Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals NFL game.

It was a game in which the Bengals were heavily favored to secure victory at home, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. A rookie quarterback on a perennial underachieving Houston Texans team defied the odds and helped not only his team to a dramatic 30-27 win, but also one unnamed bettor to a $5.5 million payday courtesy of one of the state's best sportsbooks.

Crystal ball you say?

The winning participant put substantial money where his/her mouth was. He/she put a whopping $500,000 on a four-leg parlay, none of which seemed like a lock to pay.

The four legs were as follows:

• The Houston Texans to beat the Cincinnati Bengals
• Texans-Bengals to go Over 44.5 points
• Texans running back Devin Singletary to score a touchdown
• Singletary to go Over 51.5 rushing yards

Texans’ kicker Matt Ammendola nailed the game-winning field goal with no time remaining, the 57 combined points easily eclipsed the 44.5 point total, and middling Texans running back Devin Singletary not only scored a TD but rumbled for 150 yards, tripling the 51.5 rushing yard prop bet.

Hard Rock Bet in the news

Hard Rock Bet launched this past week in Florida after years of legal battles created an on-again, off-again existence for the Seminole Tribe sports betting brand.

The Seminoles, who own a virtual monopoly over betting sites in Florida, relaunched their sports betting brand last Tuesday despite ongoing legal challenges to their renegotiated compact with the state of Florida signed in 2021. They were live in the state for 34 days in 2021 before the courts essentially shut them down.

This week, Hard Rock Bet lined up for another kick at the can, and experienced both the highs and lows of the U.S. legal sports betting scene.

On Wednesday, Hard Rock Bet won $1,546,000 from a bettor who placed a $1.12 million wager on the 1-8 Kent State football team +10.5, and $426,000 on the Kent State moneyline at +325. Kent State lost that game 49-19. Hard Rock Bet cashed on what wasn’t their only crazy wager of the week.

Hard Rock Bet exposure

They say that there is no such thing as bad press, but a new sportsbook on the scene paying out $5.5 million during its first week of operation to one bettor can't be a positive outcome for the Hard Rock Bet brand.

However, news of the four-leg same-game parlay is everywhere, from media outlets to internet sites to general water cooler sports betting chatter. The Hard Rock Bet name is at the center of all of the conversations, and that is a good thing.

Paying out $5.5 million on top of the high first-week promotional costs isn’t great for Hard Rock Bet. Fortunately, the corresponding exposure is.