Why Caesars Sportsbook doesn't want 49ers to win Super Bowl

The 49ers have an extra competitor in the NFL playoff mix -- Caesars and the Vegas odds bettors. 

Per Patrick Everson, a reporter with Vegas Insider and contributor of Fox Sports, the 49ers were Caesars’ top liability entering the playoffs. 

Apparently Las Vegas Sports Books don’t want the #49ers to win the Super Bowl because it would be a “liability” for them 🧐

If we see any funny stuff from refs this weekend, we’ll know why pic.twitter.com/cUv7u7XJtO

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) January 20, 2023

Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading at Caesars, specifically pointed to a potential 49ers-Eagles NFC Championship as a source of concern for his team. 

“I wouldn’t be too surprised if the 49ers were favored over the Eagles in Philly,” Pullen said.

While the 49ers are riding an 11-game win streak, the 14-3 Eagles have struggled with injuries down the stretch and lost two of their three final regular season games. Pullen said this combination tips the scales in favor of San Francisco.

“Even with some of those [Eagles] players coming back, the 49ers being NFC favorites goes to show you how the 49ers are power-rated and how people viewed them,” Pullen said. 

But ultimately, the oddsbetters care about more than just the eye test. In this case, it could be about covering their losses.

“Liability is a factor, too,” Pullen said. “The 49ers are the one team we do not want to win the Super Bowl.”

That liability stems from a midseason bet Caesars made to count the 49ers out.

Despite losing Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo -- their first- and second-string quarterbacks -- to injuries earlier in the season, San Francisco has emerged as a real Super Bowl contender under rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. The 49ers secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC and easily dismantled the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild-Card Round.

Vegas now finds themselves in a sticky situation as they face the possibility of dealing with the consequences of that drastic change. 

Caesars specifically listed the 49ers as high as +1600 earlier in the season. As of Friday, that number had dropped as low as +380, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.