Punter wages $1.2m bet on Floyd Mayweather to beat Conor McGregor

Floyd Mayweather Jr. trains at his gym ahead of his scheduled fight against Conor McGregor. Photo / AP

By Matt Bonesteel

The gambling public still really likes Conor McGregor's chances against Floyd Mayweather in their Aug. 26 boxing match, or at least likes the odds the Irish MMA champion is getting as a heavy, heavy underdog.

William Hill's Nevada sports books have seen 95 percent of the bets come in on McGregor, ESPN's David Purdum reported Friday, with the books' McGregor liability well over US$1 million.

But then someone stepped up to the window at the South Point Casino and bet US$880,000 (NZ$1.2m) on Mayweather to even things out a bit.

The bet was so large South Point's computers got confused.

An US$880,000 bet on Mayweather as a -550 favourite will give this bettor a $160,000 profit, not the $120,000 as noted on the ticket.

As explained by Purdum, South Point's bookmaking system that does not permit payouts of greater than $1 million, hence the smaller amount on that ticket.

The sports book rewrote two separate bets for $440,000 each to clear things up.

As to whether making such a massive bet with such a small payout is a wise move, well, to each his own.

The New Zealand TAB has Mayweather listed as a $1.20 favourite with McGregor paying $4.20.