They ALWAYS balance the bets. That’s entire point of odds and spreads and all that. None of that stuff has anything to do with how they think the game will go. It’s just to make sure that nothing ever happens that makes the house lose. The house owns the odds, the house ALWAYS wins, anybody that tells you otherwise is probably working for the house and trying to get you to be more.
“They ALWAYS balance the bets. “
They mostly try to balance but situations arise where they do not or can not.
Sometimes they get greedy.
Pretty much.
One of the Dallas-Pittsburgh Super Bowls back in the 70s was famous because it opened with the Steelers as 3.5 point favorites. The early money was heavily on Dallas, so the casinos dropped the spread to 2.5 points, and the late money was just as heavily on the Steelers.
The Steelers won by 3. So, the house paid everyone who had Dallas plus 3.5 points, and everyone who had Pittsburgh minus 2.5 points.
The sports books are a lot more sophisticated these days, and don't give themselves that sort of exposure.