Steve Starr
- The Super Bowl Streaker says he bet $50,000 on his stunt at +750 for a potential payout of $375,000
- Bovada is refunding customers who wagered there would not be a fan on the field during the game and paying out winning bets that were not linked to the scheme
- Yuri Andrade has become an Internet celebrity, receiving shout-outs from The Rock and Rob Gronkowski
In the waning minutes of the Buccaneers 31-9 victory over the Chiefs, a Super Bowl streaker jumped onto the field in Raymond James Stadium and ran around in a hot-pink thong bathing suit before being tackled at the goal line.
After the game, news started to trickle out that the streaker had bet on himself, wagering YES on a $50,000 Super Bowl Prop that asked, “Will a fan run onto the field during the game?”
With a +750 payout, Yuri Andrade was set to net himself a cool $375,000 in profit. Except he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut, making it easy on investigators at the Bovada sportsbook.
Kevin Harlan absolutely nailed the streaker call pic.twitter.com/b39wmGTiG2
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 8, 2021
Loose Lips Sink Ships
Along with posing for photos with bar patrons, the Super Bowl Streaker appeared on a Tampa radio station to describe his ploy in great detail. According to the 31-year-old, he got his friends to place wagers from different accounts on the Bovada website. This would be a necessary strategy given that sportsbooks place limits that don’t allow bettors to wager anything close to $50,000 on a silly prop bet.
So, how did Bovada handle the bet?
OMG! He actually did it
What a legend pic.twitter.com/jZ8QsRLByI
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) February 9, 2021
Bovada does right by its customers
After learning of the scheme, Bovada worked to identify the account holders who knew of Andrade’s planned stunt. The trusted sportsbook then decided to grade the prop result as a push on NO, refunding everyone who wagered there would not be a fan on the field during the game.
Bovada also decided to go the extra mile for its customers, paying out winning YES bets for accounts that were not linked to early knowledge of Andrade’s plan.
🚨 We identified some betting irregularities on our Super Bowl prop ‘Will A Fan Run Onto The Field During The Game?’ 🚨
Learn more 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/WYScwiiMDw
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) February 10, 2021
A Bovada spokesman gave the following statement:
“Bovada identified some betting irregularities on our Super Bowl prop ‘will a fan run onto the field during the game?’
“Our players have always trusted us to ensure the integrity of all props offered in our sportsbook. We will continue to make sure that any publicity stunts or ill-intended behavior cannot adversely affect the outcome of a player’s wager.”
“All of our players are on a level playing field, so if you bet ‘NO’ on this market we’re going to refund your bet. Additionally, we’re honoring all those ‘YES’ wagers we’ve determined to have had no part in the betting irregularities. We’ll be reaching out to all those players impacted by this event shortly.”
Streaker gets celebrity shout outs
On the Late Late Show with James Corden, Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski complimented the streaker’s jukes to avoid security, saying, “He actually scored. The Chiefs didn’t. He scored. They should definitely sign him.”
In an Instagram video, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also thanked Yuri Andrade for wearing his new line of Under Armour shoes, saying, “Whoever you are, thanks for rocking these.”
“We’re up by a lot and then all of a sudden – here comes a streaker! So I was on the sideline like yes, this is what we needed!” – @RobGronkowski on the pink-thonged Super Bowl streaker 😂
Part 2 with #Gronk ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pErqQp7Wi4
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) February 10, 2021
Streaker claims he was paid
Yuri Andrade says YouTube prankster Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who performed a similar stunt at the 2019 Champions League final, helped him plan his Super Bowl streak. Despite Bovada‘s intention to withhold his winnings, he also claims to have received all but $75,000 of it.
In an email statement to a local Tampa TV station, a Bovada spokesman said they couldn’t comment on Yuri Andrade specifically because of data privacy laws. However, they added, “there was a $1000 limit on that bet, so there’s no way any player could’ve won close to that amount.”
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