If you thought New England Patriots fans were losing faith in their team...
Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh opened the city's first sportsbook Thursday and asked a lifelong Steelers fan named David Eldridge to place its historic first bet.
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Eldridge obliged -- by plopping $11,000 on the New England Patriots as 2.5-point favorites over his beloved Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field.
Explain yourself, David.
"Over the last 15 years, I’ve gotten burned too many times,” Eldridge told The Action Network's Darren Rovell. “I just hope it’s not one of the three games a year they show up for."
New England Patriots
Eldridge may be making a smart call: Pittsburgh is just 2-6 against the Patriots at home since 2000 and hasn't beaten New England anywhere since 2011 amid a five-game losing streak.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also has historically dominated the Steelers, who have lost three straight games and are in danger of falling out of the playoffs.
Pittsburgh's struggles apparently convinced Eldridge, a businessman and frequent poker player, to put his chips behind the enemy.
"Put it this way: If I managed my companies the way Mike Tomlin coaches this team, I wouldn’t have $11,000 to put down on this type of bet," Eldridge told Rovell.
Patriots-Steelers is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, and Eldridge will walk away either an angry, rich man or a happy, poor man.
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