Las Vegas sports books face huge losses if Conor McGregor KOs Floyd Mayweather inside 4

If “Mystic Mac” strikes again, and Floyd Mayweather goes down inside four rounds, casinos and sports books are going to take a multi-million-dollar bath.

That’s the word Saturday afternoon from the Las Vegas Review Journal, which interviewed antsy book makers who’ve seen a wave of late money come in on Conor McGregor.

“I think happy hour is over, and the Irish are here,” Westgate Las Vegas’ Jay Kornegay said. “There’s no doubt we need Mayweather. Most of our liability is attached to Conor winning in the first four rounds.”

McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) repeatedly has predicted he’ll put away the undefeated Mayweather (49-0 boxing) by the fourth round. On Friday, he shortened that timeline to one round, predicting a first-round knockout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Most experts outside those employed by the UFC scoff at that prediction, but bettors have continued to jump on attractive odds placed on McGregor, who’s now a +400 underdog opposite -550 favorite Mayweather. One bettor put $20,000 on McGregor.

All that money on the UFC lightweight champion has extended sports books’ potential liability. According to sports betting reporter Todd Dewey, there hasn’t been a lot of big bets placed on Mayweather – only a half-dozen $1 million wagers have been placed on the boxing champ at four different sports books across town.

“If (McGregor) wins, it’ll be a very sizable seven-figure loss,” Caesars Palace sports book director Frank Kunovic said. “But we’re trying to get as much McGregor money as we can. We’re rolling the dice, so to say, with McGregor losing.”

The best case scenario is a Mayweather decision, a scenario frequently envisioned by boxing experts. But apparently, all of that talk is being drowned out by the screaming, chanting fans behind McGregor.

For more on “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Events section of the site.