Yeah that blown call last night affected a lot more than just the game and the chances of making the playoffs. It was more than a black-eye to the NFL and their hardline stance on the regular officials. It was a travesty that cost gamblers across the nation a LOT of money and swung that money back to the sports books.
“Most of the customers in the sports book were not happy with the final call,” said John Avello, director of the sports book at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas.
It also impacted the Packers odds on making the Super Bowl:
The call also had an effect on the Packers' Super Bowl odds, raising them at one Las Vegas outlet from 7-1 to 9-1.
Maybe it's a good thing this happened, because nothing makes the NFL sit up and take notice more than someone messing with the gambling money. It's a major part of why they managed to grow so big.
Some sports writers are starting to call for a boycott of NFL sponsors (Warning that's a Steve Rosenbloom link, I hate linking to him because he's mostly a troll, but it's an interesting idea) to push for a faster resolution. I know that would definitely make things turn around sooner, but don't know if it will actually take off. Hopefully it becomes unnecessary and the NFL wakes up and fixes the problem. More money just got lost by fans around the country than it would take to fund the Officials pension fund in perpetuity. They are really messing with their brand with this protracted stupidity.