Monday Morning Gambler: Will Raiders Reward or Disappoint Futures Bettors?
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Who’s really sweating the Las Vegas Raiders as they head down the stretch?
Interim coach Rich Bisaccia?
Quarterback Derek Carr and his teammates?
Or is it bettors who plunked down their hard-earned dinero at the beginning of the season promising something in the range of +360 on a futures bet if the Raiders made the playoffs?
Bisaccia will still draw a paycheck regardless of whether or not the Raiders qualify for the mad scramble now known as Super Wild Card Weekend. Ditto for Carr and others who suit up in pads and silver-and-black uniforms.
Not the case for futures bettors. No playoffs, no payday. That betting slip becomes as worthless as slot tokens for the Westward Ho.
It should be noted that prior to the Raiders game on Sunday vs. the Indianapolis Colts, you could still bet the Raiders to make the playoffs in the range of about +330.
And the results of that game? Futures bettors saw another ray of hope Sunday when the Raiders upset the Indianapolis Colts, 23-20, on a last-second field goal from Daniel Carlson.
Bisaccia after the game, in which the Raiders were 8.5-point dogs: “Regardless of the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows during the game, I think you could see the energy from all the players.”
The Raiders, on a three-game winning streak and suddenly 9-7, now host the Los Angeles Chargers in the final week of the regular season. A win and they’re in. The Raiders are +3 with the total at 48.5. At Covers.com, 53 percent of the action is on the Chargers.
Raiders futures bettors have a choice: Cheer or hedge. Of course, they can always do both.
Elsewhere:
— Hitting on all cylinders: If you’ve been betting the Vegas Golden Knights, you’ve barely broken a sweat. The boys in the gold-toned helmets had won seven out of eight and 10 out of 12, cashing tickets for bettors with metronomelike regularity until their Sunday game with the Winnipeg Jets.
But it was Jets bettors who were at the window cashing tickets after Winnipeg won in overtime, 5-4. Winnipeg, which was playing its first game since Dec. 19, was generally around +115 for the game.
Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer after the game: “Obviously wasn’t our best 60-minute effort.”
Next up: The Golden Knights continue their six-game homestand when they host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Golden Knights are around -150 with the total at 5.5.
— National exposure: The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels ran into the San Diego State Aztecs on New Year’s Day. If you jumped on San Diego State early, it was -3. The line closed at around -3.5. And it was the Aztecs who prevailed, 62-55. The total came in well under 130.5.
The loss left UNLV 8-6 on the season and 4-9 ATS (there was no line on one game).
UNLV senior guard Bryce Hamilton after the nationally televised game, in which CBS cameras captured a sea of empty red seats at the Thomas & Mack Center: “They’re a top 10 defensive team in the country, so they played their defense. They did it very well. We were very stagnant on offense.”
UNLV shot 29.7 percent from the field.
A midweek date at the San Jose Spartans has been postponed so the Runnin’ Rebels next play at Air Force on Saturday.
Laugher of the week: If you thought the total of 45.5 was a little low in the New Year’s Day Fiesta Bowl between Oklahoma State and Notre Dame, you were correct. There were 42 points on the board by halftime, and there was no slowdown in the second half. Oklahoma State won, 37-35, and with 72 points on the board, playing the total over was easily one of the laughers of the week.
National showdown: When college football began in August, Alabama was ranked No. 1 and Georgia stood at No. 4. Five months later, they are the last two standing after respective wins over Cincinnati and Michigan in the College Football Playoff Semifinals. Both are 12-1. Georgia opened -2.5 and has since been bet up to -3 for the National Championship with Alabama at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Jan. 10. The total is currently 52.5.
