Can You Bet On The Raiders In Vegas
So is 2021 the year for the Raiders to take the next step and become the best futures bets in the AFC West? Today’s post debates the topic. Can the Las Vegas Raiders Surpass a Division Rival? The Raiders played so well in the “autumn winds” portion of the calendar that their Super Bowl price grew a little pricier. Before the season started, Las Vegas was at +8000 to win the Super Bowl. If Las Vegas is an underdog, you would win your bet if the Raiders win the game or if they lose by 4-points or less. Point spreads often have odds of -110, so a $11 bet wins.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A town built on losers is about to become a big winner in the NFL relocation sweepstakes.
And Sundays in Sin City may never be the same.
What seemed unimaginable to most just a year ago is about to become a reality. NFL owners appear poised to accept a $750 million gift from taxpayers and vote Monday to allow the Raiders to move from Oakland to a new stadium to be built just off the Las Vegas Strip.
The same league that treated Las Vegas with disdain for so many years is ready to embrace it now. And that says as much about the changing mores of sports betting as it does about the fact NFL owners start salivating like Pavlovian dogs when someone else is paying for a glittering new stadium.
It was just a few years ago, the NFL refused to allow the city to even advertise on the Super Bowl telecast for fear of contaminating the game. Now it won’t be long before fans can place a bet on the Raiders, then meander over to the stadium to see if it pays off.
The NFL is a bit late to the party, with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights beginning play this year as the first major sports franchise in this gambling city. But the Raiders moving here would not only give the city one of the premier sports attractions in the country but could help legitimize sports betting across the country.
“The integrity of the game will not be in question because it’s in Las Vegas,” said Steve Sisolak, a county commissioner who has been involved in the effort to lure the Raiders from Oakland. “The NFL has realized that betting exists everywhere and it’s not a risk.”
What would be a risk, NFL owners now seem to realize, would be turning down the $750 million in tourist taxes Las Vegas is offering up for the new stadium. The Raiders weren’t about to get that kind of money in Oakland, despite a last minute pitch by former player Ronnie Lott and Oakland’s mayor to keep the team.
Even Roger Goodell realized that, after years of dismissing the idea of Las Vegas ever being suitable as an NFL city. Goodell still finds it hard to embrace Las Vegas, but the owners he works for see dollar signs in the city instead of moral roadblocks — especially now that casino owner Sheldon Adelson is out of the picture.
Enamored with the idea of a stadium as his legacy, it was Adelson who pushed the $750 million in new taxes through a special session of the state legislature. But the NFL drew a line in the sand when it came to a casino owner being involved with a team, and Adelson was pushed to the sidelines by Raiders owner Mark Davis.
There is still work to be done, assuming at least 24 owners do as expected and vote for the move to Las Vegas. There’s a stadium to be built just off the glitzy Strip, and an agreement that needs to be reached on how much it is going to cost and how it will be operated.
The Raiders could still be in Oakland another two to three years, though there is some talk about renovating the aging 40,000-seat stadium the UNLV football team plays in so the move could be made earlier. When they do move, it will be to a smaller market (Las Vegas is the No. 40 television market in the country, while the Bay Area is No. 6) with a population of 2.2 million that has yet to show it can support a sports franchise.
But the Raiders brand transcends Oakland, and will be a perfect fit in a city where almost anbything goes. With projections that a third of the 65,000 seats will be filled every game day by tourists, the city’s airport on football weekends figures to be a colorful place.
Indeed, the case could be made that the Raiders have a lot better chance succeeding in Las Vegas than the Chargers do as the No. 2 team in largely apathetic Los Angeles.
“There are meaningful potential downsides,” said Marc Ganis, a sports business consultant who has been involved with a number of NFL stadium projects. “But for the most part they’re negated by the lack of options in Oakland. I can’t imagine too many owners are happy with situation but they also know there’s not an alternative for their partners.”
No real alternative for the Raiders means there’s no pot of gold for them to remain in Oakland. So the NFL will risk alienating fans once again by having a third team move in a little more than a year.
Still, few doubt the Raiders are about ready to hit the jackpot in Las Vegas.
You can bet on it.
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Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg
For the second season in a row, the Raiders lost five of their final six games down the stretch and were eliminated from playoff contention. This season, they had wins over the Chiefs and Browns and were sitting at 6-3 when the collapse came. Derek Carr finished the season with the most fumbles in the NFL and had to work with one of the worst defenses in the league. It was another forgettable season– the first one in Las Vegas– and fans appear to be growing tired of Jon Gruden. While his job isn’t in apparent danger this season, another collapse like 2019 and 2020 could be the final nail in the coffin for his job.
Several key players like linebacker Raekwon McMillan, defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins, and receiver Nelson Agholor are in line to be free agents. Hankins and Agholor may be looking for wins rather than money and could bolt from the team. It’s a critical offseason for the current Las Vegas Raiders, and big changes may be around the corner should the ship not be corrected.
Las Vegas Raiders odds
Best Raiders betting site(s)
Raiders prop bets
Prop bets are based on individual performance, typically surrounding players. Last season, Josh Jacobs had a projected rushing total of 66.5 yards in the Raiders’ Week 11 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Those who thought Jacobs would rush for 67 or more yards would bet the over on his rushing props and those who thought he would fail to rush for 67 yards would bet the under. Jacobs only managed 55 yards on the ground that week, giving those who bet the under the win.
Search below for Las Vegas Raiders team or player props currently being offered at sportsbooks. You can also look around at other teams and players using this tool. Happy shopping!
Raiders futures odds
Futures are long-term bets that can range from an offseason to a full season (or beyond). Team win totals, award winners, and player performance are common futures. For example:
2020 Odds to win NFL DROY
- Chase Young -110
- Patrick Queen +450
- Kenneth Murray +1000
- Jaylon Johnson +1500
This line for the Defensive Rookie of the Year would often be bet before the season starts. Futures allow for bettors to capitalize on players they think are favorites to win awards long before the odds shift away from their favor. For example, Queen opened with odds of +900 to win the DROY award after the NFL Draft; his odds will shift as the season develops based on his performance for the Ravens defense.
Raiders Super Bowl LVI odds
The Las Vegas Raiders opened with +5000 odds to win Super Bowl LVI. Those odds are in line with the Bears, Cardinals, and Falcons.
Raiders AFC West odds
The Chiefs clinched the AFC West, eliminating the Raiders from division contention in 2020.
Raiders win totals
NFL win totals will be released later this offseason. Keep your eyes on this page for the latest NFL projected win totals.
Las Vegas Raiders 2021 schedule and betting odds
Check back for the complete Raiders 2021 schedule along with the opening spreads for every game.
How to bet on the Las Vegas Raiders
Moneyline
The moneyline is the simplest of bets, decided by the straight-up winner and loser of each game. Consider the following example:
- Raiders +185
- Steelers -130
The Raiders are considered underdogs in this matchup (indicated by +185), paying out $285 total for a $100 bet ($185 in winnings). The Steelers are the underdog in this matchup, requiring a $130 bet to win $100 (plus the initial bet back). How much either team wins or loses by does not matter in moneyline betting, the payout remains the same.
Point spread
Betting on the point spread is determinant on how many points a team wins or loses by. Take the following example:
- Raiders -2.5 (-110)
- Eagles +2.5 (-110)
In this example, Las Vegas is favored by 2.5 points, indicated by “-2.5.” If the Raiders win the game 24-21, the Raiders (-2.5) win the bet and would have a total payout of $19.09 on a $10 bet ($9.09 in profit). If the Eagles keep the game within three and lose 21-20, the Eagles (+2.5) would win, and the payout would be the same as listed above.
Point total (over/under)
The point total refers to the over/under line set by books. This number projects the total number of points scored in a game and, like prop betting, is bet whether one thinks the score will go over or under the set point total. For example, the Raiders’ Week 8 matchup with the Cleveland Browns had a projected point total of 50.5 points. Las Vegas won that game 16-6, totaling just 22 points. Those who bet under the point total would have cashed out from that week.
The Raiders defense struggled mightily this season, often getting Vegas into shootouts; they had point totals of 72, 71, and 66 points this season. Due to this (and Vegas’ ability to score in chunks, at times), the Raiders often saw higher projected point totals, typically between 54 and 58 points on a given week.
In-play and live betting
Sometimes, the most thrilling and rewarding bets are bets made while games are being played. These are referred to as live bets or in-play bets. Odds are ever-changing during games, which would prove to be fruitful for sharp and prepared bettors. For example, if the Raiders (-225) were heavily favored against the Jets (+190) before kickoff, a payout on a $10 bet on the Raiders to win would win just $4.44.
However, say the Raiders fell to a big 20-0 deficit in the first half despite controlling the overall game (due to a costly turnover or special teams gaffe). Odds may swing in favor of the Jets, who may be a -110 favorite at halftime. Taking the Raiders to come back and win the game could present plus-odds (say, +130). Should a bettor take Las Vegas (+130) at halftime and the Raiders pull off the comeback, winners would win $13 instead of $4.44 (plus the initial $10 bet).
This could also be an effective way to “hedge” your bet; say a bettor took the Jets (+190) in that game, but Vegas jumps out to a 16-0 first quarter lead and is controlling the overall feel of the game, bettors could hedge by throwing some money down on the Raiders (-270) to return some of the inevitably-lost bet.
Parlays and teasers
You can always string bets together in the form of parlays or teasers. Usually during busy Sundays, bettors can parlay several teams to win or cover against the spread and if all bets are successful, the payouts are multiplied. Teasers function similarly, except they allow bettors to move each point spread to a more favorable line in exchange for diminished odds.
Raiders 2020 recap
Record: 8-8
Record ATS: 8-8
Over/under record: 12-3-1
The Raiders, at one point, were 6-4 and looking like potential contenders for an AFC Playoff spot. However, Gruden’s team dropped five of six games down the stretch to finish 8-8 and outside the playoffs once again. The offense wasn’t an issue, ranking 10th in the NFL in points scored per game (27.1); the defense is what often kept them from victory, giving up the third-most points per game (29.9).
Vegas was middle-of-the-road when it came to their record against the spread; for every upset win over Cleveland or Kansas City, they had a blowout loss to Atlanta and a close call with the (at the time) winless Jets. The real eyebrow-raiser comes with their record against the point total, which was tied for best in the NFL (Titans). At the very least, Raiders games were high-flying, high-scoring affairs and were some of the most entertaining watches in the NFL this past season.
Raiders 2021 offseason moves
Key free agents: Maleik Collins (DL), Jonathan Hankins (DL), Nicholas Marrow (LB), Erik Harris (S), Denzelle Good (LG), Nevin Lawson (CB), Nelson Agholor (WR)
Can You Bet On The Raiders In Vegas Nv
Draft pick position needs: EDGE, DL, OL, LB
As mentioned, the Raiders’ defense struggled intensely this past season. Many of the players that had a significant role in that defense are set to become free agents, with Collins and Hankins coming with the largest price tags (roughly $5.5 million guaranteed each). The rest of the free agent class doesn’t carry a heavy burden to pick back up, though it’ll be interesting to see which players stick around. Harris and Good are the only two players over 30 who saw at least 50% of snaps played that are set to become free agents.
Las Vegas Raiders Odds
Las Vegas Raiders Latest News
Is “defense” a position? There’s almost no position on the defensive side of the football that the Raiders don’t need. Vegas came in 30th in sacks per game (1.3) and sack percentage (3.5%). At the 17th pick in the draft, there’s a few options of pass rushers both in the form of true edge rushers like Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari and in linebackers like Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The offensive line and interior defensive line will likely be addressed in later rounds.