Sportsbooks face enormous liability if Raiders win Super Bowl

The Raiders are 100-1 long shots at the Westgate SuperBook to win the Super Bowl this season.

The 1999 St. Louis Rams are the only preseason triple-digit long shots, at 150-1, to win a Super Bowl. If the Silver and Black can beat the odds and follow in the fleet footsteps of “The Greatest Show on Turf,” Las Vegas sportsbooks will lose millions.

Caesars Sportsbook is on the hook for a $2.5 million payout on one wager alone after a Nevada gambler bet $31,000 on the Raiders to win it all at 80-1 odds.

The team also represents a multimillion-dollar liability at BetMGM.

“Our biggest loser is the Raiders, of course,” MGM Resorts director of trading Lamarr Mitchell said. “They’re like the (Golden) Knights. We know the public is going to favor the Knights and bet them heavily because they’re the hometown team. It’s the same thing with the Raiders.”

Caesars head of football Joey Feazel said the betting public has backed the team across the board.

“The Raiders faithful has shown up all offseason long when it comes to season wins over, conference winner, division winner. You name it, the Raiders fans were all over it,” Feazel said. “But the sharp side has been on the opposite. That usually gives us some faith that we’re on the right side. At this point, we’re feeling fine.”

The Raiders are the second-largest Super Bowl liability at the SuperBook behind the Steelers. They’re 3-1 underdogs to make the playoffs there. They’re also the +1,250 third choice to win the AFC West and are 50-1 to win the AFC.

“The question mark with the Raiders is going to be surrounding the quarterback position,” SuperBook director John Murray said. “I don’t think they’ve settled the quarterback position, which I know is probably the hardest thing to do in the NFL.

“You’ve got (eight-time defending AFC West champion) Kansas City going for a third straight Super Bowl title. I expect the Chargers to be a lot better with (coach) Jim Harbaugh. And I don’t think Denver’s going to be quite as bad as people think they are. So where do the Raiders go in that division? It’s the same problem they have almost every season.”

Veteran journeyman Gardner Minshew was named the team’s starting quarterback Aug. 18 over second-year pro Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders’ 2023 fourth-round draft pick.

Pro play

The quarterback situation is one of the reasons professional sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw wagered on the Raiders to go under seven wins this season.

“I just find it hard to fathom that they can win eight games,” he said. “I don’t like either of their quarterbacks. They have a decent defense. But they lose (running back Josh) Jacobs.

“Now, it looks like Denver’s improved. Kansas City is consistent with the way they’ve always been and the Chargers (should be improved) with Harbaugh as their coach. It looks like everybody in their division has improved or stayed the same. The Raiders are not as good.”

The Raiders finished 8-9 last season even with coach Josh McDaniels getting fired after a 3-5 start. Antonio Pierce took over as interim coach and guided the team to a 5-4 record down the stretch to earn the coaching job full-time.

The Raiders regular-season win total is 7 at South Point (under-130) and 6½ at Circa Sports (over-115). Circa also offers alternate win totals for the Raiders of 5½ (o-260) and 7½ (u-185).

Awards odds

Based on the odds, defensive end Maxx Crosby has the best chance of any Raiders player to win an NFL award this season.

Crosby, who finished sixth in the league in sacks last season with 14½, is tied for the 7-1 second choice to win defensive player of the year with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is the +550 favorite.

Pierce is 30-1 to win the coach of the year. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers is 30-1 to win offensive rookie of the year. Wide receiver Davante Adams is 100-1 to win offensive player of the year.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.