Las Vegas sportsbooks lose 3rd straight NFL Sunday
Cincinnati blew out Baltimore as a 6-point underdog and Tennessee (+4) crushed Kansas City.
But the betting public pulled off arguably the biggest upset when they beat Las Vegas sportsbooks for the third consecutive NFL Sunday.
Former Las Vegas sportsbook director Micah Roberts said on Twitter that he can’t remember the last time that happened.
BetMGM suffered a seven-figure loss for the second straight week, according to MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback.
“It was another bad day,” Stoneback said. “That’s three weeks in a row now that the bettors have taken us to the woodshed.”
Caesars Sportsbook and Station Casinos reported being small losers.
“It wasn’t as bad as last week, that’s for sure,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said. “But the public is red hot right now. I tip my cap to them this year.”
Favorites went 5-5-1 ATS, with the Eagles-Raiders game closing at pick’em after the Raiders opened as 3-point favorites.
The money on Philadelphia that caused the the line to drop turned out to be as sharp as a bowling ball as the Raiders took a 30-7 lead en route to a 33-22 win at Allegiant Stadium.
Raiders’ mixed bag for books
No Jon Gruden. No Darren Waller (late scratch). No worries for the Raiders, who ascended to first place in the AFC West at 5-2.
“The sharp guys did drive that one down but the public was all over the Raiders and over (48), and they did really well on that,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said.
The Raiders dealt BetMGM its biggest loss in the most heavily bet game.
“Any time the Raiders are at home and cover, it’s not going to be good for us at all,” Stoneback said.
Not every Las Vegas book lost on the home team. The Raiders were the best result for the South Point and Caesars.
“We got to cheer on the hometown team for once,” Mucklow said. “The public loved the Eagles. They saw sharp money early and the public jumped on the bandwagon.”
Titanic loss
The Titans’ 27-3 win over the Chiefs was the worst result at Caesars, where a bettor won $462,000 on a $220,000 bet on Tennessee on the money line (+210).
“It was an avalanche of Titans money all week and it didn’t stop,” Mucklow said. “The public got that right. They crushed us on that one.”
Kansas City fell to 3-4 (2-5 ATS) this season and is on a 4-14 spread slide overall.
“Nobody is scared of them anymore. They’re beatable and they’re turning the ball over a ton,” Mucklow said. “Their aura of invincibility has quickly disappeared.”
Pack, Pats popular picks
Bettors also won big on the Patriots and Packers.
New England (-7), which was the most popular pick in the $1,000-entry Circa Survivor contest, destroyed the Jets, 54-13.
Green Bay (-8½) beat Washington 24-10 after the Football Team had five scoreless trips inside the Packers’ 30-yard line, including back-to-back series that ended inside the 5.
“Washington had every opportunity to cover in that game,” Esposito said. “The three really bad games for us were the Packers, Patriots and Raiders.”
Double-digit spreads
Tampa Bay (-12), one of three double-digit favorites, dealt BetMGM one of its worst losses when it smoked Chicago, 38-3.
The Rams (-16½) failed to cover in a 28-19 win over the Lions.
Arizona shot up to a 20-point favorite over Houston and erased an early 5-0 deficit to cover the biggest point spread of the season in a 31-5 victory. The Cardinals handed the South Point its worst result.
“I still put Arizona behind the Packers, Cowboys, Rams and Bucs in the NFC,” Esposito said. “But maybe that gap is closing and they’re better than I think they are.”
The Cardinals (7-0, 6-1 ATS) can make a statement against the Packers (6-1, 6-1 ATS) in a compelling matchup on “Thursday Night Football.” Arizona is a 3½-point home favorite.
Might not be a bad idea to back the public.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.