Oakland Raiders Receiving Most Bets To Win Super Bowl
by Cutter Hicks, Sports 1140 KHTK
The season hasn't even kicked-off, yet people are putting big money on the Oakland Raiders to win the Lombardi Trophy.
According to David Purdum of ESPN, the Raiders have attracted nearly twice as many bets to win the Super Bowl as any other team in Las Vegas' William Hill's 108 Nevada sportsbooks.
They're also favorites in Super Bowl bets at Caesars Palace, Station Casinos, South Point, Westgate Las Vegas and CG Technology sportsbooks.
At Station Casinos' sportsbooks, there are more bets on the Raiders to win the AFC West than there are on any other team in any other division, and Oakland also tops the bet count in the odds to win AFC.
Bettors also are backing throwing down money to beat the Tennessee Titans in their week 1 matchup. Oakland is around a 1-point favorite over the Titans at most books.
"We have 43 bets on the Raiders and four on Tennessee," Westgate assistant manager Ed Salmons told ESPN on Tuesday.
The hype is coming after the team signed out-of-retirement running back Marshawn Lynch, nicknamed "Beast Mode," and the restructuring of QB Derek Carr's contract, which is now the largest in NFL.
The team broke out of their 13-year playoff drought last season with a 12-4 record. Despite the week 16 injury to Carr, the team entered the postseason but were defeated by the Houston Texas at NRG Stadium.
Now that Carr is healthy and has more offensive tools to work with, the Raiders will certainly be a fun team to watch as the upcoming season unfolds.
Their first game of the season, against the Titans in Tennessee, will kickoff at 1 p.m. PST on Sept. 10.
