Antonio Brown has found a new home in Oakland, which means next year, he’ll have another new home in Las Vegas, where the Raiders will play starting with the 2020-21 season. But his trade from the Steelers to the Raiders has already made an impact in Vegas, with sportsbooks shifting Super Bowl futures odds following reports of the impending deal.
Which begs the question: Is the star wideout worth such moves, or are the moves driven by public play? Derek Wilkinson, supervisor at The SuperBook at Westgate, leaned much more toward the latter.
“We’ll probably lower the Raiders a little, just because we know people are going to come in and bet it now,” Wilkinson told Covers late Saturday night, prior to The SuperBook adjusting the Raiders from 100/1 to 80/1 to win the Super Bowl. “I don’t think (getting Brown) really increases their chances to win, but the locals will definitely be in here putting money on it.”
The SuperBook also moved Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl futures, from 20/1 to 25/1, which matches the odds of AFC North rivals Baltimore and Cleveland. Those three teams are also all 12/1 to win the AFC.
Scott Shelton, sportsbook supervisor at The Mirage on the Vegas Strip, said his shop and other MGM books moved the Raiders from 80/1 to 60/1 to win the Super Bowl. But again, that wasn’t necessarily saying Brown’s addition itself merited the move.
“We went from 80/1 to 60/1 based on we are already a significant loser to the Raiders in the futures market,” Shelton said. “A lot of people are gonna get on the app and play right now. We’ll readjust when the market settles.”
MGM books have the Steelers at 18/1 to win the Super Bowl, actually a tick behind the Browns (15/1), while the Ravens are at 25/1. In AFC futures, Pittsburgh is 8/1, Cleveland 6/1 and Baltimore 12/1.
Caesars Palace sportsbook and its sister properties in Vegas also made a sizable Super Bowl futures move on the Raiders, from 75/1 to 50/1. However, oddsmaker Matt Lindeman said that was the only move Caesars books made in the initial wake of the trade announcement late Saturday.
CG Technology books, including at The Cosmopolitan and Venetian on the Vegas Strip, didn’t adjust the Raiders’ Super Bowl futures at all, having already arrived at a comfortable number before the deal.
“We were on the low end at 70/1 to begin with, because we already lose into six figures on Oakland,” CG risk manager Tony DiTommaso said, adding there was a modest Pittsburgh Super Bowl shift. “We moved the Steelers to 25/1, from 22/1. We were already the highest in the market, or close to it, at that price.”
CG books also tweaked Pittsburgh’s AFC odds from 10/1 to 12/1.
Patrick Everson is a Las Vegas-based senior writer for Covers. Follow him on Twitter: @Covers_Vegas.
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