Las Vegas sportsbooks lose big after favorites win on NFL opening Sunday
On a day that is usually a huge success for sportsbooks, Las Vegas books took a big hit on the first Sunday of the 2015 NFL season.
“I don't remember a worse opening Sunday,” Jay Kornegay, chief of the Westgate SuperBook, told ESPN.
Kornegay called last year’s kickoff Sunday the best of his 20-year career as a bookmaker, but this year the results were reversed. ESPN reported that the MGM, Caesars, CG Technology, Stratosphere and Station Casinos books all logged losses on Sunday.
Last year, underdog teams covered the spread in 10 of 13 games, while this year the favorites went 9–4 against the spread. The Packers and Dolphins were the heavy favorites, and both teams covered the spread with their wins over the Bears (31–23) and Redskins (17–10).
“There are definitely some long lines cashing tickets,” Chuck Esposito of Station Casinos told ESPN late Sunday afternoon.
Nevada sportsbooks are expected to recover from the losses after raking in an all-time high of $113.7 million on football betting last year.
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