DraftKings bettors place wagers to win $2.5M, $1M on Raiders
Pete Carroll is known for his relentless optimism. But the Raiders coach has nothing on two bettors at DraftKings sportsbook.
A gambler at DraftKings wagered $25,000 to win $2.5 million on the Raiders to win Super Bowl 60 at 100-1 odds in their first season under Carroll.
The bet was placed in April at the book, which doesn’t operate in Nevada. The book also took a $10,000 wager in February to win $1 million on the Raiders to win the 2026 Super Bowl at 100-1.
“We’ll probably be rooting for the Raiders at some point, so it’s not like we’re in this huge hazard on them,” said DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello, who is based in Las Vegas. “They’re going to bet on other teams. That future market’s been open for four or five months, and it’ll be open all the way to the week of the Super Bowl, so there’s a lot of money to go in that pot.
“No worries. If the Raiders win it, that will be an exciting time for this town.”
If the Raiders win the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title, they would become the biggest preseason long shots to do so since the 1999 St. Louis Rams beat 150-1 odds behind quarterback Kurt Warner en route to the NFL championship.
The Raiders, who are 125-1 long shots at BetMGM, finished last in the AFC West last season with a 4-13 record and haven’t won a playoff game since 2003, when they lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They have the league’s seventh-longest Super Bowl odds behind the New Orleans Saints (300-1), New York Giants (250-1), Cleveland Browns (250-1), Tennessee Titans (200-1), New York Jets (200-1) and Carolina Panthers (150-1).
Their regular-season win total of 7 at the Westgate SuperBook is the seventh-lowest in the league behind the Saints (5), Titans (5½), Giants (5½), Browns (5½), Jets (6) and Panthers (6½).
The Raiders, who have added veteran quarterback Geno Smith and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, are the +1,775 long shots at the Westgate to win the AFC West and +330 underdogs to make the playoffs. They’re -400 favorites to miss the playoffs.
“There are people out there that are going to bet the Raiders at 100-1,” Avello said. “It looks like the Kansas City Chiefs will be the same or down a little. Denver has gotten better, but it’s still not an elite team, and the Chargers have good, quality players, but they haven’t won anything.
“The Raiders have got Geno this year. He hasn’t won anything, either, but that’s some sort of improvement. In the playoffs, anything can happen.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.