It’s been nearly seven months since the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, and the NFL is finally back. And with the American Gaming Association estimating that more than $35 billion will be wagered at legal U.S. sportsbooks on the NFL between now and the Super Bowl, it’s going to be the biggest season yet.
The Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens as 3-point home favorites in this season’s Kickoff Game on Thursday night with a total of 47. The line has bounced between Chiefs -2.5 and -3 at sportsbooks all summer, as Week 1 is the rare opportunity for an NFL game to be up on the board for several months.
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Lamar Jackson is coming off an MVP season in 2024 and is a mind-boggling 12-2 against the spread as an underdog (including 2-1 ATS vs. Patrick Mahomes), which the Ravens will close as entering this game. Betting action has appeared very even overall, as 46% of the bets and 54% of the money wagered at DraftKings Sportsbook are on the Chiefs -3. At ESPN BET, 59% of the bets and 65% of the handle are on the Chiefs -3, while Chiefs -3 was the most-bet side at BetMGM sportsbook – yet the Ravens +3 had the most dollars wagered of any game so far this weekend.
The largest reported wager on the game so far is a $220,000 bet from one bettor over the summer on Ravens +3 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
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We checked in with a few bookmakers to see how the betting action unfolded.
Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey: “This number has been ping-ponging between Chiefs -3 and -2.5. The betting is going as expected with this spread, when we get to 3, we get some Ravens money, when we go to 2.5 we get some Chiefs money. In the first half line, which is Baltimore +1, we’ve been taking some decent action there and may have a decision. Overall, for the game, a few more tickets [are] on the Ravens, while the Chiefs are included in more parlays. In terms of the dollars bet, a little more on Kansas City.”
Chuck Esposito, sportsbook director at Station Casinos in Las Vegas: “Ticket count favors the Chiefs a little bit, 51-49. Overall money at this point is extremely balanced.”
Christian Cipollini, BetMGM NFL trader: “We’re about 50-50, actually. Both moneyline and spread are getting good two-way action.”
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