We’ve not seen gaming-revenue numbers for Las Vegas for November yet but, judging by McCarran International Airport statistics, they will probably be worse than October’s. Passenger loads (1.8 million) were down 9% sequentially and 57% year/year. Domestic traffic was off 54% and while international traffic is increasing (up 15% sequentially) it is still 93.5% off the previous November’s pace. Southwest Airlines (-53%) dominated in passenger volume while Spirit Airlines defended its market share best, -34.5%.
Pointing to six upcoming NFL games with playoff implications, TheLines.com predicts a “wild ride” for bettors this weekend. Said analyst Brett Collison, “The first and last week of the NFL season are typically the two most difficult to handicap. The final week in particular brings a level of uncertainty not seen in any other week, and why odds on games with playoff implications tend to be more dependable.” Only two blowouts are predicted: The Cincinnati Bengals falling to the Baltimore Ravens by 11.5 points and the Jacksonville Jaguars, expected to be stampeded by the Indianapolis Colts by 13.5 points. (TheLines aggregates odds from DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, PlaySugarHouse, BetMGM, Unibet and William Hill.) As mentioned yesterday, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to eke out a one-point win over the Denver Broncos in a game rife with meaninglessness.
Speaking of such things, the once-mighty New England Patriots are only 5.5-point favorites over the lowly New York Jets, for Pete’s sake. As for teams with playoff aspirations, oddmakers like the Buffalo Bills over the Miami Dolphins by 3.5, the Cleveland Browns over the fading Pittsburgh Steelers by 6.5, the Dallas Cowboys past the New York Giants by 2.5, the Los Angeles Rams over the Arizona Cardinals by 4 and the Tennessee Titans to open the throttle on the Houston Texans with a 56-point over/under. Going for a first-round bye, the Green Bay Packers are favored by 4 against the Chicago Bears, in a game with a 50-point over/under. Fire up the TV set!
This picture is either worth 1,000 words 0r will leave you speechless, depending on your perspective. Warning: Some things, once seen, cannot be unseen.
In the Chicago Tribune on Sunday the over/under for the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards game was 242 1/2. I have never seen an NBA game with a total that high and the total still went over. The Wizards won 123-122.