Sports Betting Weekly Wrap: Dodgers World Series Favorites With Ohtani, Only 1 NFL Team Qualified For Playoffs, Next Legal State In January And More

Here's a look at the top stories for the week, top bets cashed and what's next in the world of sports betting.

Wild Thursday Night Football: The Thursday Night Football game for Week 15 of the National Football League season marked a change in pace with the over-hitting before halftime.

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers with a score of 63-21. This game marked the most points scored in Raiders history. It was also the first time this score has ever happened in an NFL game, also known as Scorigami. The Raiders led 42-0 at halftime in the game that was streamed on Amazon.com Inc AMZN owned Amazon Prime Video.

There were plenty of touchdowns in the Thursday Night Football game, including Raiders rookie wide receiver Tre Tucker who scored two touchdowns. Despite never scoring and having only eight receptions prior to the game, one bettor wagered $25 on Tucker to find the endzone twice, winning $5,000.

Monday Night Football Upsets: Week 14 of the NFL season saw two upsets happen during a special doubleheader of Monday Night Football. Also, two prime time games aired simultaneously for the first time.

The Tennessee Titans shocked the Miami Dolphins winning as 13.5 point underdogs and with odds of +575 to win. The New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers as 6 point underdogs and overall odds of +220 to win. With the Giants win, the team improved to a 3-1 record with undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito starting. With the primetime win, DeVito's story continues to grow.

Big Saturday for Bettors: Dec. 16 will mark a big day for sports bettors with the kickoff of College Football bowl games. Seven NCAA Football bowl games will air on ABC, ESPN and stream on ESPN+ — all units of Walt Disney Company DIS.

The largest spread of the games is currently Appalachian State favored by 6.5 points against Miami (OH) at DraftKings Inc AMZN, suggesting close games for bettors.

Saturday will also feature three NFL games, all airing on NFL Network. Of the six NFL teams featured Saturday, five have 7-6 records. The games are:

• 1 p.m. ET: Minnesota Vikings (7-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-6), Bengals -3.5
• 4:30 p.m. ET: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) at Indianapolis Colts (7-6), Colts -1.5
• 8:15 p.m. ET: Denver Broncos (7-6) at Detroit Lions (9-4), Lions -4.5

NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl LVIII: With four weeks of NFL games left, one team has officially qualified for the postseason.

The San Francisco 49ers clinched a playoff berth. Given the closeness of NFL teams and their records this season, only two teams have officially been eliminated from the postseason: the 1-12 Carolina Panthers and 3-10 New England Patriots.

The current odds of winning Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 are:

• San Francisco 49ers: +230
• Baltimore Ravens: +550
• Philadelphia Eagles: +700
• Kansas City Chiefs: +700
• Miami Dolphins: +850
• Dallas Cowboys: +850

Related Link: This Tom Brady Baseball Card Is Worth… $500K? Inside The Hunt For A Rare Collectible

Dodgers Land Ohtani: One of the most talked about events in Major League Baseball in years happened this week with the Los Angeles Dodgers signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract. Ohtani has been one of the most dominant hitters and pitchers in recent years, making him a dual-threat athlete for the sport not seen in decades. The Dodgers finished the 2023 MLB season with the third best record, going 100-62. The team faced an early playoff exit at the hands of the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks. The addition of Ohtani has improved the Dodgers odds of winning the 2024 World Series, ranking as the favorite. The current odds are:

• Los Angeles Dodgers: +425
• Atlanta Braves: +700
• New York Yankees: +900
• Houston Astros: +1000
• Texas Rangers: +1100
• Philadelphia Phillies: +1100

Promotions Draw Legal Attention: Benzinga reported this week on a class-action lawsuit against DraftKings over its $1,000 bonus bet offer. The lawsuit claims the company misled customers with deposits of $5,000 and wagers of $25,000 or more needed within 90 days to hit the $1,000 bonus. Promotional offers including bonus bets, deposit matches and free bets are common in the space and the lawsuit could impact the way new customers are acquired. Richard Daynard, a lawyer well-known for taking on Big Tobacco, is helping with the lawsuit.

New State Coming: The state of Vermont will begin offering online sports betting in January, according to a report from ESPN. Beginning on Jan. 11, members of the state will be able to bet on sports online, which will come in time for the NFL Playoffs and ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. DraftKings, Fanatics and Flutter Entertainment PDYPY owned FanDuel will be the sportsbooks offered in the state.

See Last Week’s Sports Betting Weekly Wrap here.