VEGAS BETTING REPORT: Bettors Feast on Opening Sunday as Jeanty Powers Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the Klint Kubiak era by covering as 3.5-point favorites in a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, fueled by a two-touchdown performance from rookie Ashton Jeanty.

Bettors largely missed out on Ashton Jeanty’s impressive debut, according to BetMGM senior trading manager Christian Cipollini.

“Jeanty had a big game, but he wasn’t backed too much because of his injury worries,” Cipollini said.

Overcoming Ankle Concerns

Jeanty had missed over two weeks of practice leading up to the opener with an ankle issue, creating real pregame uncertainty.

The rookie multi-down threat put those doubts to rest immediately, rushing for 102 yards. That comes after a standout 2025 campaign where he tallied 975 rushing yards and 346 receiving yards.

“What he did tonight is what we expected from him,” Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters postgame. “But doing it on a bad ankle, with a little less practice than he’s used to, tells you the kind of competitor you’re dealing with.”

The Raiders now head to SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 20 (4:05 p.m. ET) to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. BetMGM opened the Chargers as 7-point home favorites (-105), listing Los Angeles at -323 on the moneyline and the Raiders at +260.

Favorites Fuel Sportsbook Losses

Across BetMGM’s Las Vegas books, Cipollini noted that wins by the Washington Commanders (who fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-22) and an impressive 26-14 upset by the Arizona Cardinals over the Chargers delivered solid outcomes for the house.

However, heavy public action on the Pittsburgh Steelers (20-13 over Atlanta), Baltimore Ravens (41-23 over Indianapolis), and Chicago Bears (59-37 over Carolina) wiped out those gains.

“There were a lot of high-scoring games overall, which usually means more same-game parlays hitting,” Cipollini added.

Joey Feazel, head of football at Caesars Sportsbook, confirmed that opening Sunday was a massive win for the public.

“The first NFL Sunday of the season was a champagne-popping day for bettors, while the book was left cleaning up the corks,” Feazel said.

Seven of the eight early-window favorites won outright, six games sailed over their point totals—many clearing the mark by halftime—and eight of the top 10 most popular touchdown scorers found the end zone.

Lions-Saints Overtime Sweated by Books

According to Feazel, the public only hit speedbumps when Arizona pulled off its upset over Los Angeles.

“Bettors only finally encountered some resistance with the Chargers’ upset loss,” Feazel explained.

“However, money had been backing Arizona on the spread throughout the week, limiting the benefit to the book. Given the Raiders consistently attract heavy local wagering volume, a strong day for Las Vegas anchored a massive afternoon for bettors as well.”

The single biggest sweat for the house came during the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 thriller over the New Orleans Saints. Feazel noted that the Saints’ failed two-point conversion attempt in overtime “had the book on its knees with anticipation.”

The failed conversion sealed the Detroit win, locking in another major payout for the betting public.

$30 Super Parlay Pays Out $10,000

Anytime touchdown scorer markets continue to drive massive public liability for sportsbooks.

That exposure hit home on Sunday when eight of the 10 most heavily backed player prop targets reached the end zone.

The standout win of the day was a 12-leg super parlay combining six touchdown scorers—including D’Andre Swift, Derrick Henry, David Montgomery, Bucky Irving, and Breece Hall—with all seven early moneyline favorites.

A single $30 wager yielded a $10,000 payout.