I was down in Las Vegas this past week on vacation, which means I spent a little bit of time at the casinos. Whenever I go to a casino I like to swing by the sports book to check out the various odds. I've always been fascinated by sports gambling, and particularly how it has been a huge component in the development of the NFL's popularity.
Fantasy football has been a recent driver in NFL (and other sports') popularity, but gambling has been a key component for a lot longer. I generally stick to NFL and NCAA basketball tournament bets, but obviously you can bet on just about anything. While I was down in Las Vegas I picked up some odds sheets for the various sports played in the Bay Area and have posted relatively current odds after the jump.
2010 NFL Season
Super Bowl Odds (as of 8/9/10)
Oakland Raiders - 50/1 (opened at 200/1)
San Francisco 49ers - 25/1 (opened at 45/1)
Conference Championship Odds (as of 8/9/10)
Oakland Raiders - 20/1 (opened at 100/1)
San Francisco 49ers - 10/1 (opened at 22/1)
Over/Under on Wins (as of 8/9/10)
Oakland Raiders - 6 (opened at 6)
San Francisco 49ers - 9 (opened at 8.5)
In looking at these odds, the Raiders Super Bowl and conference title odds changes stick out to me. I'm going to assume the odds lowered significantly when the Raiders acquired Jason Campbell.
2010-2011 NCAA Football Season
BCS Championship Odds (as of 8/9/10)
California Golden Bears - 80/1 (opened at 50/1)
Stanford Cardinal - 75/1 (opened at 80/1)
2010-2011 NBA Season
NBA Championship Odds (as of 8/9/10)
Golden State Warriors - 150/1 (opened at 100/1)
Considering the Warriors are likely going to blow the team up and really go full scale rebuilding at some point, I'd say this is a sucker bet if you put money on it.
2010-2011 NHL Season
Stanley Cup Odds (as of 8/9/10)
San Jose Sharks - 5/1 (opened at 5/1)
2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Season
NCAA Championship Odds (as of 8/9/10)
California Golden Bears - 80/1 (opened at 80/1)
Stanford Cardinal - 175/1 (opened at 175/1)