Oakland Raiders' Las Vegas Relocation Could Potentially Affect Super Bowl Betting

If the Oakland Raiders relocate to Las Vegas, the ripple effects could go much further than simply one city losing an NFL team. It’s at least possible that the move could remove the existence of legal gambling in Nevada for a future Super Bowl.

According to ESPN’s David Purdum, the league could look to prohibit gambling on any Raiders game, no matter the time or location.

Even with all of the money wagered illegally in the U.S. and through online sportsbooks, the Super Bowl still generates millions of dollars for Las Vegas each year. Purdum reported in February that a record $138.48 million was wagered on Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Nevada sportsbooks won $10.93 million, and they’ve made money on 25 of the last 27 Super Bowls.

So what are the chances of this actually happening? While it is a possibility, Purdum admits that it isn’t at all likely.

First, the Raiders have to get to Las Vegas. Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the team is “cautiously optimistic” that they will get the necessary 75 percent of votes from NFL owners to approve the move next week. The Raiders, however, are reportedly still lobbying for votes, and the relocation is far from a guarantee.

Even if the Raiders do make Las Vegas their new home and betting on their games in Nevada becomes prohibited, Oakland would have to get back to the Super Bowl. The Raiders haven’t played in the championship game, or even recorded a playoff win, since 2003.

Gambling was once considered taboo in the NFL, and a move to the sports betting capital of the U.S. would have seemed impossible when Al Davis was running the show in Oakland. It no longer seems to be an issue like it once was, and it probably won’t stop the Raiders from going to Sin City.

“From a gambling standpoint? That’s a joke to even say that’d be a problem,” one AFC owner told The MMQB’s Albert Breer. “That was an issue decades ago. Now? Sports gambling is going to be legal. We might as well embrace it and become part of the solution, rather than fight it. It’s in everyone’s best interests for it to be above-board.”

But just because a number of owners might not have an issue with gambling, that doesn’t mean the league front office is as progressive.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver called for the legalization of sports betting in an op-ed in the New York Times more than two years ago. Don’t expect NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to pen a similar article anytime soon.

In a sworn deposition in 2012 in a case regarding legal sports gambling in New Jersey, Goodell made it clear that he was not in favor of changing the current laws. Lawrence Ferazani, senior labor litigation counsel for the NFL, even argued that making sports betting legal could hurt the league’s bottom line.

“The NFL is in a revenue-generating business,” Ferazani said. “If the NFL believes that sports gambling would allow it to increase its revenue, the NFL would engage in that activity. Based upon our studies and analysis, we know that [sports betting] will negatively impact our long-term relationship with our fans, negatively impact the perception of our sport across the country.”

If the opinions of Goodell and others in the league office haven't changed, it probably wouldn’t stop fans from betting on the Las Vegas Raiders in a future Super Bowl. It might, however, be something to keep an eye on as the Raiders look for their new home.