For the second consecutive year, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has approved sportsbooks in the state to offer NFL Draft prop bets. And this year’s approval includes an expanded , though, they have expanded what will be offered to bettors.
Last year, GCB approved 17 specific bets related to the NFL draft that sportsbooks were allowed to offer. The categories were for entries such as whether more offensive or defensive players would be selected, or how many players from a specific college would be picked. But bets on specific players and where they were headed was not allowed.
This year, GCB approved 32 different bets for the 2018 draft, which takes place April 26-28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Sportsbooks will be required to suspend betting a full day before the start of the draft.
Catching Up to Internet Sites
Some of the new bets available will be on determining which players will be selected before others. So will Josh Rosen go before Saquon Barkley? Nevada sports books will be allowed to lay odds on each possibility.
Bettors will also be able to wager on who will be the No.1 pick overall, which should be a popular gambling choice.
But Nevada sports books still have a ways to go before they offer as many lines as internet betting sites, which have been offering odds on different NFL draft for years.
Additional prop bets available online but not yet in Nevada include, for example, over/unders on when specific players will be taken, who will be the first offensive lineman taken, and will the very last pick be a defensive or offensive player.
Nevada sportsbooks didn’t know what to expect last year when the state introduced betting options on the NFL Draft.
Chris Andrews, sportsbook director at the South Point casino, told ESPN last year that his facility did about $60,000 in NFL Draft bets. He was surprised seeing that the GCB put $500 and $1,000 limits on bets.
“I thought it was going to be like two [thousand],” Andrews said. “That’s a lot at a nickel ($500) a whack. That’s a lot of bets.”
Until recently, Nevada sportsbooks could only offer bets on action that occurred on the field of play. But that has begun to change, as Nevada regulators have started saying yes to sportsbooks seeking approval to accept wagers on everything from the winner of the Heisman Trophy or World Series of Poker to a Hearthstone esports event.
More Action Expected
Sportbooks will probably see more action this year with the expanded offerings. The biggest area of interest is who will be the No. 1 player selected.
The Cleveland Browns currently have the first pick and are rumored to be interested in a quarterback. Sam Darnold appears to be the team’s first choice. He is currently the 4/9 favorite with BetStars. Penn State running back is second at 5/2.
Quarterbacks expect to be popular in the first round of the draft. The line has been set at 4.5 signal callers snatched up with the first 32 selections. BetStars has the over at 6/10 and the under at 6/5.
