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The New Orleans Saints have taken the Gulf South by storm, winning their first four games by two touchdowns or more heading into Sunday’s open date.
When the Saints return to the field for next week’s home game against the New York Giants, they figure to generate the kind of hype we saw for last week’s game against the previously unbeaten New York Jets.
In Las Vegas, however, the game will be just one of many, in large part because of its time slot, a 1 p.m. Eastern/noon CDT kickoff. Eight of the 13 NFL games scheduled for Sunday will be played then, which affects the overall handle the game will generate in Nevada, the only state where sports betting is legal.
Of course, that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of wagering that’s done illegally, but for a large audience, pro football’s appeal is how it lends itself to gambling on the games.
USA Today analyst Danny Sheridan, who is based in Mobile, believes the Saints will be favored by less than a touchdown in next week’s game against the Giants. But that could change depending on the health of Giants quarterback Eli Manning, whose unbeaten team plays host to the dreadful Oakland Raiders (1-3) on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
“If the Saints and Giants were playing this weekend, I’d make New Orleans a 4-point favorite,” Sheridan said. “In my NFL power ratings, right now, the Saints are the best team in the NFC, followed by the Giants. If the Saints were playing the Giants or (AFC power) New England, at home, they’d be a slight favorite.
“None of us know if Eli Manning is totally healthy.”
Sheridan is quick to point out that the betting line is set to ensure similar action on both teams, not necessarily on the relative strengths of the opponents. The official line, he said, is established “after all the injuries are reported.”
The home field, Sheridan said, is usually worth 2 to 3 points in the betting line.
An estimated $4 billion is illegally wagered on NFL games each week, but Sheridan believes that total is slightly more than half of the action taken in on college football.
Dan O’Brien of Las Vegas Sports Consultants also sees the Saints as a 3.5- or 4-point favorite for the Giants game, but his colleague, Tony Sinisi, said the game’s time slot will result in a more modest handle in Las Vegas.
“In the gaming world,” Sinisi said, “people play the games in front of them. The Sunday night and Monday night game get a lot of interest. I know that in New York, New Jersey and the New Orleans area, this game will be a big deal, but out here, where all the games are shown, it’s one of many.
“I understand (the Saints-Giants game) will be a big game of the day, but there’s a correlation to when the game is played. The time slot is more important than the opponents.”
Of course, the 70,000 folks who pack the Louisiana Superdome and follow the game on television along the Gulf South are inclined to have other ideas.

Saints figure to be slight favorite against Giants - New Orleans Saints - SunHerald.com

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