Kansas City Chiefs: Why Vegas has Chargers winning the AFC West

Las Vegas currently has the LA Chargers winning the AFC West in spite of the Chargers being unable to win against the Kansas City Chiefs since 2013.

The current odds to win the AFC West is a bit surprising. The LA Chargers currently sit as the favorites sitting at +175. The Oakland Raiders sit at +270, and the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs sit at the bottom at +325, according to Bovada.

The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for a while now. In fact, the favorites to win the West has lost eight straight times against Kansas City. Only twice has the final score been within seven during this stretch.

The Chiefs have only lost two division games since the start of the 2015 season. Last season against Oakland, and 2015 versus Denver.

Before we start, it is important to know why Vegas sets their odds the way they do. The money won from sports gambling isn’t free cash falling from the limbs of money trees. Vegas has a chance to lose as well, and Vegas is much like your average sports bettor. Vegas doesn’t like to lose.

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Take the situation Vegas found themselves in with the Las Vegas Knights this past NHL season. Vegas stood to lose millions due to the fact the Knights made the Stanley Cup Finals their inaugural season. The William Hill sportsbook listed them as 250-1 longshots to win the Stanley Cup.

Most experts had them predicted to finish dead last in the Western Conference. Nick Bogdanovich, the chief oddsmaker at William Hill gave them pretty favorable odds, as can be seen in this piece by The Washington Post.

The smart gamble for NFL fans is to jump on the odds that the Chiefs sit at as of now. Those will change after the season arrives.

It takes more money to win less money in sports gambling. The underdog is where the money is at for the sports bettor. If the bettor pays $100 on a +325 odds, his return will be $425. The odds for the Chargers are at +175. This means that the same $100 at +175 would only have a payout of $275. To make more money on the Chargers, you would have to pay more.

Keep in mind, the teams that Vegas favor, aren’t always the team they think will win. Vegas has to get paid as well. This is why the betting line changes during game-week at times. If heavy money is being placed on one side, the line will become more attractive for the other side as the game nears.

The odds will not be near as great as they are now.

The interesting thing about Vegas and where they have the AFC West is the contradiction in Super Bowl odds. Although the Chargers are favored to win the West and the Chiefs are picked to battle Denver for last, the odds to win the Super Bowl this season has some inconsistencies.

The Chargers are sitting at +2400, Kansas City and Oakland are tied at +3000, while Denver sits at +4000, again according to Bovada. This is the trend across the boards. In February, the Raiders were the Raiders sat at +2100, with the Chiefs and Chargers tied at +3000.

The hype on the Raiders obviously wasn’t ever there and the betting line has reflected as much. This even though the Raiders have added a bunch of talent since early on in the year. Oakland has better odds to win the West but has equal odds to make the Super Bowl. Perhaps it’s Vegas’ way of suggesting that three teams make the playoffs this season?

Whether or not it’s good, bad, or ugly publicity, it is always good publicity. Imagine the number of people that know the Chargers can’t beat Kansas City placing bets on the Chiefs as the season gets closer.

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The more bettors place money on the Chiefs, the more the Chiefs odds will be better. It’s Vegas’ way of playing the game. It’s why sports betting is such a complex, beautiful machine. They want you to bet for the favorite, it’s human nature to root for the underdog.

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