The Golden Knights' success on the ice is good for hockey fans in Nevada -- but maybe not so good its sportsbooks.
"If this continues, forget about the books here in town because they're going to get crushed," Mitch Moss with VSIN told State of Nevada. "One bookmaker told us that it is a seven-figure liability if they win the whole thing."
The problem is how well the books expected the Knights to do compared with how good they actually have been. Moss agreed with the books -- he knew fans would embrace the new franchise, but didn't expect them to win the way they are.
Meanwhile, Nevada's college basketball teams are continuing to do well on the court.
UNLV has already matched its win total from last year, but Moss is not sure how the Rebels will do now that conference play has started.
Moss said they got beat at home by Boise State and went into overtime for their win against San José State. Because of that, he now feels the Runnin' Rebels future is a little more up in the air.
Moss said he didn't want to get ahead of himself when it comes to UNLV, "but if they got into the [NCAA] tournament, that would be such a win for Marvin Menzies in his second year that I think the program would be happy with that."
And in the NFL, Las Vegas' soon-to-be Raiders might have a new, yet old, coach. The team fired Jack Del Rio after a disappointing season and former coach Jon Gruden is the frontrunner for the job.
Moss said the sources he's spoken to tell him that Raiders owner Mark Davis wants Gruden as the coach -- and is willing to pay a hefty salary.
"Mark Davis loves the guy, and if he's going to get rid of Jack del Rio -- who was 12 and 4 last year, looked pretty good as a coach -- for anybody it's going to be for Jon Gruden, and he's not going to screw around -- he's going to want to make him the highest paid coach in the entire league," Moss said.
Moss believes the Gruden deal is part of the Raiders' "guns a-blazin'" attitude towards their move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
Moss also weighed in on the NFL's wild card playoff matchups.
Titans vs. Chiefs
Despite the Titans "limping" into the playoffs, the Chiefs' past playoff record is too much for Moss to overcome.
Falcons vs. Rams
"I haven't been impressed with Atlanta all year. I like the Rams and I won't be surprised if they blow them out."
Bills vs. Jaguars
"It is a total toss-up here." He expects a low-scoring game but the Bills to win if they have the ball late with a chance to score.
Panthers vs. Saints
Moss said he's liked the Saints since the beginning of the season and as this week has progressed, he likes them even more.
And in college football - Spend Mitch's Money:
Alabama (-3.5) vs. Georgia
Moss likes Alabama in the game but the sportsbooks are changing the line for Georgia and he says a real move on the number tells betters that there is some "sharp money on Georgia."
Mitch Moss, VISN
