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Raiders' game-winning lateral return dealt a massive blow to Vegas sportsbooks

In less than a minute of game time between the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots, sportsbooks in Vegas went from huge winners to big losers thanks to what might be the most boneheaded play in NFL history.

By now, you’ve surely seen it. The one where the Pats inexplicably lateralled the ball to the Raiders for a game-winning touchdown as time expired. That play caused a seven-figure swing for the hometown sportsbooks, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, bailing out a bunch of locals who surely had their money riding on the Raiders.

“It killed us. It was terrible. We needed the Patriots pretty big,” South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews told the Review-Journal. “I really believe that’s the dumbest play I’ve ever seen.”

The Raiders actually opened the week as slight underdogs to the Patriots at some sportsbooks before sharp money on the home team moved them to 2.5-point favorites. But after leading 17-3, they were well on their way to falling to 0-5 in games they held a double-digit halftime lead.

The wonky play prevented that from happening and left sportsbooks paying out a lot of cash. One bettor at BetMGM won $300,000 on a straight bet against the spread. Caesars Sportsbook suffered a seven-figure loss from the game.

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