Vegas Views: Westgate Bookmaker Wants NFL to Investigate 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Injury Designation

Gilberto Manzano | Sep 12, 2024

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason was likely told multiple times he made a significant mistake when he walked off the field at Levi’s Stadium after his breakout performance against the New York Jets.

Hearing that he messed up probably wasn’t what Mason expected after doing nearly everything right during a special performance with millions watching. The dynamic runs were quickly put aside after Mason shared in a post-game interview that he might have received the news of his surprising start on Friday, two days before the Monday Night Football matchup. (People forget that Mason said “maybe Friday night.”)

It’s easy to say Mason shouldn’t have let this honest mistake spoil his memorable night—he was visibly upset when he spoke to the local media. But the valuable information Mason revealed he “maybe” had for multiple days raised many red flags, and not just for those annoyed fantasy football managers who found out 90 minutes before kickoff that Christian McCaffrey wouldn’t be scoring points for them.

This situation was alarming for those in the business of sports betting too.

Jay Kornegay, the longtime operator of the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas, wants the NFL to open an investigation into the 49ers possibly withholding critical information from the league and the public.

“I would say that comment was very concerning because the name of the game for us is transparency,” Kornegay says about Mason’s disclosure. “Everybody should know, not just a select few, and that’s where it causes problems for us.”

The NFL obligates teams to disclose game status for injured players on the final injury report of the week. If the 49ers had already ruled out McCaffrey before Saturday’s final injury report, they could be subject to fines because McCaffrey was listed as questionable due to a calf injury.

It’s also possible Mason was the starter all along and maybe there was a chance of McCaffrey playing in a limited role and that’s why the reigning Offensive Player of the Year was made a game-time decision instead of being ruled out Saturday. Also, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he never told Mason he would start.

There could be many scenarios here, but Kornegay, and probably many other bookmakers, want answers to prevent situations in which people take advantage of exclusive information.

Sportsbooks were in a vulnerable position with the inside information Mason might have had for days about his starting role in the season opener. Kornegay said the Westgate Superbook rushed to bring down the odds on Mason scoring the game’s first touchdown. He went from 30–1 odds to 6–1 after McCaffrey was ruled out from playing against the Jets.

“There needs to be an investigation,” says Korneygay, who has worked at the Westgate for 20 years. “The trainers know [about Mason’s start], his teammates know. There’s a number of people that know that and it spreads very quickly, especially in a situation like that.

“Being an operator, that’s very concerning that it’s not announced publicly. It was tight-lipped within the organization, but it could be his agent for goodness sake [who shares the information]. It could be his agent’s sister for all we know.

“I believe that they should look into that. That’s something that they should investigate and see what happened there because of the concerns, especially with the widespread of sports gaming. That type of information is very critical.”

If there was a possibility of inside information being utilized, the damage might have been minimal because the 49ers won 32–19 and covered the spread against the Jets. Also, Jets running back Breece Hall scored the game’s first touchdown, not Mason.

But perhaps there were a few bets placed on Mason going over his expected amount of rushing yards before the football public learned about his start. There are various ways this valuable information could have impacted the sports gaming community.

“When you talk about a situation like that when the best running back in the league is not going to play,” Kornegay says, “now let’s face it, Mason had a terrific game, however, that type of information should be shared to everyone and not just a select few because that’s where people can take advantage of it.”

Manzano’s NFL Week 2 Betting Tips

*Betting lines from DraftKings Sportsbook

Bucking a Trend: Ignore sharp money, take Chiefs (-5) over Bengals

Surprisingly, the Westgate Superbook lost some money on the New England Patriots’ upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Kornegay. Usually, heavy underdogs are money-makers for sportsbooks because the public tends to side with the favorites.

But the sharps saw an opportunity to back the Patriots because of the uncertainty with Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

“There was actually some support for the Patriots,” Kornegay says. “I think the general public really didn’t warm up to that game. It just wasn’t an attention-getter matchup. I think it had to do with the Bengals having a lot of lineup issues with Chase being rusty, Higgins being announced late [with an injury], so it didn’t really hit the recreational bettors’ radar. So with that said, it was actually a loss for us.”

The opposite might happen this week. Sharp money is supporting the underdog Bengals against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. Kornegay called it a classic matchup of sharps vs. the public.

“[Sharps] still believe in Cincinnati’s power rankings, and despite the receiver issues, they’re expecting them to bounce back and play a lot better there,” Kornegay says. “The public will not see it that way. They have one thing to go on and that’s Week 1. ‘The Bengals looked horrible, the Chiefs looked great. Give me the Chiefs.’ That’s what [the public is] saying.”

I’m siding with the public on this one. The sluggish Bengals aren’t as good as past seasons. And if they are, they usually don’t play their best football until after September.

Enticing Bet: Patriots (+3.5) vs. Seahawks

Yes, I’m very concerned about being late to the party here. But this is a potential trap game for the Seahawks, who have to travel across the country for an early kickoff time, for those on Pacific Standard Time.

The Seahawks barely survived against the Denver Broncos and spent most of the first half playing near their end zone—they allowed two safeties. It’s worth the risk backing a defense that showed up to play for coach Jerod Mayo.

Moneyline Dog: Buccaneers (+285) at Lions

I picked the Lions straight up in my Sports Illustrated pick’em challenges. It didn’t feel right, and I might have chickened out after going 0–3 with my upset picks in Week 1. But I’ll make it right here and take the impressive Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who crushed the Commanders last week and lost by one score to the Lions in their playoff matchup.

Not So Risky: Steelers (-2.5) at Broncos

The Bo Nix preseason hype quickly evaporated after his rough regular-season debut against the Seahawks. The stout Steelers’ defense will probably force the rookie quarterback into multiple interceptions. I do worry about the Steelers’ suspect offense possibly not producing a touchdown, but the unstoppable T.J. Watt might make up for that.

Stay Away: Los Angeles Rams (+102) at Cardinals (-122)

Sean McVay has owned the Cardinals since he arrived in Los Angeles. The public might support the Rams here and ignore the injuries to Puka Nacua and key offensive linemen because of how well they played in the overtime loss to the Lions. But the Cardinals are better this year on the offensive side and have the weapons to light up the scoreboard against the injury-ravaged Rams. I’m avoiding this NFC West matchup.

Parlay: Titans (+3.5) vs. Jets; Colts (-3) at Packers; Cowboys (-6) vs. Saints

I whiffed badly on my parlay last week with all three legs being losers. I’ll do better this week. I’m betting on the Titans’ defensive front to make life difficult for Aaron Rodgers. The Cowboys have to make up a touchdown, but they play well at home.

Survivor Pool: Texans (-258) over Bears

Yes, I know the Chargers are playing the Panthers this week. But not picking the heavy favorite worked in my favor last week when I chose the Seahawks to beat the Broncos instead of the Bengals, who blew up countless survivor pools with their ugly loss to the Patriots. Not being a coward might be good karma here. Then again, the Bears are dealing with many injuries and they did not look good last week against the Titans. There are many reasons to like the Texans in Week 2.

Best Over/Under Total: Raiders-Ravens (UNDER 41.5, -112)

The Raiders’ standout defense received no favors from coach Antonio Pierce last week after he made some head-scratching decisions that put the unit in tough spots in the loss against the Chargers. Expect this defense to contain the Ravens for most of the game. On the other side, the Ravens’ defense might not have much trouble with quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

Manzano’s NFL Week 2 Betting Tips

More NFL Week 2 Betting Stories