The New Orleans Saints don't expect to play any home games in September due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which has an immediate impact on Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
Head coach Sean Payton told reporters on Tuesday the Saints are looking at alternate home venues in the short term, which includes the first game of the year against the Packers on September 12. They aren't due to return home to the Caesars Superdome until Week 4 against the Giants on October 3.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced the game would be played in Jacksonville.
From a betting standpoint, the change has major ramifications on the market.
At most books, the odds were taken off the board, which previously had the Packers as 3-point favorites. It's normal for odds to come off the board immediately following news, but the major fallout here — again, only from a betting standpoint — is canceled bets on the game.
Many sportsbooks have house rules that state any bets made on a game must take place at the venue scheduled. If a venue change happens, the bet is void.
It's even more significant in this case because of the circumstances surrounding the original line.
When sportsbooks opened Week 1 lines, Aaron Rodgers was still in limbo regarding a return to Green Bay. Because of that, books opened the Saints as 3-point favorites. But when it was announced Rodgers was playing for the Packers this season, the line flipped to Packers -3.
Anyone holding that 6-point advantage with a Packers +3 ticket is left with only a pocket full of closing-line value.
The Action Network reached out to several sportsbooks for comment on the situation. BetMGM and FanDuel both confirmed bets would be void once the change in venue becomes official, citing house rules.
However, a PointsBet representative said all bets will stand for the Week 1 game as of now.
"We anticipate bets will stand even if the game is not held in New Orleans, but that could always change," PointsBet Sports Analyst Mike Korn told The Action Network.
PointsBet shifted the juice from -110 to -115 on Packers -3 following the news.
In Las Vegas, the Westgate SuperBook closed Week 1 lines while leaving the road games up for Week 2 and Week 3. At the time of closing, 77% of tickets were on the Packers, but 52% of the money came in on the Saints. Should the change happen, prior wagers would be canceled in accordance with house rules.
DraftKings re-opened the Packers as 4.5-point favorites on Wednesday. The total is 50.
The Saints were originally undecided on where they'd play, however Texas emerged as a possibility with SMU, TCU and AT&T Stadium in Dallas as options. The league said it is "monitoring developments and are in communication with the club." The league then confirmed Jacksonville was the new host.
