Short answer: No.

Denver has +15,000 odds — meaning a $100 bet would win $15,000 — to win Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, according to BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook. The Broncos’ odds are worse when looking at DraftKings Sportsbook (+20,000) and FanDuel Sportsbook (+25,000).

Only the Patriots (+30,000 to +35,000) were consistently ranked below Denver.

This is the Broncos’ worst preseason odds dating back to 1977, which is the further back Pro Football Reference has listed in its database. Denver only had one other season when they began with +10,000 or worse — 2011 at +10,000 in the season Tim Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas in overtime to upset the Steelers in the wild-card game.

Denver’s odds dropped off since the end of Super Bowl XVIII when they were universally listed at +10,000.

The favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy this year? The Chiefs (+500 to +575) are the consensus favorites, followed by the 49ers (+600 to +625), Ravens (+900 to +1,100) and (+1,000 to +1,200).

Denver kicks off its new campaign Sunday at 2:05 p.m. on the road against the Seahawks.

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Rookie Bo Nix has -310 odds — meaning a $310 bet would win $100 — to take the first snap against the Seahawks on Sept. 8, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

It’s a sizeable lead over incumbent starter Jarrett Stidham, who has +225 odds. Zach Wilson is a distant third at +6,000.

Nix’s odds are slightly lower than they were on July 2 when he was listed at -400. Wilson was +450 and Stidham was +650.

Nix completed 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown against Indianapolis. He also had three carries for 17 yards. The Broncos will host the Packers in their second preseason game, which takes place at 6 p.m. Sunday.

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The federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday against Polis and Director Christopher Schroder details a yearslong conflict between Southern Ute Indian and Colorado officials about whether sports betting falls under existing tribal agreements for gaming.

Colorado voters narrowly approved sports betting in November 2019 and it became legal to wager on professional sports at casinos and through verified apps in May 2020.

In the complaint, attorneys from Denver law firm Greenberg Traurig claim a 1993 agreement authorizes the tribe to conduct gaming as long as it’s in line with gaming activities identical to those allowed elsewhere in Colorado – including sports betting.

But since shortly before sports betting became legal in Colorado in May 2020, state officials have acted in bad faith toward the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, seeking to exert authority and collect taxes on the tribe’s sports betting platform, the lawsuit claims.

State leaders did not try to meet with Southern Ute Indian officials until just before sports betting became legal and subsequently tried to pressure the tribe’s vendor, threatening the company’s license if it provided “off-reservation services” to the tribe.

State officials sent similar letters to the vendor working on the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s sports betting platform, the lawsuit claims.

“This attempt to bring tribal gaming under state regulation is illegal, offensive and pointless,” attorneys for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe wrote in the complaint. “The tribe is a sovereign Indian nation that has occupied its homeland since time immemorial and, as such, enjoys a sovereign right to regulate its own commercial activities as it sees fit consistent with its binding Gaming Compact with Colorado.”

The lawsuit claims that Polis administration officials were motivated by money – namely the 10% tax the state collects from other sports betting activities but which Southern Ute Indian officials say it cannot collect from the tribe under federal law.

Polis effectively froze the tribe out of Colorado’s sports betting market, the complaint states, forcing the tribe to close Sky Ute Sportsbook in 2023.

“The state’s wrongful legal posture also threatens the tribe’s future sports betting activity and other potential future activities under the Gaming Compact,” attorneys for the tribe wrote.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to declare the tribe’s sports betting platform lawful and order Colorado officials to cease and desist violating the Gaming Compact and trying to impose any revenue-sharing requirement.

Representatives for Polis and the Colorado Division of Gaming declined to comment on the lawsuit because it is pending litigation.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA player Jontay Porter admitted Wednesday that he schemed to take himself out of games for gambling’s sake, pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy crime in the scandal that already got him banned from the league.

“I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” the former Toronto Raptors center said as he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Echoing findings in an NBA investigation and allegations in an ongoing prosecution of four other men, Porter acknowledged that he agreed to withdraw early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets on his performance.

He did it, he said, “to get out from under large gambling debts.”

Porter, 24, is free on $250,000 bond while awaiting sentencing set for Dec. 18.

Prosecutors estimated his sentence at a range from just under three and a half years in prison to a little over four years. Ultimately it will be up to a judge, who could impose anything from no time to 20 years behind bars. Porter also is likely to be assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution and fines.

He and his lawyer left court without speaking to reporters. The attorney, Jeff Jensen, later declined by email to comment beyond a statement he made last month, in which he said Porter “was in over his head due to a gambling addiction.”

“Jontay is a good young man with strong faith that will get him through this,” Jensen said at the time.

Porter told the court he has undergone inpatient rehab for a gambling problem and remains in therapy.

In a related case, four other men are charged with scheming to profit off tips from an NBA player that he was going to exit two games early. They or their relatives used the knowledge to place big-winning bets that the athlete would do poorly in those games, according to a court complaint filed when they were charged in June. They haven’t yet entered pleas.

The complaint against them didn’t name the player. But details matched up with the NBA investigation that found that Porter gave bettors confidential information about his health, exited at least one game because of bets and wagered on NBA games in which he didn’t play. He once bet against his own team, the league said.

According to the complaint, one of the four men pressed the player to clear up gambling debts by prematurely pulling out of games so that bets on him underperforming would pay off.

In a message responding to the man’s instructions, the player wrote that if he didn’t carry out the plan, “u hate me and if I don’t get u 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

After tipping off some of the men, the player claimed injury or illness and withdrew from Jan. 26 and March 20 games after only minutes on the court, the complaint said.

Porter played only briefly on those dates before complaining he was hurt or sick and exiting the games. His points, rebounds and assists in both games fell below sportsbooks’ expectations.

According to the complaint, some of the alleged conspirators agreed in advance to share about a quarter of any winnings from the March 20 game with the player. One gambler was on track to collect over $1 million before a betting company got suspicious and stopped him from getting most of the money.

After the NBA and others began investigating, the player messaged some of the men that they “might just get hit w a rico,” an apparent reference to the common acronym for a federal racketeering charge, according to the complaint against them. It said the player also asked the men whether they had deleted “all the stuff” from their phones.

Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games this season, including five starts. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.

His NBA salary was about $410,000.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what’s known as a criminal information sheet on Tuesday. The document doesn’t specify a court date or the charge or charges, but it does show the case is related to an existing prosecution of four men charged with scheming to cash in on tips from a player about his plans to exit two games early.

The Associated Press sent voice and email messages Wednesday to Porter’s St. Louis-based lawyer, Jeff Jensen. He said last month that Porter had been “in over his head due to a gambling addiction” but was getting treatment and cooperating with law enforcement.

Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace’s office declined to comment on the new developments.

An NBA investigation found in April that Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., tipped off bettors about his health and then claimed illness to exit at least one game, creating wins for anyone who’d bet on him to underperform expectations. Porter also gambled on NBA games in which he didn’t play, once betting against his own team, the league said.

The four men charged last month appeared in court but haven’t yet entered pleas. They’re charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and were released on bonds in various amounts.

A court complaint against those four — Ammar Awawdeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah and Long Phi Pham — accused them of using prior knowledge of an NBA player’s plans so that they or their relatives could place winning bets on his performance.

The complaint identified the athlete only as “Player 1,” but details about him and the game– and a quote from an NBA news release — matched up with the league’s probe into Porter.

According to the complaint, the player owed “significant gambling debts” to Awawdeh, who encouraged the athlete to settle them with a “special”: intentionally exiting games so that bettors in the know could successfully wager on him falling short of what sportsbooks figured he’d do.

“If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up,” the player responded in an encrypted message early this year, according to the complaint. “And u hate me and if I don’t get u 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

The player told some of the four already-charged defendants that he would claim health problems to take himself out of games early on Jan. 26 and March 20, the complaint says.

Porter played only briefly on those dates before leaving the court, complaining of injury or illness. In both games, his points, rebounds and assists were below the betting line for his performance.

Mollah, McCormack and a relative of Awawdeh had bet the “under” and made out, though a betting company ultimately stopped Mollah from collecting most of his more than $1 million in winnings on the March 20 game, according to the complaint.

After the NBA and others began investigating, the player messaged Pham, Mollah and Awawdeh that they “might just get hit w a rico” — an apparent reference to the common acronym for a federal racketeering charge — and asked whether they had deleted “all the stuff” from their phones, the complaint notes.

Porter’s salary for this year was around $410,000. The 24-year-old averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games this season, including five starts. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.

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So who will it be? Head coach Sean Payton said he has a “gut” feeling, but there’s no timeline to make it official yet.

However, one sportsbook believes one quarterback has the inside track to win the starting role.

First-round draft pick Bo Nix has -400 odds (meaning a $400 bet would win $100) to play the first snap in Week 1 for the Broncos, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

It’s a sizable lead over former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson (+450) and incumbent starter Jarrett Stidham (+650).

If Nix wins the battle, he will be Denver’s first Week 1 rookie starting quarterback since John Elway in 1983.

In other starting QB battles across the league, Russell Wilson (-750) has a major advantage over Justin Fields (+450) in Pittsburgh. Gardner Minshew (-145) has a slight edge over Aidan O’Connell (+120) in Vegas. And Daniel Jones (-425) has betters odds than Drew Lock (+275) for the Giants’ job.

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So, what are Denver’s chances of winning its second title in three years? If oddsmakers are to be believed, they’re pretty good.

The Nuggets have +750 odds — meaning a $100 bet would win $750 — to win the title, according to BetMGM and FanDuel Sportsbook. Caesars Sportsbook gives Denver slightly better odds at +700, while DraftKings Sportsbook has the Nuggets at +800.

Denver has the second-best odds among all four sites surveyed.

The Celtics, fresh off their win, are the favorites across the board with odds ranging from +290 to +300. Several teams are juggled around the next few spots, including Dallas (+900 to +1,000), Milwaukee (+900 to +1,000), Minnesota (+850 to +1,000) and Oklahoma City (+850 to +1,000).

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“Each one of them texted me separately and just told me they’ve got my back. If I need anything, they’ve got me,” Porter said Saturday night after a 114-103 Game 1 win at Ball Arena. “Yeah, a lot of people were reaching out. Friends, family. So to have these guys understand why I missed practice yesterday and just have my back has been big for me.”

Porter’s absence from practice Friday was because he appeared in court that morning for Coban’s sentencing hearing. MPJ addressed the family of the victim, Kathy Limon Rothman, in the courtroom, saying, “I understand your family’s pain and hurt.”

In his return to basketball Saturday, he registered 19 points and eight rebounds against the Lakers.

“We’re human, so we carry our emotions and the things that go on off the court onto the court,” Porter said. “But I’m mentally tough. I’ve been through a lot through my whole career, so it was just another one of those things that I had to try to play through.”

Jontay Porter was on a two-way deal with the Raptors’ organization when he allegedly shared information about his health with an individual he knew to be a sports bettor March 20. After another sports bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay bet that Porter would underperform in Toronto’s game that night, Porter played only three minutes, claiming he felt ill. A league investigation also found Porter placed bets on NBA games, including one wager on the Raptors to lose a game.

When the investigation first came to light, Michael Porter Jr. said he doubted that his brother would jeopardize his career by gambling on games.

“Definitely tried to compartmentalize,” Michael Porter Jr. said Saturday. “Some bad and sad stuff happened to a couple of my brothers. But I’ve got 15, 16 more brothers in here. So I knew I had to be there for them. And come in here and do my job and try to prepare to do it at a high level.”

So, which of Colorado’s “Big Four” pro teams has the best odds at bringing Denver another championship? Here’s a look at what sportsbooks have to say.

The Nuggets have +325 odds — meaning a $100 bet would win $325 — to repeat as NBA champions, according to BetMGM. They have the second-best odds, behind the Celtics (+225), the team with the league’s best record, according to the oddsmaker. Denver also has the second-best odds on Caesars (+290), DraftKings (+320) and Fanduel (+310).

The Avalanche also has the second-best odds, albeit a bit more of a longshot, at +700 to win the Stanley Cup, according to BetMGM and Fanduel. Colorado has the third-best odds on Caesars (+700) and DraftKings (+750).

The Broncos have +10,000 odds to win the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook. The odds fall lower with DraftKings (+12,000) and Fanduel (+15,000). They range between the 25th- and 28th-best odds.

The Rockies — looking to rebound after their first-ever 100-loss season — have a whopping +30,000 odds, according to Caesars Sportsbook. They drop to +50,000 with BetMGM, DraftKings and Fanduel. Colorado has either the worst or the second-worst odds among the sites.

Outside the Big Four, the Colorado Rapids have odds ranging from +6,000 to +11,000 to win the MLS Cup.

As for the NCAA tournaments? The CU Buffs women have the best shot at bringing home a national title at +10,000, according to BetMGM. The team has +15,000 to +50,000 odds from the other sportsbooks surveyed. The Colorado men’s team’s odds range from +15,000 to +25,000, while the CSU Rams men are +15,000 to +20,000.

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The 35-year-old quarterback was told by the team that he will be released when the 2024 league year begins next week. So which places are the most likely to be his next destination? Here’s what one sportsbook has to say.

The Steelers have the best odds at -200 — meaning a $200 bet would win $100 — to have Wilson take his first snap of the 2024 season in a Pittsburgh uniform, according to DraftKings Sportsbook on Tuesday morning.

The Raiders have the next best odds at +275, followed by the Falcons (+475), Patriots (+800) and Vikings (+950). The Buccaneers (+1,800), Commanders (+2,000), Titans (+3,000) and Giants (+3,000) are the only other teams to have 30-to-1 odds or better.

Before Monday’s announcement, the Broncos had +600 odds to retain Wilson.

DraftKings lists two other quarterbacks in its betting odds: Vikings’ Kirk Cousins and Bears’ Justin Fields. Cousins has +1,400 odds to take his first snap next season with the Broncos (Atlanta is favored at -225) and Fields has +1,400 to come to Denver (Atlanta is also favored at +110).

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