Famed Broadcaster Brent Musburger New Voice of Raiders, Developing Fox Sports Betting TV Show

Posted on: July 22, 2018, 10:00h. 

Last updated on: July 21, 2018, 01:39h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Brent Musburger might be 79-years-old, but the famed sports broadcaster known for his love of gambling certainly isn’t slowing down.

Brent Musburger Raiders sports betting
Brent Musburger is picking up gigs left and right. His latest is assuming the radio play calling for the Oakland Raiders. (Image: Ethan Miller/Getty)

This week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal revealed that Musburger has agreed to a three-year deal to serve as the radio voice of the NFL Oakland Raiders. Team president Mark Davis confirmed the split with longtime announcer Greg Papa on Thursday.

Musburger’s three-year deal will culminate with the 2020 relocation of the Raiders to Las Vegas.

Musburger retired from television in January 2017 after a 44-year career to focus on the Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN). The decision to step out of the broadcast booth and into the sports betting arena couldn’t have come at a better time.

In May, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) said in a 6-3 decision that the federal ban on sports betting ran afoul of the Constitution. The ruling allows states to determine their own laws regarding the gambling activity.

Sports Betting Goes Mainstream

Musburger was known throughout his broadcasting career for making comments regarding game lines and odds.

“The next rodeo for me is in Las Vegas,” Musburger said during TV retirement announcement. “Stop by and we’ll share a cold one and some good stories. I may even buy!”

VSiN is broadcast from the South Point Casino in Las Vegas.

With the SCOTUS repeal, sports betting has quickly gone mainstream. And Musburger’s been at the forefront of the progression.

Musburger writes a weekly sports betting column for the Review-Journal. VSiN additionally has a partnership with the New York Post where he and others provide sports gambling content.

The Sporting News reports this week that Musburger is also in development with Fox Sports 1 to launch a weekday television program covering sports betting. The speculation is that it will air 5-6 pm ET on the cable sports network, with Charissa Thompson serving as host.

Sporting News writer Michael McCarthy says the program was described by a source as “Around the Horn for sports betting.”

Las Vegas Makeover

The odds are strong that legal sports betting will expand across the country in the coming years. And the days of professional sports leagues opposing games being contested in Las Vegas due to the city’s widespread sports gambling are mostly over.

Sin City is already home to the NHL Vegas Golden Knights and WNBA Las Vegas Aces. The NFL will call Las Vegas a home when the Raiders begin playing there in 2020.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred added this week that Las Vegas is a candidate city for a potential expansion team. And in May, MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren, whose company owns the Aces operates T-Mobile Arena where they and the Golden Knights play, predicted that the city would become home to an NBA franchise within five years.

“It’s highly likely that a team, or multiple teams, will be looking,” Murren opined. “I would expect that Las Vegas will have an NBA team within the next five years, if not sooner.”