Headed to Vegas before football season starts? Don’t be surprised when you walk into a casino looking to bet on the Heisman trophy and the option doesn’t exist.  This isn’t anything new to the Vegas landscape however it remains the main individual award in sports the casual fan would like to bet if given the opportunity.  The Nevada Gaming Control Board has restrictions in place prohibiting the type of wagers sportsbooks in Nevada are able to accept.  Those particular contests are limited to greyhound races, horse races, or athletic sporting events.  There’s a laundry list of parameters pertaining to sporting events themselves as well but rather than bore you with legalese, contests need to be classified as games of chance at both the professional and collegiate level.  Books are also not allowed to book any amateur athletics either that are deemed non-collegiate sports.  For any other sports related wagers to be accepted, special permissions need to be issued after appropriate paperwork is submitted. While working at Caesars I attempted to go through the approval process for booking the Heisman. By no means is this a simple yes/no questionnaire with a high success rate.  Gaming requests a list of items to protect the market’s integrity; asking for specifics on how votes are submitted, counted, and a winner ultimately verified among other things.  Gaming’s primary responsibility is keeping market’s transparent, serving to protect the casino and player alike.  I do believe we’ll see the Heisman on the betting board very soon given the award’s defined rules on voting and deadlines.  When the time comes, casinos willing to book this particular market will need to close wagering days before all ballots are submitted unlike offshores that currently take bets up until the award is handed out in...

They say the best thing about twitter is that everyone can join…the irony there is that it might be the worst thing about it as well (just ask Stephen A Smith about it).  Social media is an exceptional tool for giving everyone an equal voice, even those that choose to attack others rather than provide thought provoking discourse.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I learn as much, if not more, from the people I interact with on twitter than I can ever hope to provide for others myself.  After a few too many adult beverages with a couple close friends over the weekend, I decided to craft a short social media IQ test.  Of course 85% of you will pass with flying colors…it’s the other 15% I worry about.  Have at it ladies and gents Can you spell your name correctly in your profile? +1 point Can you load an avatar of SOMETHING other than defaulting to the egg? +1 point Are you comfortable tweeting using your real name or likeness? +1 point If you can’t tweet under your real name given the circumstances, do you act like a civilized contributing member of society? +1 point Do you only use an alias to act like an idiot or troll? -1 point Do you take trolling seriously enough to use your real name? +1 point Do you understand subject/noun agreement? +1 point Can you differentiate between your and you’re? +1 point Is getting an entire thought out in 140 chars feasible? +1 point Are you able to understand the difference between tweeting and a blog post disguised as 8 straight tweets? +1 point Do you follow Stephen A Smith? -1 point Are you capable of tweeting without using expletives? +1 point Can you...

what it takes to be a member of our writing team? As football approaches we’re looking for talented writers of all ability levels interested in attacking sports journalism from the gambling perspective. What we want: Funny Gambling related stories Unique handicapping angles Statistical analysis Tales of Degeneracy First hand perspective from women about their own gambling or dealing with friends, boyfriends, or husbands that do Anything creative What we don’t want: Game Previews Picks 5,000 word essays All we ask is that you answer the questions below and submit your responses Click here to submit answers Do you have any previous writing experience? (Don’t worry, its far from a requirement if you’re creative and insightful) What sports do you feel most comfortable discussing in depth? Why do you want to write for a sports gambling blog? How long have you followed the sports betting industry? Are you a sports bettor yourself and if so what sport do you find the most success? Do you have certain teams/schools you feel more comfortable discussing objectively? Please don’t think of this as an interview but rather as an opportunity to highlight your talents, especially for those without extensive writing experience.  Feel free to submit any previous samples as well. Thx to everyone who is interested in pursuing the opportunity and we hope to hear from all of you! Compensation...

In just over a month we’ll enter a brand new era in college football.  There will still be cheating in recruiting, delusional fan bases, and off field transgressions but we finally get to usher in the playoff era.  Oddsmakers find themselves in a new predicament; adjusting prices to reflect the inclusion of 4 teams in the national championship discussion meaning 1 loss won’t completely eliminate teams from contention.  For bettors the game remains the same when it comes to a futures ticket: get to the title to ensure a profit, albeit with one additional layer to fight through first.  Here’s the complete updated list of college football playoff futures courtesy of the LVH.  Wonder how the members of the OTL podcast feel about identifying value? Click here to find out. 2015 COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT&T STADIUM– ARLINGTON, TX MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015 FLORIDA ST 3OREGON 6ALABAMA 6AUBURN 10LSU 20OKLAHOMA 10UCLA 10OHIO ST 12BAYLOR 20MICHIGAN ST 30WISCONSIN 30STANFORD 60ARIZONA ST 100MISSOURI 100SOUTH CAROLINA 20OKLAHOMA ST 200OLE MISS 40GEORGIA 15WASHINGTON 75USC 50IOWA 100TEXAS A&M 100NOTRE DAME 75CLEMSON 75ARIZONA 100KANSAS ST 100TEXAS 100BYU 300UTAH ST 500FLORIDA 50BOISE ST 500MISSISSIPPI ST 100TENNESSEE 200MIAMI FL 200NORTH CAROLINA 75NEBRASKA 100VIRGINIA TECH 200MICHIGAN 100GEORGIA TECH 1000OREGON ST 1000TCU 200TEXAS TECH 500PITTSBURGH 1000WASHINGTON ST 1000UTAH 1000DUKE 1000LOUISVILLE 300NORTHWESTERN 200VANDERBILT 1000FIELD...

Last week it was the Heisman…this week it was all about finding value in the national championship futures. We’ll get to the point spreads – every week, actually – and we’ll hit on win totals, conference odds, and individual league previews eventually. I mean, we still have over a month to get everyone ready. There was rarely agreement and we didn’t crown a champion yet but the discussion led us to a few dark places that we thought would never be possible.  Don’t believe me? Give it a listen… We are also on iTunes: Subscribe, listen, tell all your friends and tell your friends to tell their friends. And for you Android users, we have you covered as...

Whether betting on gut instinct or backed by data-logged spreadsheets, bettors’ primarily focus on who to back. According to one prominent mathematician, however, if they want better returns, they should be more concerned with what they bet. Read on to learn one way to improve your staking. Click here to read full article My take:  There are no absolutes when it comes to developing a sports betting strategy.  Profit is king while everything else becomes secondary. No formula nor self help manual guarantees success.  Bettors needs to learn from experiences, compiling tools of the trade along the way through trial and error.  Everyone from the most seasoned professional to the greenest novice employs a different method to exploit perceived edge albeit with different levels of achievement.  I’ve always harped on money management being as important (if not moreso) than identifying winners because you can’t put winners in the bank.   Understanding when to bet is one skill, understanding how much to bet is a different skill set entirely. In this staking article penned by the talented writers at Pinnacle, five different bankroll techniques are highlighted for their pros and cons. 1) Bet everything, every time 2) Fixed Wager 3) Martingale 4) Fibonacci 5) Proportional Betting Gaining a grasp on how to handle your roll stems from comprehending the sportsbook’s primary objective: keeping bettors in action.  Patience is a virtue in sports handicapping.  There’s no shame in sitting idle, passing on games when an advantage doesn’t exist.  Try to master a bankroll approach that works best for your goals.  For every bettor I’ve witnessed that employ’s Kelly to the letter of the law, there’s another one out there still spouting the value of flat betting at all costs.  Profitable sports betting doesn’t come easy. Always...

August 25th, 2014… it’s not a major date on the sports calendar but it is for TV buffs.  The primetime Emmy awards provide opportunity for bettors to line their pockets with a couple of extra pesos only a few short days before football season starts.  Earlier today Bovada released a variety of betting markets for the biggest award show in primetime television where Breaking Bad is an overwhelming favorite in the outstanding drama series.  While these limits are low at most offshore books, the influx of locals and other secondary markets actually yields opportunity for some.  No one says you should be running to bet any of these since they’re as much about entertainment value…but with perfect information out there you’d be foolish not trying to capitalize on an edge. 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Drama Series     Breaking Bad                                        2/7 True Detective                                       5/1 Game of Thrones                                  8/1 House of Cards                                     9/1 Mad Men                                              30/1 Downtown Abbey                                    50/1   66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Comedy Series   Veep                                                    2/1 Orange Is The New Black                       2/1 Modern Family                                      4/1 Louie                                                    5/1 The Big Bang Theory                             6/1 Silicon Valley                                        30/1   66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series     Matthew McConaughey (True Detective)             4/9 Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)                          3/1 Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)                         8/1 Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom)                             12/1 Jon Hamm (Mad Men)                                       25/1 Woody Harrelson (True Detective)                      25/1   66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Robin Wright (House of Cards)                          4/7 Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)                   5/2 Kerry Washington (Scandal)                               7/1 Claire Danes (Homeland)                                   15/1 Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)                    20/1 Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex)                            20/1   66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series ...

Can we just hand Rory the Clarent Jug now? Oddsmakers seem to think so given his heavy price headed into Sunday’s final round. Complete updated numbers courtesy of the LVH BRITISH OPEN ODDS TO WIN (updated after 3rd round) RORY McILROY        1/10 RICKIE FOWLER       15/1 SERGIO GARCIA       25/1 DUSTIN JOHNSON      25/1 FIELD (all others)  15/1 4TH ROUND MATCHUPS: SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014 RICKIE FOWLER       -110 SERGIO GARCIA       -110 JUSTIN ROSE         +105 ADAM SCOTT          -125 JIM FURYK           -120 JIMMY WALKER        EVEN GRAEME McDOWELL     -125 CHARL SCHWARTZEL    +105 BILL HAAS           -120 GARY WOODLAND       EVEN THOMAS BJORN        EVEN ANGEL CABRERA       -120 LUKE DONALD         -125 ZACH JOHNSON        +105 JASON DUFNER        +105 BRANDT SNEDEKER     -125 MARTIN KAYMER       -110 HENRIK STENSON      -110 MATT KUCHAR         -110 TIGER WOODS        ...

With the first round in the books (and Tiger Woods very much alive), here’s a look at the complete listed of Open Championship odds from the LVH along with 2nd round matchups BRITISH OPEN ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB – HOYLAKE, ENGLAND JULY 17-20, 2014 ODDS TO WIN (updated after 1st Round): RORY McILROY                   4/1 ADAM SCOTT                     9/2 TIGER WOODS                    8/1 MARTIN KAYMER                 50/1 HENRIK STENSON                40/1 PHIL MICKELSON               100/1 JASON DAY                    125/1 JUSTIN ROSE                   25/1 JORDAN SPIETH                 50/1 SERGIO GARCIA                 10/1 LEE WESTWOOD                  40/1 MATT KUCHAR                  100/1 DUSTIN JOHNSON                50/1 BUBBA WATSON                 200/1 RICKIE FOWLER                 20/1 BRANDT SNEDEKER              200/1 GRAEME McDOWELL              100/1 LUKE DONALD                  150/1 IAN POULTER                  150/1 JASON DUFNER                  50/1 CHARL SCHWARTZEL             100/1 LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN              60/1 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA              30/1 ERNIE ELS                   1000/1 ZACH JOHNSON                  50/1 JIM FURYK                     20/1 PAUL CASEY                   250/1 THOMAS BJORN                  60/1 KEEEGAN BRADLEY              150/1 HUNTER MAHAN                 100/1 JIMMY WALKER                  40/1 WEBB SIMPSON                 300/1 STEVE STRICKER                 DNS FRANCESCO MOLINARI            30/1 VICTOR DUBUISSON             250/1 JAMIE DONALDSON             1000/1 GRAHAM DeLAET                150/1 MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ         300/1 PADRAIG HARRINGTON           300/1 JONAS BLIXT                  300/1 BILL HAAS                     80/1 GARY WOODLAND                300/1 HARRIS ENGLISH               200/1 RYAN MOORE                    80/1 JOHN SENDEN                  125/1 PATRICK REED                1000/1 MATTEO MANASSERO              25/1 ANGEL CABRERA                500/1 NICOLAS COLSAERTS              DNQ BROOKS KOEPKA                 80/1 BRENDON DE JONGE            1000/1 MARTIN LAIRD                   DNQ STEPHEN GALLACHER             60/1 JOOST LUITEN                1000/1 ROSS FISHER                  300/1 THORBJORN OLESEN             500/1 FREDDIE JACOBSON             100/1 PETER HANSON                   DNQ BILLY HORSCHEL               300/1 KEVIN NA                    1000/1 CHRIS KIRK                   200/1 BRANDEN GRACE                200/1 GEORGE COETZEE               150/1 NICK WATNEY                  250/1 BERND WIESBERGER             300/1 MARC LEISHMAN                 80/1 MATT JONES                   250/1 CHRIS WOOD                   300/1 PETER UIHLEIN               1000/1 SHANE LOWRY                   30/1 MIKKO ILONEN                  80/1 RICHARD STERNE               500/1 K.J. CHOI                    250/1 RETIEF GOOSEN                  DNQ PAUL LAWRIE                 1000/1 GEOFF OGILVY                   DNQ GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO    300/1 RUSSELL HENLEY              1000/1 STEWART CINK                 200/1 THONGCHAI JAIDEE             200/1 TOMMY FLEETWOOD              300/1 RYAN PALMER                  300/1 MATT EVERY                   500/1 KEVIN STREELMAN              300/1 DARREN CLARKE                300/1...

The season is still over a month away but that couldn’t stop us from getting the gang back together.  We kicked things off in style breaking down the most prestigious award in college football (no, not that dumb looking new National Championship thing) the Heisman trophy.  If you don’t know your players on the OTL podcast we’re led by our fearless host Drew Collins and joined weekly by Adam Kramer of Bleacher Report/KegsNEggs, Bud Elliot of SB Nation/Tomahawk Nation, and of course yours truly. The boys and I are just getting warmed up…going to be one hell of a ride like it always is On the Line Podcast. Again this year we are also on iTunes: Subscribe, listen, tell all your friends and tell your friends to tell their friends. And for you Android users, we have you covered as well. Complete list of Heisman Trophy Odds courtesy of 5Dimes Jamesis Winston QB (Florida State)   +450 Marcus Mariota QB (Oregon)   +725 Braxton Miller QB (Ohio State)   +825 Bryce Petty QB (Baylor)   +1225 Todd Gurley RB (Georgia)   +1600 Brett Hundley QB (UCLA)   +1900 T.J. Yeldon RB (Alabama)   +2000 Everett Golson QB (Notre Dame)   +2300 Trevor Knight QB (Oklahoma)   +2600 Melvin Gordon RB (Wisconsin)   +2700 Mike Davis RB (South Carolina)   +2800 Nick Marshall QB (Auburn)   +3000 Derrick Henry RB (Alabama)   +3500 Connor Cook QB (Michigan State)   +3500 Duke Johnson RB (Miami FL)   +3800 Ameer Abdullah RB (Nebraska)   +4000 Myles Jack LB/RB (UCLA)   +4000 Cody Kessler QB (USC)   +5000 Maty Mauk QB (Missouri)   +5000 Christian Hackenberg QB (Penn State)   +5000 Thomas Tyner RB (Oregon)   +5000 Jeff Driskel QB (Florida)   +5000 Karlos Williams RB (Florida State)   +5300 Jacob Coker QB (Alabama)   +6000 Sean Mannion QB (Oregon State)   +6600 Dak Prescott QB (Mississippi State)   +7000 Javorius Allen RB (USC)...

With Clay Travis out of the office there was only one place to start today’s discussion…Plenty of CFB analysis, Open Championship, and odds on what SEC Coach would be bounced from a Survivor format first.  Just another Wednesday with the guys from 3HL...

Golf is better with Tiger Woods.  Hard core golf fans may not agree with the impact of the polarizing superstar but the numbers simply don’t lie.  Earlier this morning I took a few minutes to pick the brain of seasoned golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman (if you’re not already following, encourage you to do so now) about how important Tiger’s involvement in the majors is to the health of his betting markets. Historically the British Open doesn’t attract nearly the same betting attention as the US Open but given Tiger’s return this weekend, Sherman said that wasn’t the case.  He went on to tell me what most of us probably speculated: Tiger has been the most heavily bet golfer of any in the field for this weekend’s tournament at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.  Sherman moved him as high as 25-1 to win the tournament before taking 2 large bets that forced the price back down to 15-1.  While 15-1 doesn’t sound like a large number it becomes a bigger deal when compared to the travesty that is 3-1 currently offered by one Las Vegas based casino.  At 25-1 that was actually the highest price available on Tiger to win a major that Sherman had used in a long long time.  Of course Tiger winning this weekend wouldn’t be good for the house when it comes to liability but at the same time numbers don’t lie…Tiger just being involved not only helps the tv ratings but also drives healthier betting handle. All odds courtesy of the LVH ODDS TO WIN: RORY McILROY                  12/1 ADAM SCOTT                    12/1 TIGER WOODS                   15/1 MARTIN KAYMER                 20/1 HENRIK STENSON                15/1 PHIL MICKELSON                25/1 JASON DAY                    ...