Booking futures is free money for bookmakers willing to pay attention (barring the unforeseen ridiculous outcome like Leicester City winning the EPL).  There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to establish a market however working under the business principle of stealing without a gun won’t get you a lot of repeat business. I spent the last few days driving around town comparing prices using NFL futures as my litmus test for the apples to apples comparison.  Some of the numbers contained in the full graphic below were nothing short of staggering.  Marquee establishments showed minimal regard for offering customers a fair shake in a betting market already known for giving the house a substantial advantage.  The numbers color coded in green are the best prices currently available in town.  I realize the graphic is a little difficult to read but I wanted to show every major casino operator’s numbers listed side by side. (Prices included were available from either the sheets in each casino or their mobile application at time of press) Listed below each casino’s numbers is their overall hold percentage.  Hold percentage is defined as the percentage of money won compared to total volume wagered. Despite what some casino operators try to tell you nobody in this business has ever paid their bills in hold percentage.  Normally there are two different philosophies book managers utilize: higher volumes with lower hold or retain a bigger piece of a small pie with high hold and low volume. The hold percentage numbers listed here are theoretical hold.   With 32 teams (theoretically) having a chance to win the title each team’s championship prospects are ultimately worth a different value to the house.  The lower the hold percentage the better a bet for the player.  Each casino raises...

Sports betting is an evolving industry.  Las Vegas is is the epicenter for legalized wagering in this country and the business model often becomes resistant to changes taking place at progressive books around the world given their statewide monopoly .  However the influx of mobile apps and increased competition among large operators for share of wallet means the time for change is here. Sportsbooks strive to create extensive wagering menus allowing bettors to keep their money in play around the clock.  With ingenuity comes record betting handles leading to an industry that’s healthier than ever in 2016.  However some books (not all) still lag behind the times hiding their lackluster bookmaking acumen and laziness by utilizing price gouging for feasting on customers.  While it’s always a shame to let a sucker keep his money the industry as a collective needs to offer a competitive and transparent product. Here are 4 things I’d like to see change as we head into the home stretch before football season. Maximum Hold for Futures I’ve always been critical of how certain books handle this particular element of sports betting.  Radio hosts and TV personalities always want to discuss futures meaning there’s nothing more embarrassing than sharing ridiculous numbers with the general public (I had to do it firsthand with my previous employer). My problem with futures is they already give the house a sizable advantage over recreational bettors than certain books in Vegas create an even more ridiculous hold percentage for themselves.  For those unfamiliar with the terminology hold percentage refers to the theoretical amount of money the house keeps on every dollar wagered.  The lower the hold, the better for the player.  I see way too many books taking more than 50 cents on the dollar from...

It’s that time of year…no, not football season but rather a more special tradition that comes along every four years in the form of the presidential election.  Before we get there it’s time to have a bit of fun with props at the various conventions.  Obviously Donald Trump is good with a sound byte however now you can make money on some of his key catch phrases.  Here’s a list of the more entertaining prop bets ahead of Thursday’s convention courtesy of BetOnline Will Trump say “black lives matter” Yes +300 No -400 Will Trump say “all lives matter” Yes +200 No -260 Will Trump say “build a wall” Yes +120 No -150 How many times he says “make America Great Again” Over 3 -140 Under...

Major sports are officially over for the season after the Cavaliers were crowned this week.  Sure there are  plenty of sports to bet on for that coveted action fix but once the NBA finals go dark the casual gambler usually turns his or her attentions towards summer vacation. Football season gets here before we know, rest assured the apparently interminable window of non-gambling gets shorter by the year.  To help bridge that time I wanted to get everyone involved in a bracket that could spark serious debate.  Thanks to everyone on twitter for submitting their favorite 90 sitcoms to crowd source our seeding. Basically any show that aired a single episode during the decade was eligible for inclusion in our bracket. I’m fully aware that these seedings have the makings of chalk talk with the top seeds on the Mount Rushmore of network television.  Regardless of the favorites there are a few other intriguing match-ups bound to prompt a swell of nostalgia.  All match-ups will be voted on using twitter’s polling tool with the opening round expected to wrap-up next Friday.  We’ll take time off for the holidays and then come back firing so keep on voting to push your favorite shows onto the next round. My goal is to post a match-up a day from now through the end of next week Here’s IMDB’s top 30 Seinfeld (-300) Friends (+225) Cheers (+550) Home Improvement (+900) Simpsons (+2000) Saved by the Bell (+2000) Married with Children (+3000) Fresh Prince of Bel Air (+4500) Everybody Loves Raymond (+7500) Full House (+10000) Wonder Years (+10000) Boy Meets World (+25000) Family Matters (+40000) Frasier (+50000) Coach (+75000) Roseanne (+100000) Finals Seinfeld Friends Semifinals 1. Seinfeld 75% 5. Simpsons 25% 2. Friends 56% 6. Saved by the Bell...

There’s one commissioner that understands sports gambling isn’t going anywhere; Adam Silver.  Unlike some of the old boys network that  lives in the stone ages with taboo attached to sports betting, Silver understands a legalized and regulated betting market only helps the integrity of the sport.  Yesterday he shared his thoughts with ESPN on the topic. Here’s a brief transcript of that conversation courtesy of an American Gaming Association press release sent out earlier today. ESPN: “Of all the commissioners in the four major professional sports, you have been the most outspoken when it comes to gambling. There’s a lot of other leagues that are very skittish on that particular issue. Why do you think you’ve been so bold about talking about what generally is – whether people want to admit or not – a huge part of why people watch sports?” ADAM SILVER: “I can’t speak for the other leagues. I’d only say in my case…my many years in the NBA and I used to run NBA Entertainment and we do a lot of business internationally where sports gambling is legal and because the NBA is well known outside the United States there’s a lot of legal betting on the NBA going on just like there is in Nevada in the United States. And for me as I began to study the issue, I realized that there’s this enormous – measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars – underground betting market in the United States.  And ultimately my job as Commissioner is to protect the integrity of the game. Just like the stock market with insider trading, if you don’t have an open exchange you can’t know what insider trading is going on and to me when there’s an enormous amount of betting; it’s...

Bachelor parties have been done…and in Vegas they’re almost becoming a cliché in certain circles. Sure, we all came here in our early 20’s to get drunk as shit, go to nightclubs, and spend our few remaining bucks at a strip club until 7 all the while falling in love with girls named after spices. Trust me, I’m all for this kind of debauchery because our window as guys closes all too soon but there are other legitimate “dude options” in Vegas. Here are a few different activities worth exploring with buddies the next time you head out to the desert. Fast Kart There’s no better way to turn back the clock and ramp up the competition levels than sucking down exhaust from serious horsepower go karts. The track is anything but easy to navigate and offers the racer in all of us a real challenge to rattle off top speeds without careening into tire barriers. It’s a quick Uber/Cab ride from the strip and in the sweltering summer heat you’ll appreciate the shelter of being inside with a chance to run your buddies off the road Shooting Ranges Option 1 Option 2 There are two very good options to shoot some heavy artillery right off the strip. Depending on what you’re after whether it’s assault rifles, machine gunes, or something more exotic one of these two locations will offer up the firearm of your choice. Make sure to call ahead, there are plenty of group deals to be found Paint Balling Option 1 Option 2 There’s no better way than taking out frustrations on your buddies than burying a few paintballs in the side of their skull. Unfortunately these venues aren’t that close to the strip but if you’re willing to take a...

Game of Thrones is one of the most popular shows on television…and it just got better.  Offshore sportsbook Bovada opened up a handful of wagering propositions to make your viewing of Season 6 that much more enjoyable and hopefully profitable. These props naturally take low limits since there are people who know the winners and are more for entertainment purposes than anything else. However there’s nothing wrong with plunking down a $20 spot just to keep yourself even more engaged Here’s the list of what’s currently available Which character will perish next? Jorah Mormont                          4/1 Alliser Thorne                            15/2 Ramsay Snow                           8/1 Sansa Stark                              8/1 Theon Greyjoy                           8/1 Podrick Payne                          10/1 Brienne of Tarth                         11/1 Daario Naharis                          18/1 Grey Worm                               18/1 High Sparrow                            18/1 Ellaria Sand                              22/1 Jaime Lannister                         25/1 Loras Tyrell                               25/1 Margaery Tyrell                          25/1 Tommen Baratheon                   25/1 Drogon                                     30/1 Lady Melisandre                        30/1 Missandei                                 30/1 Olenna Tyrell                             30/1 Lord Varys                                33/1 Bronn                                       40/1 Petyr Baelish                             40/1 Arya Stark                                 50/1 Cersei Lannister                         50/1 Davos                                      50/1 Samwell Tarly                            50/1 Tyrion Lannister                         50/1 Daenerys Targaryen                   75/1 Jaquen H’ghar                           75/1 When will Arya Stark regain her sight in Season 6? Episode 2                     10/1 Episode 3                      5/1 Episode 4                      5/1 Episode 5                     3/1 Episode 6                     2/1 Episode 7-10                7/4 Who will be the ruling King or Queen of Westeros at the end of the series? Jon Snow                                 5/2 Daenerys Targaryen                   3/1 Aegon VI Targaryen                   6/1 Tyrion Lannister                         7/1 Petyr Baelish                             15/2 Bran or Rickon Stark                 16/1 Margaery Tyrell                          18/1 Sansa Stark                              20/1 Varys                                        20/1 Euron Greyjoy                           25/1 Night’s King                              30/1 Stannis Baratheon                     33/1 Arya Stark                                 50/1 Cersei Lannister                         50/1 Ramsay Bolton (Snow)              66/1 Hodor                                      ...

Yesterday marked another landmark day in the ongoing quest for sports gambling legalization.   The American Gaming Association hosted a summit on Capitol Hill bringing in some of the industry’s most respected voices working to protect the integrity of sport.  One of the biggest obstacles national legalization continues to combat is circulation of misinformation.  With decision makers improperly informed on the topic progress is tough to come by but thanks to the AGA things are changing. Here’s the press release provided by the AGA offering a brief synopsis of the day’s events and their ongoing mission Experts Gather on Capitol Hill to Protect the Integrity of Sports Illegal, unregulated, untracked sports betting estimated to exceed $100 Billion in United States annually Washington, D.C. – As the United States nears 25 years with a federal law that has driven trillions of dollars in sports betting to the black market, experts from around the globe gathered at a standing-room-only event on Capitol Hill today to discuss the threat unregulated gambling poses to the integrity of professional and amateur sports. The event, “The World of Sports Betting and Safeguarding Sports Integrity,” highlighted how technology is used in regulated sports betting markets to detect nefarious behavior and featured luminaries such as the former CEO of the Liverpool Football Club and a former United Kingdom sports minister. Led by Genius Sports Group, a technology company that monitors and identifies suspicious betting patterns, and the American Gaming Association (AGA), the trade group representing the casino gaming industry, experts from law enforcement, academia, professional sports leagues and government highlighted a broken federal law that encourages illicit activity and threatens the integrity of sports. Current law prohibits traditional sports betting outside of Nevada. “The lack of data collection, information sharing and transparency in America’s...

Inspiration for story ideas is drawn from unusual places.  While I won’t call myself a writer by any stretch (blogger probably a reach as well) I was hit by a creative bolt of lightning while watching the FIFA Interactive World Championships last week. My first thought was “holy shit, when did video games get so damn complicated and intricate?”  I know this makes me sound like an old man since I played plenty of PS2 in my college days but that truly feels like an eternity ago especially when all your friends are getting married and popping out kids.  Let’s be real; you’re still looking at a guy whose most cherished video game possession is a $20 Sega Genesis Plug and Play that allows me to stay crisp in NHL 95 (For the record anyone out there that would like to challenge me on that platform just let me know) just in case my prowess ever gets questioned.  Yet, I digress from my main focus here… The goal? Determine the undisputed single greatest sports game ever made on the original Nintendo Entertainment System My plan was to hearken back to a simpler time; one where 8 bit video games were the norm and we all lived in neighborhoods with front doors permanently unlocked.  To spare you the nostalgia, Ferne Dr in suburban Wheeling was a hot bed for video game activity…almost like a silicon valley for Nintendo.  The amount of anger, animosity, and pressure felt in those basements playing Little League Baseball and Tecmo Bowl rivals the intensity you’ll see on the biggest of sports stages.  Broken controllers, battered fingers, and the occasional black eye were par for the course if you sought video game glory. Thanks to some pretty passionate please from the...

Online sportsbook, BookMaker.eu, has opened odds to win Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars. You’ll notice NFL players strongly represented for the upcoming season highlighted by Mr Boston College himself, Doug Flutie, listed as a longshot to win with +1400 odds (risk $100 to win $1,400) while do everything wide receiver Antonio Brown finds himself among the favorites at +600.  You can only imagine the trash talking that would ensue between him and former Hines Ward should another Steel City wideout take home the coveted mirror ball.  Super Bowl MVP Von Miller carries +825 odds to win; we can only hope he outs forth a worthy effort capable of sacking the field.  UFC star Paige Vanzant is also listed in the field at 8-1 creating a strong cross section of professional athletes in the 12 contestant field. ODDS TO WIN DANCING WITH THE STARS (US SEASON 22) JODIE SWEETIN +450 GINGER ZE +550 ANTONIO BROWN +600 NYLE DIMARCO +600 WANYA MORRIS +660 MISCHA BARTON +770 PAIGE VANZANT +800 VON MILLER +825 KIM FIELDS +1100 DOUG FLUTIE +1400 MARLA MAPLES +2200 GERALDO RIVERA...

The Madness is getting so close you can taste it. Hell, some of you reading this column are probably already here ready to watch the bevy of conference tournaments that call Las Vegas home. Here’s part 2 of our sportsbook preview series grading books as worthy destinations to watch, bet, and drink during high season. Making the Grade Part 1 Mandalay Bay (MGM Resorts) Mandalay Bay may not be center strip but the property should be on every tourists wish list for tremendous dining options and a sensational pool. However when it comes to the sportsbook, I’m officially off the bandwagon of this popular spot. Expansive by nature with plenty of seating, what once was must see TV for sports bettors is no longer a top tier venue. I’ve never been a fan of the schoolhouse style desks (cue boarding school flashbacks) or the precarious angles with which you need to strain your neck for checking out the secondary games. LED board lettering is a bit small making those of us without 20/20 vision uneasy reading off the correct team names or betting index numbers just minutes for post. Aside from the bar at the back of the book there’s no viable food option conveniently within walking distance because the deli in the book is simply meh.   When we’re talking about lines and betting options Mandalay Bay makes the grade under the MGM family umbrella but if you’re looking to buy points in a hoops game unfortunately they don’t allow it. I feel like this is one of the more polarizing books for me on the strip and it simply doesn’t make the grade with most other outfits having worked to modernize their surroundings. Grade: B- Aria (MGM Resorts) Sometimes there are women in...

It’s about that time of year…everyone across the country has reached their breaking point with that season called winter. Some are scrambling to put together last minute spring break plans (yes us old guys are jealous) while others are looking for any reason under the sun to make a Vegas pilgrimage with college hoops season reaching a crescendo. Many have asked about the various sportsbooks here and what venues they should make an effort to explore.  I’ll share some more specific March Madness notes in a few weeks about various events but here are my honest thoughts on the sportsbooks that call the east side of Vegas Blvd home (will review the west side and Westgate next week) Tropicana (Cantor) There might not be a better book from an aesthetics stand point that consistently flies under the radar. Tropicana outsourced it’s race and sports operations to Cantor Technology and as a result has all the creature comforts tourists expect from a CG establishment. However this book being off the grid for most tourists means there’s frequently no energy in here. Busy sports weekends are different but on a typical Tuesday my college library had more excitement and slightly better looking coeds. I’d suggest this is a book that’s better to bet in if you’re shopping for a number but far from an establishment you want to call home home for a 12 hour session Grade: C MGM Grand (MGM-Mirage) There might not be a more iconic property on the strip than the Golden Lion and recognizable green edifices beckoning when you touch down at McCarran. However the sportsbook does leave a little to be desired in my opinion. Seating is sparse for busy sporting events and the lack of a modernized video display fails...