Every Monday morning it’s the bookmaker’s rite of passage to tally up the damage (good or bad) from the weekend that was in football.  Every shop that deals primarily to a North American customer base understands that football tells the tale for the entire fiscal year.  Special thanks to the head of marketing from www.betonline.ag Dave Mason for sharing the biggest wins and losses for the sportsbook this past weekend and hopefully for subsequent weeks moving forward.  His quote to me that summed up the weekend needs no paraphrasing “Saturday was bad; Sunday was great.” Also a quick PSA: For every member of the sports betting “community” throwing out absurd projections as to how much money changed hands because of the Ohio St finish please do me a favor and ask them how they arrived at such a number.  Quantifying  financial impacts of one play is beyond absurd given offshores, corner bookmakers, and Las Vegas hotels don’t exactly opening their balance sheets to the public every week. Biggest winners for the players: Ohio State Clemson Florida State Chiefs Saints Broncos-Cowboys over Biggest winners for the house: Tennessee Indiana Notre Dame Bengals Raiders Cowboys GB-Det...

Nearly 6 weeks ago I was extremely critical of CNBC’s decision to air a show called Money Talks highlighting the life and business of a handicapper named Steve Stevens.  Last night, after weeks of build-up, the show finally debuted amid much fanfare in the sports betting community. While I wanted to hate it (I really did), I found myself fascinated by the portrayal of a business model that’s become nearly obsolete in the internet age and the presentation of his business as representative of an entire industry. There were a number of things taken out of context as expected; it’s a reality show so we expected an emphasis on storytelling trumping accuracy.   I’d like to think I’m pretty in tune with most of what goes on in the world of sports gambling. Whether it’s the limits casinos here in town feel comfortable taking, how the offshore industry works, or what handicappers sell reputable information worth buying, I can sniff out fabrication at nearly every turn.  Until I saw the trailer for Money Talks I’d never heard of Steve Stevens.  Even after watching the show, I clearly don’t believe in his business at VIP sports let alone his ability to turn consistent profits but you can bet he’ll have a laundry list of clients ready to purchase his product as of this morning. Go through the entire episode and losing bets that were actually given out to VIP Sports’ clients are plentiful even while not highlighted by the narrative. Obviously this will be lost on perspective buyers who didn’t notice that Stevens not only gave out the Ravens +4 but also the under 48 in the game. However my criticism of the show isn’t in relation to Stevens involvement. He’s a businessman trying to make...

We did this before the start of the college football season and it was well received so we’re doing it again today with the NFL. Of course most twitter personalities on the college list offer great content for the pros as well but here are a handful of guys better known for their pro contributions when it comes to helping you line the wallet. Irish Mike Moran While Mike’s definitely a character when it comes to sports gambling with a flair entirely his own, the insight he provides into the pro game is definitely worth paying attention to throughout the NFL season. Stuckey You’ll get as much personality out of following Stuckey as you will betting nuggets; trust me when I say it’s worth it.  One suggestion? Just don’t troll the Ravens on gameday around him but if he makes a play on or against his own side, it’s worth a strong strong wager. Justin Zovas He’s a regular contributor to this very website and his passion for football analytics is evident every time he puts pen to paper.  Make sure to keep tabs on his gambling acumen because Justin’s poised to be a rising star in the world of betting the NFL. When it comes to sports media types who understand the value of gambling on their radio shows, these guys get it Pat Williams Inside the Lines on TSN – Canada Steve Rapp Inside the Lines on TSN – Canada Dan Berlin Inside the Lines on TSN – Canada Peter Burns Mile High Sports Radio – Denver Michael Harmon Fox Sports Radio – National Dave Cokin Las Vegas Sportsline Matt Youmans Las Vegas Sportsline Wagerminds A hidden gem when it comes to great betting content, their website provides an outstanding resource for...

I get asked all the time about who is worth following on twitter when it comes to sports betting.  There are a ton of people who offer outstanding information. There are too many to list here so given the focus right now should be college football, here’s my list of  handicappers, oddsmakers, and information sites that treat betting college football with an unsurpassed level of dedication.  To everyone I didn’t include, I’ll apologize in advance since I know I’m pissing people off by doing this.  Bottom line with social media, the community is only as strong as the folks that contribute regularly. To all of you that ask me questions, you’re the engine that drives this machine that will continue to grow as sports betting becomes more widespread. Jay Kornegay ‏ @JayKornegay Top dog at the most respected book in all of Las Vegas. Jay and his team offer more betting options than any casino in town and welcome the opportunity to book action from the sharpest bettors PayneInsider.com ‏ @PayneInsider A guy who “gets it.” Understands that fortunes aren’t created over night in any sport and won’t promise gaudy winning percentages to anyone. Payne’s more than happy to share trends & analysis while engaging followers with informed opinions across all sports while specializing in all things football Warren Sharp ‏ @SharpFootball There isn’t a more fitting name out there in the analysis world than Sharp for this guy. His computer models produce winners in both college and pro football while his educated perspective on quantifying a myriad of data goes a long way. PhillyGodfather ‏ @phillygodfather There are people that claim they have connections to sharp betting groups; this man actually has them. As a proud Philly native, PGF is about as real...

It was more than a decade in the making, but local and federal officials announce they busted a sports betting ring that handled more than 5-billion dollars. It started with an anonymous letter to Plano police. ‪ A Plano undercover officer spent years peeling back the layers of what turned out to be a sports gambling scheme with international connections — and some bettors placing incredible wagers. “Six or seven figures; and obviously we are in the big time here,” said John Bales, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. How big? Authorities confiscated stacks of gold and cash, with one safe containing more than a million dollars, according to investigators.  Valuable sports collectibles were seized and will be sold at auction – and expensive real estate, including condos in Las Vegas. Click here to read the full article Todd’s Take: Legalize it! I’ll never understand the concerted effort law enforcement makes to go after a gambling ring with so many more illicit behaviors out there worth pursuing.  If anyone thinks this bust was coincidentally made during the build-up to football you’re only kidding yourself. Do I condone illegal activity? Of course not but much like prohibition back in the 20’s people are going to do everything they can when it pertains to their vices.  Making sports betting nationalized, regulated, and legalized would solve a handful of problems.  The most prevalent argument against it is the addictive qualities? Explain that to every state looking to push video poker as a means of generating revenue for the...

When is too soon to put up lines for future games?  According to head of marketing at Betonline the answer is officially never. I had a chance to get a brief interview with Dave Mason who heads up the marketing team for the Panama based sportsbook and he shared some candid responses. “Our players have grown accustom and appreciate the fact that we usually open our odds up before the competition. Since the NBA Christmas Day lineup always gets plenty of attention, we decided why wait? Put the numbers up early and get an early gauge on who the bettors like.” It only makes sense considering bettors expect football numbers to be up months in advance that basketball should be afforded the exact same luxury. As far as limits, well all the big shots out there might just have to wait if they’re itching to fire dimes into the virgin market.  You also guessed it, bettors seem to love them some defending champion action especially against a Lakers team who still remains unsure of Kobe’s status. “Not surprising  that 80% of the early money is on the Heat minus-5.5 at the Lakers. Right now we are keeping the limits at just $250; we’ll look on raising a little later.” Here are the prices on all 5 holiday clashes Chicago Bulls New Jersey Nets -3 Oklahoma City Thunder -2 New York Knicks Miami Heat -5.5 Los Angeles Lakers Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs -4 Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors -3      ...

In February on r/SquaredCircle, Reddit’s pro wrestling forum, one poster kicked off a “prediction series,” asking users to pick who they expected to win at that week’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event. The winner was a user named “Dolphins1925,” who posted just minutes before the start of the event, and nailed the results of every single match. It was the first sign that WWE had sprung a leak. “I will win this guaranteed,” Dolphins1925 wrote as he made his picks. “I know all the winners.” That sort of confidence in itself isn’t unusual; neither is someone scoring 100 percent on his predictions. Pro wrestling is fairly predictable. Pay attention to who’s being pushed and who’s being buried, combine that with dirtsheet rumors on what storylines are coming down the pipe, and you can get a pretty good sense of what’s going to happen at any given event. No, what’s weird about Dolphins1925’s perfect slate is that he made his picks for the next pay-per-view, and the next, all the way down to last night’s Money in the Bank event, and he’s been completely right, every single time. He’s 38 for 38 in predicting the results of matches. He’s not just some fan guessing. He knows WWE’s plans. Click here to read full article Todd’s Take: Ah yes, the long standing debate of inside information and the ramifications it has not only on sport itself but also the betting line. I’m not a WWE fan by any stretch but this just confirms what we already knew; the sport is entertainment and should be treated as such.  I think the most compelling component of the article is that this information is leaking to betting markets.  For everyone that looks down their nose at corruption in sport, who...

Betegy, a startup here in the Polish capital, is claiming just that on some games in major European and and global leagues. CEO and founder Alex Kornilov, a Ukrainian who came to Poland to study, said the company has just signed a deal with a U.S. broadcaster to provide forecasts for its soccer service. The details will be made public shortly. The company is working on a prediction engine that will be able to forecast the score. At the heart of the company is an algorithm that takes in a huge range of factors. These include not just past performance, but things such as whether it is the manager’s birthday, a significant home match, even the weather. “Imagine that, say, Manchester United is playing Liverpool,” said Mr. Kornilov. “We know that Manchester United has more players who can strike from long distance. Usually in poor weather the manager will tell players to shoot from further out. Knowing these small things allows us to tweak the analysis in favor of Manchester United.” Click here to read full article Todd’s Take: I won’t automatically rule out the accuracy of a math model when it comes to predicting sports scores because you never know where the next great innovation will come from. However, the fact this start-up is looking to sell their model publicly rather than bet the games the algorithm produces instantly makes me skeptical.  Put simply if you have a secret sauce that can keep making money, you don’t run to share it with the world unless you have something to...

Written by Jay Jarrahi In mid-March while listening to Chad Millman’s Behind the Bets podcast, the topic of discussion was fantasy sports versus sports betting and whether the two had any similarities or connections. On the show Millman invited guests Jeremy Levine and Peter Jennings from Star Street – a daily fantasy game – as well as New York Times author Joshua Brustein to discuss the issues at hand. Sports betting has not been granted the nationwide go ahead in terms of online gaming yet the fantasy games with monetary prizes behind them have received the green light. The distinction being made is that fantasy sports are a game of skill while sports betting are games of luck. To believe such a distinction is true there is a fair chance that you also believe in Santa Claus. That’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re still nine years old, but for any adult who has assessed the situation the excuses for believing so are paper thin. During the episode Levine and Jennings contend that daily fantasy games are not the same as sports betting because there is a skill required in assessing value and projections in the daily performance of players. They believed fantasy sports can clearly be defined as a skill game – which I, too, believe – as the better players consistently beat lesser players. In essence the cream always rises. That is indeed true over the long haul but it’s also entirely true for sports betting. There is a reason professional gamblers are professional gamblers and not your average square bettor, due to the fact they consistently find value in the market and beat lines long term. To believe there is a distinction in the skills required to be a good...

Oddsmakers at online bookmaker Sportsbook.com have closed ESPY Awards futures bets due to suspicious betting activity from the New York and Connecticut areas. (story courtesy of Jon Campbell at Covers) ESPN is headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut and holds an annual award show – The ESPYS – to honor the top teams and athletes around the world from the past year. Oddsmaker Mike Perry told Covers an unusual amount of betting activity came in on LeBron James to win best male athlete and the Miami Heat to win best team. Click here for the rest of the story Todd’s Take: I’m the biggest proponent of the mentality “if you can put a number on it, let people bet it.” However, even my zeal for booking the absurd and encouraging others to do so stops with award shows. I’ve never once trusted the integrity of any event where someone actually knows the winner ahead of time.  ESPY’s, Oscars, etc there’s just no benefit to the house for hanging odds on these events once the ballots have been tabulated.  I won’t claim to have inside knowledge on the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s agenda but don’t count on seeing bets of this nature accepted anywhere in Vegas if there’s even the slightest hint of...

You don’t always have to agree with people that have more industry experience but you should always listen. Sheldon Adelson is one of the richest men in the world and made his fortune as a visionary for the brick and mortar casino. Along with Steve Wynn, Adelson brought the casino business into the 21st century and his forward thinking has made Las Vegas Sands one of the world’s largest casino corporations. Last week he had some strong comments about viability of online gambling, speaking out against it as a societal pariah. Adelson openly shared major concerns about the addictive nature of the hobby compared to the more traditional casino experience. I don’t profess to be a psychologist, I haven’t done in depth studies but I categorically disagree with Adelson. Our government’s job isn’t to protect us from ourselves, it should be to find sustainable taxable revenue streams directly responsible for job growth creation.  He clearly has a business model to protect as well so to dismiss that as potential subtext for his opinions is naive. Regardless of where you stand on this particular issue (in agreement with me or the casino giant), the interview with Adelson that aired on Bloomberg TV is worth...

4.3% of iPhone owners in the UK are using at least one sports betting app, according to data shared with The Guardian by mobile data startup Onavo. Bookmaker William Hill’s app is the most popular, actively used by 38% of those iPhone-owning sports gamblers, followed by Paddy Power (32%) and bet365 (24%). “There’s a lot of overlap: people are using a bunch of these apps rather than just sticking with one,” says Onavo chief executive Guy Rosen. “If you look at the users of bet365, 17% of them are also using Betfred, and 10% are also using Paddy Power. Or if you look at William Hill, 10% are also using bet365. There’s a lot of interplay between these.” The company has been analysing data from usage of its Onavo Count and Extend apps, which help people monitor their data usage and compress it to eke more out of their monthly plan respectively. Click here to read full article Todd’s Take: The States are light years behind the UK as far as legal sports betting options are concerned, of course this isn’t news. However what I found fascinating in this article is the level of sophistication among bettors in the UK actively shopping lines by using different available applications. Amazing also to think that 1 of 20 iphone users have some form of sports betting application on their phone illustrating not only the revenue potential from bets but the databasing and advertising opportunities as well.  I’m preaching to the choir around these parts but let this be a lesson to every lobbyist defending the stance of the various sports leagues actively defending the anti-legalization of sports gambling stance. I mean afterall, who doesn’t want a sports betting app that can be used for live betting when you’re at a...