An Auburn-Arkansas basketball game on Jan. 25, 2012 was compromised, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Montgomery, Ala. Former Auburn point guard Varez Ward was arrested Monday and indicted on two counts related to point shaving. U.S. Attorney George Beck Jr. told The Associated Press that Ward allegedly tried to fix the 2012 SEC game at Arkansas. Auburn was a 9-point road underdog and lost, 56-53, covering the spread, but prosecutors claim Ward’s objective was just to make sure the Tigers lost. To read the full story click here Todd’s Take: Do I have all the details surrounding Ward’s involvement in this point shaving case? Nope but what I do know is the part of the story where they reference Auburn losing outright as a 9 pt dog as evidence of his involvement has me confused. I’ve studied point shaving in the past and never once heard of people betting a -500 ML in those instances.  I worry that George Beck doesn’t understand exactly how the whole situation was executed by reading his comments. Ward’s poor play actually supports match fixing to protect the under rather than ensuring Auburn, a dog in both games, found a way to not cover but what do I know.  There will be more that comes out on this story as the FBI digs deeper but color me skeptical given some of the circumstances being shared up to this point. For more...

The media and bettors alike love a great sports betting story, especially when it involves large numbers. The one major problem is when stories are written and given national media attention by reputable outlets despite being completely untrue. Yesterday provided another black eye for the advancement of sports gambling news coverage when a larger than life rumor gained traction through the twitterverse after it was picked up by major news media. Here are 4 reasons (beyond the actual fact we know it never happened) that Floyd Mayweather didn’t have 5.9 million bet on the Miami Heat in Game 7. (ticket image courtesy of @Kunk7) Before I actually dive into those specific reasons, let me say I’m embarrassed that our own local news media here in Las Vegas didn’t take the time to verify the story before allowing it to generate momentum nationally (I still don’t know how Vegas Gambling Steam is a reliable news source). 1) The Source The story broke from the twitter account @Pregame_Steam. This account as you see in the biography links directly to a known sports rumor mill designed for doing one thing and one thing only; generating pick sales for its ownership group led by Incarcerated Bob.  It’s not a reach to say this is the journalistic equivalent of the national news media citing the National Enquirer over White House correspondents when writing articles on US foreign policy. The lackluster effort and fact checking that went into validating this story boggles my mind, there’s absolutely no excuse for it ever happening if we care about accuracy in reporting.  I spoke to one of the most respected journalists David Purdum currently covering the sports betting industry and here’s what he said about the topic at hand:   “To me, it’s...

If you believe once in a lifetime moments don’t happen to gamblers, guess again. A very shrewd (I call him lucky) bettor at www.betonline.ag happened to cash not an 8 or 10 teamer, not a 12 or 15 teamer, but rather a 25 team parlay!!! “All chalk moneyline parlays are nothing new. Players always love parlaying a bunch of “sure things” together for a potential big payout. And we love seeing those parlays come in…usually. This guy is beating the odds. Lightning not only strikes twice, but three times with this guy.  Last week he hit a 14-team $250 for $11,000. And a few weeks back he goes off on a 16team $100 that paid $11K. This dude isn’t human.” via Dave Mason from BOL. You heard it straight from the book, this kind of parlay defies logic. To whatever gambler caught lightning in a bottle yet again, make sure you put aside some of that coin for a rainy day to remember this momentous...

“The sometimes nasty legal battle that Cantor Gaming launched two years ago against former executive Joseph Asher has now extended to arch rival William Hill PLC.” Click here for full article Todd’s Take: Sometimes relationships in the tight knit gambling community don’t end well. What we’re seeing unfold between William Hill and Cantor Gaming amounts to a turf war over intellectual property, the culmination of bad blood between Hill’s head man Joe Asher and Cantor’s CEO Lee Amaitis.  Both stand alone sportsbook operators are trying to gain a larger piece of Nevada resident’s wallet share, a pool of betting dollars that very much remains finite. Both of these operators are actively pushing mobile apps as a significant portion of their future business strategy. Stations remains the only other player with a mobile application capable of challenging the heavyweights although one has to wonder how long before major casino operators Caesars Entertainment and MGM realize the revenue opportunities they’re leaving on the table.  The problem with this ongoing dispute among competitors are the larger conflicts it creates for the industry as a whole. Las Vegas needs to be more proactive in developing technology and betting offerings capable of rivaling the bigger betting houses throughout Europe and that other faction of books deemed “illegal” by our department of justice. Without innovation in the race and sports business, revenues will remain stagnant. Eventually a time will come, one with increased market competition, and Las Vegas as we know it will get left in the...

From a July 2005 article that appeared in Time Magazine… For a man who hasn’t bet a nickel since 1989, Bruce Roberts spends a lot of time in casinos. He’s rarely there alone, however. He usually has an escort walk him through–the better to ensure that he doesn’t succumb to the sweet swish of the cards or the signature rattle of the dice. A onetime compulsive gambler, Roberts, 62, weathered his years of wagering better than many. He never lost his wife or his home–although he has refinanced the house nine times. “Cards and Vegas were the two biggest things in my life,” he says. “I’m a helluva poker player, but I have one serious flaw: I can’t get my ass off the chair.” Click here to read full article Todd’s Take: Sometimes we all get lost in the delusions of grandeur and the financial upside of being a great gambler. My goal isn’t to play psychologist or shrink but it is to take an active interest in everyone that visits the blog seeking advice. Rarely in sports do we address the problem gambler but they exist in all our circles and as a result the topic warrants discussion. There’s no stereotypical depiction of a problem gambler; its a sum total of actions and behaviors that creates warning signs we all should be paying attention to in those closest to us.  Whether it’s chemical, genetic, or psychological, when gambling stops being fun and starts becoming dangerous to your or your loved ones make sure you take a step back and regain perspective on the big picture rather than becoming fixated on the bad beat that just won’t leave you alone.  For 99% of people out there, gambling should be a hobby, nothing more. When...

  NCAA study finds growing gambling habit among golfers By Dan Wolken Since the creation of a task force nine years ago to address gambling issues among college athletes, the NCAA has made some progress in curbing potentially dangerous behavior, according to data from its quadrennial survey on gambling behaviors and attitudes. But several trends revealed in the survey, released Tuesday, are troubling for the NCAA’s enforcement division, with one sport in particular emerging as a major concern: golf. Click here to read full article Todd’s Take: I commend the NCAA for establishing a task force to curtail gambling under the guise of protecting student welfare.  The numbers they claim to be “staggering” are actually lower than I would have guessed among student athletes. As a former college athlete myself, I admit that I placed the occasional wager from time to time. Did I see it as part of a national epidemic plaguing collegiate sports? Absolutely not. To group all forms of gambling together from sports to the lottery to playing cards blurs major lines of distinction. The culture around certain sports lends itself more to gambling than others but to say golfers are alone as a “problem” group because they’re surrounded by it is naive.  The socioeconomic factors Dan Wolken does a great job of alluding to in the article obviously play a role but letting the NCAA insinuate thats the primary driver is an unfair blanket generalization that didn’t apply in my case. I find it curious the NCAA has chosen to focus only on sports betting as a problem especially given the study revealed nearly 35% of college athletes purchased lottery tickets.  Let me get this straight; buying lottery tickets is ok with no chance to win but trying to give yourself an edge through sports is the ultimate sin? How is this more acceptable...