Each Friday, we’ll comb through as many articles, tweets and podcasts as we can find related to the world of sports betting and daily fantasy sports, and publish the good stuff here.
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A new report predicts that 18 states could introduce sports betting legislation this year.
States listed as likely to introduce a sports betting bill are: Massachusetts; Rhode Island; New York; New Jersey; West Virginia; South Carolina; Georgia; Florida; Illinois; Michigan; Iowa; Minnesota; Louisiana; Mississippi; Oklahoma and California. Indiana and Kentucky already have introduced bills.
Pennsylvania and Connecticut have already passed bills. Grove said Delaware is arguing that it doesn’t need to pass a bill due to gambling legislation already on the books, and added Mississippi may not need to pass a bill. He said an argument has been made that that state’s fantasy sports bill also authorized sports betting.
The report listed 11 states as having a good chance of enacting sports betting bills this year: Massachusetts; Rhode Island; New York; New Jersey; West Virginia; Ohio; Michigan; Illinois; Oklahoma; Kentucky and Indiana.
It also listed states where the introduction, much less adoption, of a sports betting bill is considered unlikely: Tennessee; Alabama; Arkansas; Texas; Kansas; Nebraska; North and South Dakota; Wyoming; Utah; Idaho; Alaska and Hawaii.
States across the nation are looking for new sources of revenue, and adding or expanding gambling is seen as an attractive option for many. While not vouching for the political likelihood of any particular state adopting gambling legislation, David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, said the predictions are “definitely in line with the historical trend of states turning more to gambling.”
A detail in Indiana’s sports betting bill would send a percentage of revenue earned from bets to professional sports leagues.
Morrison told ESPN that he received input on the bill from NBA and Major League Baseball regarding an “integrity fee” that sports betting operators would have to pay to the sports leagues. The fee is “1 percent of the amount wagered on the sport’s governing body’s events” and would be required to be submitted on a quarterly basis.
“We’ve certainly had some input and welcomed some advice and language that makes the leagues feel a little bit more comfortable,” Morrison told ESPN on Monday.
Spokespersons for Major League Baseball and the NBA declined comment.
Alabama won the college football national championship earlier this week. Oddsmakers opened them as the favorite to win again next year.
Ed Salmons, a veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker who oversees football odds for the Westgate, said he made Alabama the favorite based on the consistent betting support the Crimson Tide attracts.
Alabama will have a decision to make at quarterback in the offseason, though. Jalen Hurts, who has started the past two seasons for the Crimson Tide, struggled against Georgia in the title game and was replaced in the second half by Tagovailoa. A touted freshman, Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard pass to DeVonta Smith for the winning touchdown in overtime.
The Philadelphia Eagles will be the first ever NFL 1-seed to be an underdog in its opening playoff game.
Since 1975, when the NFL began basing home-field advantage on teams’ regular-season winning percentage, no No. 1 seed has ever been an underdog in its first playoff game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Until now.
“It just puts a bigger chip on our shoulder and just adds fuel to the fire, and that’s what this team, obviously, has been going off of all year,” Cox said, “people doubting us every week. So we just want to go out and shut those doubters up.”
Westgate Superbook oddsmaker Ed Salmons estimates the Eagles could have been as much as a 6.5-point favorite over the Falcons with a healthy Carson Wentz. The fact that Wentz is out with a torn ACL is clearly having a major impact on public perception. So, too, has the recent play of backup Nick Foles. He’s 23-of-49 (47 percent) for 202 yards with a TD over his past five quarters of work.
An article published by XXL compiles a list of times rappers have bet big money on sporting events.
Drake recently won a bet with the Migos’ Quavo over the outcome of the 2018 College Football National Championship game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. ‘Bama ended up winning in overtime, but Drizzy only took home bragging rights—Huncho claims it was just a friendly bet and no money changed hands. Still, both rappers have a history of chancing some major coin on sports.
While Drizzy has been known to bet big money on the teams he favors, others take their wagers even further. When it comes to rappers who seem to have no problem betting the GDP of a small third-world country on a big game, Birdman has proven over and over that he’s willing to risk it all. Snoop, on the other hand, accepts a whole different type of green as payment for debts.
They definitely aren’t the only ones. JAY-Z, 50 Cent, Diddy, French Montana, Migos, Snoop Dogg and more have all publicly taken wins and losses trying to make a quick come-up gambling on sports. It’s a tricky game.