Twice weekly, 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.
Stumble upon something you think we should include? Email info@bettingtalk.com.
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Always Dreaming won the 2017 Kentucky Derby this past weekend.
A lot of luck and just $1 could’ve made you $75,974.50 richer on Saturday. All you would’ve had to do is pick the top four horses in the 2017 Kentucky Derby in the correct order.
That’s all.
The top four were Always Dreaming, Lookin At Lee, Battle of Midway and Classic Empire.
Billy Walters’ lawyers are hoping to reverse his conviction by saying the so-called “bat phone” wasn’t used to share stock secrets.
Lawyers for a Las Vegas gambler linked to golfer Phil Mickelson are seeking a superhero’s help in getting the gambler’s insider trading conviction reversed, saying in court papers Friday a so-called “bat phone” the government said was used to communicate stock secrets was really used to secure prostitutes for the prosecution’s star witness.
The lawyers, Barry Berke and Paul Schoeman, filed papers in Manhattan federal court challenging last month’s conviction of William “Billy” Walters, who remains free on bail before sentencing, scheduled for July 14.
Prosecutors said Walters made more than $40 million illegally trading the stock of Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. after Walters gave former Dean Foods board chairman Thomas Davis a pre-paid throwaway phone so they could discuss inside information without it being traced.
During the trial, prosecutors, Davis and defense lawyers referred to the phone as the “bat phone.” That name comes from the phone and secure line Commissioner Jim Gordon had to contact Batman, seen often in the 1960s TV show.
Lawyers for Walters, though, say Davis didn’t get the phone until December 2012, weeks after the key trades are alleged to have occurred from May to October 2012.
The English Football Association is considering whether or not its relationships with gambling firms are appropriate.
Greg Clarke has ordered a report into whether it is appropriate to have official partnerships with gambling and betting.
“The sport has a duty to consider and ask itself what is right,” Clarke told The Times.
The FA board is expected to make a decision this summer.
It has commercial agreements with the alcoholic drinks companies Carling, Budweiser and Carlsberg, as well as a long-term deal with betting firm Ladbrokes.
An opinion article published by the Financial Times says gambling has muddied soccer’s reputation.
The English Premier League has a gambling problem. Anyone watching live football on television will be inundated with pleas to log into a betting account and place a wager on the final score.
Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Select topic Enter email addressInvalid email Sign up By signing up you confirm that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions, cookie policy and privacy policy. The issue was highlighted by the 18-month ban meted out recently to Joey Barton — the Burnley player and former England international — who had broken the sport’s rules by betting on hundreds of matches over 10 years. While admitting guilt, Mr Barton called on the footballing authorities to face up to their own conflict of interests. “There is a huge clash between their rules and the culture that surrounds the modern game,” he said.
Mr Barton has a point. Football stadiums are filled with ads touting gambling apps, while half the 20 Premier League clubs have kits sponsored by betting groups. Stoke City is owned by Bet365, the Chinese characters of Mansion adorn the shirts of both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, Filipino group Dafabet features on Burnley shirts, while the governing body itself, the Football Association, has a partnership with Ladbrokes.
The Irish Times published an opinion article about a recent soccer match-fixing scandal in the second level division of the League of Ireland.
When news broke of a suspected international match-fixing scandal involving Athlone Town versus Longford Town I suspect most people’s reaction was the same – who in the world gets their kicks betting big on League of Ireland football?
And second-tier stuff too. The League of Ireland’s Premier Division ague can seem a cosy incubator for those fervently proselytising local purity but pouring both passion and money into the level below is devotion above and beyond the call.
And they’re out there. If they weren’t, there wouldn’t be betting for the unscrupulous to manipulate in the first place.
However when Athlone players, officials and coaches are interviewed on Monday it won’t be in the context of a couple of hundred die-hards mooching in to watch the ‘Midlands Clasico’ with loyal fiver dockets in their arse pockets. Instead it’s the near half a million quid the match reportedly generated in a specific scoreline market which is the most important figure in all of this, a figure that has nothing to do with the enthusiasm of a tiny few but the calculated intent of those prepared to exploit it.