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.
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Cantor has to pay $22.5 million in penalties and forfeiture to the U.S. government to settle allegations of aiding and abetting illegal gambling and money laundering.
The company grew so rapidly in part because it offered special treatment to important customers, such as setting higher betting limits, the government’s probe found, according to the people familiar with the matter. It also allowed them to engage in so-called “messenger” betting, which involves having an agent place a bet on behalf of a third party, according to some of the people familiar with the investigation. Such third-party betting is illegal in Nevada.
Two people who were running their own illegal bookmaking operations elsewhere laundered money through Cantor as part of this system, the people said.
ESPN.com’s David Purdum sat down with former NBA commissioner David Stern following his speech last week at American Gaming Association’s Global Gaming Expo.
“You wind up with a proposition that says there is this legal gaming, but there’s also an enormous amount that is wagered,” Stern told ESPN on Thursday in Las Vegas. “That amount is not regulated, not taxed, and the profits go to unsavory causes, and that’s a good thing to take a look at.”
The Western Bulldogs won the AFL premiership after being big-time underdogs heading into the season. Fox Footy recaps their betting odds throughout the season.
THEY began the 2016 season as speculative underdogs and entered the finals as rank outsiders.
Yet, somehow, the Western Bulldogs emerged as premiers, following an unpredictable season that had sports betting agencies struggling to keep up.
With one of the youngest lists in the competition, many weren’t expecting the Bulldogs to challenge for this year’s premiership, despite making the finals in 2015.
And after an array of injuries to key players, as well as patchy form leading into the finals, even more punters doubted they’d make it past an elimination final.
But on Saturday, the Dogs secured their first flag since 1954 after a season of ups and downs.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Matt Youmans took a look at the unpredictability of the NFL after the league’s fourth week.
It’s not just week to week. Things can change dramatically in a matter of minutes. In the sense that the NFL is so illogical and wild, it’s a bookmakers’ dream. If the games were easy to predict, none of us would need to show up for work on Mondays.
Just when the Saints seemed to be a lost cause, a series of lightning bolts struck the choking Chargers.
Melvin Gordon fumbled on first down. Four plays later, Drew Brees tossed a fourth-down touchdown pass to pull the Saints within six points. Travis Benjamin fumbled on first down. Seven plays later, Brees handed off to fullback John Kuhn, who barrelled over the goal line to put the Saints on top 35-34 with 1:57 remaining.
On fourth-and-22 with just over a minute to go, Rivers threw an interception. And that was it. San Diego, a 4-point favorite, watched a 13-point lead disappear in a stunning defeat.
“That’s a monumental collapse,” Esposito said. “How do the Chargers lose so many of those games?”
Las Vegas sportsbooks were hoping that the delayed Denver-Tampa Bay game wouldn’t resume so it wouldn’t have to be paid out. The majority of the money was on the Broncos who were up 27-7 during the delay and eventually won after 60 minutes played.
No such luck,” lamented MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood, who took six times as many bets on the Broncos as the Buccaneers.
Nearly 70 percent of the money bet on the game at William Hill’s Nevada sportsbook was on Denver. The sportsbook at the Stratosphere reported similar lopsided action on the Broncos.
The game resumed after just over an hour delay, and Denver finished off an easy win as a 3.5-point favorite, much to the delight of a deep-pocketed MGM casino guest, who after losing big on New England in the early slate, cleaned up on the Broncos. Rood said the high-roller’s bets ranged from five to six figures.
“He was all over the place [on Denver], money-line, first halves, parlays,” Rood said. “He’s hitting everything. He’s pretty much got his bankroll in play.”
Justin Rose had to pay an American fan $100 after the fan made a putt he heckled Rory McIloy and Andy Sullivan for missing during a practice round at the Ryder Cup.
However, after Rose placed the 100 dollar bill on the green, Johnson promptly holed the putt to spark wild celebrations and earn himself high-fives and hugs from the European quartet.