Compared to what just passed and what’s to come, February is a pretty slow month for most sports books.
The NFL is in the rear view, the frenzy of March Madness is still weeks away, and betting action on the NBA is just “business as usual,” according to Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US. The NBA All-Star weekend festivities typically generate a lot of Internet chatter, but much less in the way of actual betting action, because the professional bettors traditionally don’t get involved.
The biggest post-Super Bowl, pre-NCAA Tournament event, Bogdanovich says, is actually coming up this weekend.
“To be honest with you, one of the highlights of February is the Daytona 500,” the Las Vegas veteran of 36 years said. “People really bet that strong. All the NASCAR people come out for that one and we get a ton of business for that.”
As of Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was attracting the most support with 10 percent of tickets and 14 percent of the money at William Hill US books backing the 9/2 favorite.
“He’s always the most popular and he runs pretty good at that track,” Bogdanovich said. “So that’s not a shock. He’s quite popular in that race.”
Among the long shots, rookie Chase Elliott was already attracting attention before he won the pole position in Sunday’s qualifying. Elliott, the 20-year-old son of former Winston Cup Series champ Bill Elliott, was the fourth-most popular driver among bettors, getting six percent of total tickets at 25/1 odds prior to Sunday.
Bogdanovich said most bets are of the smaller variety, but the volume is enough to lift the books in a soft spot on the calendar.
“We’ll write 2-3 times more on (Daytona) than we will on any other race the entire year,” he said.
Top 10 Most 2016 Daytona 500 Future Bets by total # of tickets to win 2016 Daytona 500:
| DRIVER | % of total # of tickets | Current odds (2/12/16) |
| DALE EARNHARDT JR | 10% | 9/2 |
| KEVIN HARVICK | 8% | 10/1 |
| KYLE BUSCH | 7% | 10/1 |
| CHASE ELLIOTT | 6% | 25/1 |
| JIMMIE JOHNSON | 6% | 17/2 |
| BRAD KESELOWSKI | 4% | 14/1 |
| MATT KENSETH | 4% | 12/1 |
| KURT BUSCH | 4% | 15/1 |
| JOEY LOGANO | 4% | 10/1 |
| KYLE LARSON | 4% | 25/1 |
Top 10 Most Popular 2016 Daytona 500 Future Bets by % of total dollars wagered to win 2016 Daytona 500:
| DRIVER | % of total $ wagered | Current odds (2/12/16) |
| DALE EARNHARDT JR | 14% | 9/2 |
| KYLE BUSCH | 10% | 10/1 |
| KEVIN HARVICK | 8% | 10/1 |
| JIMMIE JOHNSON | 8% | 17/2 |
| CHASE ELLIOTT | 6% | 25/1 |
| MATT KENSETH | 5% | 12/1 |
| JOEY LOGANO | 5% | 10/1 |
| BRAD KESELOWSKI | 4% | 14/1 |
| KURT BUSCH | 3% | 15/1 |
| DENNY HAMLIN | 3% | 14/1 |
AROUND THE WEB
- New generation takes center stage in Kobe’s All-Star swan song.
- Mickelson misses, Taylor wins at Pebble Beach.
- 50 nuggets to know as college basketball season hits the home stretch
- DraftKings is reportedly hitting up investors again. The Boston Globe reports the embattled DFS leader’s latest round brought in $70 million, far less than they raised in their last round before being engulfed in legal turmoil.
- William Hill and NYX are reportedly teaming up in a bid to purchase OpenBet, a major bookmaking software provider.
- Missouri governor wants state legislature to tax and regulate daily fantasy like gambling.
- San Francisco Chronicle editorial board finds FSTA’s arguments that DFS is not gambling creative, yet thoroughly unconvincing.
- Six basketball players and a coach in France penalized for betting on games.
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
“First of all, sports betting is an enormous underground business; people estimate it’s up to a $400 billion business in the United States alone. We know it’s going to happen, bring it into the light, regulate it, and, by the way, tax it. I’ve been watching the presidential debates; we need money for our infrastructure. It’s a good place to get it, sports betting.”—NBA commissioner Adam Silver reaffirming his stance on gambling.
TWEETS OF NOTE
RT @WALLACHLEGAL: Hearing that NJ sports betting oral argument could be postponed if Scalia funeral is Wed, a real possibility
— John Brennan (@BergenBrennan) February 14, 2016
#BetShare #AllStarGame Spread#West (-6) 70.2%#East (+6) 29.8% Money Line#West 39.5%#East 60.5% Total (321)#Over 56.7%#Under 43.3% — Pinnacle Sports (@PinnacleSports) February 14, 2016
This $100 #Parlay card of 9 #NHL Totals won $33,411.20 @PrimmValley when all 9 game totals went OVER yesterday. pic.twitter.com/MQsGJknE01 — William Hill US (@WilliamHillUS) February 12, 2016
ODDS & ENDS
- An in-depth look at the victim’s side of the story in the alleged sexual assault involving Peyton Manning in 1998.
- Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day lead the field in the updated Masters odds from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
- IMG Academy in Florida has become a “one-stop shop” for college football recruiters seeking elite talent since the boarding school added the sport in 2013.
- Eight charged in sports betting raid at Delaware restaurant.
- Just legalize sports gambling already.