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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Yesterday, Deadspin published a lengthy exposé on Pregame.com and its founder, RJ Bell, written by freelance journalist Ryan Goldberg. Goldberg said he spent more than a year on the story.
I spent a year investigating the tout industry and discovered the same old racket, wrapped in sophisticated-looking, digital-era packaging. I found gross misrepresentation of records, even amid insistent claims of transparency; a host of old-school tricks like using out-of-date or nonexistent betting lines; and misleading or deceptive marketing.
Nobody is shrewder than Bell at hiding the simple truth that would put him out of business: Far from being “elite experts,” as Bell has described them, most of his current and former touts have records well short of the break-even point.
In private, Bell seems to tell a different story. Audio recordings that surfaced last year appear to capture Bell telling a business partner that his touts’ picks aren’t successful enough to make them profitable for customers. “The odds are you don’t win,” the person identified as Bell says on the tapes. “I think we know that.”
Las Vegas sportsbook operators said they are not expecting a betting ban on the city’s future NHL team.
Jay Rood, sports book director for MGM Resorts, which owns the team’s new T-Mobile Arena, said he’s not aware of discussions regarding any type of betting blackout.
Westgate sports book director Jay Kornegay is a hockey fan, and he believes the Las Vegas team will be a successful venture.
But in no way is he ready to entertain the idea of not booking the games. He sees it as an unnecessary concession.
But at the same time, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made a point to not endorse the idea of fans betting before the team’s games.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says league "will not make it easy for you to pick up a (betting) ticket" on way to T-Mobile Arena.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) June 22, 2016
A Fox Business article questions which sports league is likely to be the next to expand to Las Vegas.
The NHL’s experiment is a litmus test for whether a sports franchise can thrive in Las Vegas despite a less-than-ideal television market, unique business challenges and the city’s various temptations.
“I think it makes it easier if there are old guard NFL owners who still have a fear of gambling – that primal, original sin of sports that fixed games are a concern,” said Robert Boland, a former NFL agent and sports administration professor at Ohio University. “If the NHL is able to go and operate successfully there, that might reassure a few of them.”
An article published by SBNation says the gambling industry has been quick to accept esports as sports.
“From what we see in that industry, they welcome it with open arms,” says Scott Cooley of bookmaker.eu, an online gambling site. “I can’t speak for some of the parent entities in the United States, but as far as Europe and Asia, they’re absolutely all for esports gambling because much like every single sport is aware, whether it’s the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, they know that gambling helps grow their fan base.”
Nevada gaming regulators approved a proposal yesterday that could lead to the return of daily fantasy sports in the state as early as August.
The Nevada Gaming Commission approved the licensing application for Salerno’s company, USFantasy, to provide a menu of daily and weekly fantasy sports contests that will include the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, PGA Tour and other sports using a pari-mutuel betting system.
The vote to grant the off-track, pari-mutuel sports system operator’s license was unanimous by the commission.
Salerno’s fantasy sports program is unique because it relies on a betting system used in horse racing. Rather than betting on a horse, a player would bet a fantasy sports football or baseball player or team.
Reddit user MagicWade posted on r/NBA pointed out that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has picked the NBA Finals winner wrong six seasons in a row.
Exactly how improbable is this feat? Guessing the outcome of a series right (or wrong) in six consecutive tries represents a 1/64, or 1.6%, chance. It’s even worse when you consider that two of the series — Spurs vs. Heat in 2014 and Cavs vs. Warriors this year — featured Finals rematches, giving Smith a second chance to re-assess each matchup.