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.
* * *
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey decided that gambling on daily fantasy sports is legal under state law.
Morrisey concluded that the betting games — in which sports fans act as general managers, creating their own fantasy teams populated by real athletes — are permissible under state law because they are mostly games of skill, not chance.
“We read state law to prohibit only betting upon games decided at least predominantly by chance,” Morrisey wrote in his 14-page opinion. Fantasy sports, he said “are determined predominantly by skill, knowledge, and athletic performance.”
Moving in the opposite direction, Delaware’s Department of Justice sent out letters to daily fantasy companies last week asking them to add their state to the list of states in which players can’t compete to win cash prizes.
The DOJ pointed to the Delaware Constitution and state and federal case law to determine that online fantasy contests that involve payment are gambling because they rely on chance, as opposed to skill.
Participants on the unregulated sites can compete in games involving professional or college sports, paying an entry fee that goes into a larger pool. They try to assemble teams that earn the most points based on real-life stats in a given period with a certain percentage of top finishers earning a payout.
“An online fantasy sports contestant selects fantasy players and teams, but has no role in how these players actually perform once the real-life games or events occur,” the DOJ statement said. “This is why chance – and not skill – is the dominant factor in online fantasy sports contests and why these contests are illegal in Delaware.”
Famed sports bettor Billy Walters told the Automotive News that he’s stopped much of his gambling.
“That passion I had with gambling has faded. I got burned out on it.”
Las Vegas sportsbooks say they have received some sizable bets on the Golden State Warriors to win the 2017 NBA title following the team’s acquisition of Kevin Durant.
On July 3, the Westgate SuperBook took a $20,000 bet on the Warriors at 3-2 to win the 2017 title. Westgate bookmakers treated the bet as an educated-guess wager and adjusted Golden State’s odds accordingly.
MGM’s sportsbook also reported notable action on the Warriors in the days leading up to Durant’s decision, including a “half-dozen” four-figure bets on Golden State at 3-1, MGM assistant manager Jeff Stoneback said. The flurry of action at the MGM subsided on the Fourth of July after Durant was officially a Warrior. But by the time it was over, three times more money had been bet on Golden State than any other team.
“We got popped on the Warriors right before he announced,” Stoneback said. “Most of the bets came Saturday and Sunday, and then we got some more on the Fourth.”
A column published by Townhall says that the federal government should stop investigating whether or not daily fantasy sports should be legal.
The feds should stand down. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has argued before, states have traditionally and rightfully controlled gaming policy within their borders. Federal action in this regard would erode state sovereignty and impede states’ ability to regulate and approve gaming as they see fit.
Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal checked in with oddsmakers to get their opinions on the Chicago Cubs and the rest of the MLB heading into the All Star break.
But for the Chicago Cubs, it’s not cliche to say the All-Star break arrives at the right time. In the middle of May, the Cubs appeared unstoppable. Two months later, a team led by Bryant and a bunch of other kids appears old and tired.
“The Cubs were so hot early in the season,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said, “and it’s really impossible to maintain that.”