Duke favorite for ’17; apps have changed Vegas; NY busts poker player’s betting ring

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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Some sportsbooks have already released “way too early” odds for the 2017 college basketball national championship. With Grayson Allen announcing he’s returning for his junior year, Westgate Las Vegas Superbook made Duke the favorite at 9-to-2.

  • DUKE 9-2
  • KENTUCKY 6
  • VILLANOVA 8
  • LOUISVILLE 10
  • KANSAS 10
  • MICHIGAN ST 12
  • NORTH CAROLINA 15
  • INDIANA 20
  • VIRGINIA 20
  • XAVIER 20
  • OREGON 20
  • ARIZONA 20
  • WISCONSIN 30
  • WEST VIRGINIA 30
  • MARYLAND 40
  • PURDUE 40
  • U CONN 40
  • IOWA ST 50
  • MIAMI FL 50
  • SETON HALL 50
  • TEXAS 60
  • GONZAGA 80
  • SYRACUSE 80
  • UCLA 80
  • TEXAS A&M 80
  • BAYLOR 80
  • OKLAHOMA 80
  • UTAH 80
  • BUTLER 100
  • IOWA 100
  • MICHIGAN 100
  • WICHITA ST 100
  • FLORIDA 100
  • ARIZONA ST 100
  • MISSISSIPPI ST 100
  • SMU 100
  • CINCINNATI 100
  • VCU 200
  • NOTRE DAME 200
  • FLORIDA ST 200
  • CREIGHTON 200
  • GEORGETOWN 200
  • OHIO ST 200
  • COLORADO 200
  • USC 200
  • DAYTON 200
  • SAN DIEGO ST 200
  • SOUTH CAROLINA 200
  • ST MARY’S 200
  • VANDY 200
  • TENNESSEE 200
  • HARVARD 200
  • CALIFORNIA 200
  • AUBURN 300
  • OREGON ST 300
  • BYU 300
  • RHODE ISLAND 300
  • CLEMSON 300
  • PITTSBURGH 300
  • PROVIDENCE 300
  • TEXAS TECH 300
  • ILLINOIS 300
  • UNLV 300
  • NC STATE 300
  • NORTHWESTERN 300
  • NEBRASKA 300
  • COLORADO ST 300
  • LSU 300
  • OLE MISS 300
  • GEORGIA 300
  • ARKANSAS 300
  • ALABAMA 300
  • VIRGINIA TECH 300
  • GEORGIA TECH 300
  • WAKE FOREST 300
  • MINNESOTA 300
  • FRESNO ST 300
  • MEMPHIS 300
  • MARQUETTE 300
  • KANSAS ST 300
  • OKLAHOMA ST 300
  • PRINCETON 300
  • BOISE ST 300
  • HOUSTON 300
  • TULSA 300
  • DAVIDSON 300
  • OAKLAND 500
  • WASHINGTON 500
  • TEMPLE 500
  • ST BONNY’S 500
  • DEPAUL 500
  • ST JOHN’S 500
  • PENN ST 500
  • NEW MEXICO 500
  • MISSOURI 500
  • STANFORD 500
  • VALPO 1000
  • GEO WASH 1000
  • RICHMOND 1000
  • ST JOE’S 1000
  • U MASS 1000
  • RUTGERS 1000
  • YALE 1000
  • MONMOUTH 1000
  • IONA 1000
  • NORTHERN IOWA 1000
  • UTAH ST 1000
  • MIDDLE TENNESSEE ST 1000
  • LOUISIANA TECH 1000
  • OLD DOMINION 1000
  • MARSHALL 1000
  • EVANSVILLE 1000
  • ILLINOIS ST 1000
  • AKRON 1000
  • STEPHEN F AUSTIN 1000
  • CHATTANOOGA 1000
  • SOUTH DAKOTA ST 1000
  • NORTH DAKOTA ST 1000
  • TX ARLINGTON 1000
  • TCU 1000
  • OHIO 1000
  • BUFFALO 1000
  • TOLEDO 1000
  • ARK LITTLE ROCK 2000
  • LA MONROE 2000
  • LA LAFAYETTE 2000
  • GEORGIA ST 2000
  • PEPPERDINE 2000
  • NEW MEXICO ST 2000
  • UAB 2000
  • WEBER ST 2000
  • MONTANA 2000
  • BOSTON COLLEGE 2000
  • UTEP 2000
  • CHARLOTTE 2000
  • WESTERN KENTUCKY 2000
  • UC IRVINE 2000
  • LONG BEACH ST 2000
  • UCSB 2000
  • KENT ST 2000
  • CENTRAL MICHIGAN 2000
  • NEVADA 2000
  • WYOMING 2000
  • BELMONT 2000
  • WASHINGTON ST 2000
  • IPFW 2000
  • FLORIDA GULF COAST 2000
  • MOREHEAD ST 2000
  • CS BAKERSFIELD 2000
  • FIELD 500

Gary Trask of the Casino City Times spoke with sports bettors and sportsbook operators about how the rise of sports betting apps have affected business.

“It’s worked exactly as we had hoped,” added John Avello, director of race and sports at the Wynn. “We’ve had zero issues and we’ve seen an increase in handle. We’re a changing industry, and this has allowed us to keep up with it all. It’s definitely been a huge positive for us.”


William Hill took a $35,000 moneyline bet on the UConn women to win the national championship game that paid out $500. The Huskies beat Syracuse 82-51 on Tuesday.


A poker player and seven others were indicted in New York for running a sports book operation that is accused of handling more than $3.5 million a year.

“Individuals involved in such traditional criminal enterprises as bookmaking and gambling have attempted to use the anonymity of the Internet to hide their illegal activities,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “Over the last few years—working with our law enforcement colleagues—we have taken down a number of these operations and put them out of business. These cases, I believe, have put a significant dent in illegal gambling nationwide—and have saved individuals across the country millions of dollars in gambling losses.”


The attorney generals of Alabama and Tennessee both declared that daily fantasy sports were illegal according to state law.

After Tennessee, 20% of the state’s AGs have now issued negative opinions about DFS.

The opinion actually applies to all paid-entry fantasy sports, not just DFS. That includes season-long fantasy.