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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The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent comments about sports betting seem hypocritical.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that league ownership remains opposed to legalized sports betting because of integrity concerns, while also acknowledging that the regulatory framework in Nevada’s legal sports betting market could be “beneficial” when it comes to the Raiders eventually playing in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Sun published an article about why the NFL has warmed up to letting Las Vegas have a team.
“Society in general has a little bit of a change with respect to gambling in general,” Goodell said. “We’ve seen that. I think we still strongly oppose legalized sports gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that.”
“But I also believe Las Vegas is not the same city it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago. It’s a much more diverse city. It has become an entertainment mecca. It is the fastest-growing city in the country. So I think when you look at what Las Vegas is today and what it was a decade or two ago, I think it’s a much different city.”
Dan Wetzel says his stance is laughable.
Four years later and the concerns about staging games in a state with legal sports wagering is gone. The NFL already started playing games in London (four this coming season) despite the fact there’s a sports book or three on nearly every block there.
Why? Money.
Oakland didn’t have any. Vegas did. Gambling no longer mattered. Nothing did. They are now embracing Vegas and everything it has to offer. For instance, the guy who runs the famed “Moonlite BunnyRanch” – among other establishments – says he’s set to open the world’s first “sports brothel” on the Raiders’ first home game.
It’s all part of the fun.
It turns out the five University of Richmond baseball players who were reported to being suspended for fantasy sports were actually punished for betting on sports.
The amounts wagered by the players were believed to be small and there were no indications of point-shaving or game-fixing, a source familiar with the case told ESPN. It was not revealed which sports the players were betting on.
Richmond announced the suspension of five baseball players on Feb. 17, and initial reports indicated the bans were due to involvement in fantasy sports. The NCAA now says those reports were inaccurate.
A columnist from Indiana wrote about why the women’s basketball Sweet 16 should be played in Las Vegas every year.
If it was this easy, we would already be in Las Vegas watching UConn win a fifth straight national title.
The NCAA is standing in the way. The organization doesn’t permit its championships in states where there is legalized gambling. Yes, that’s Nevada. This policy, which can be quickly changed by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, is archaic and hypocritical.