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.
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South Point was the first sportsbook in Las Vegas to post NCAA tournament lines.
The first favorite of the NCAA Tournament is….. the New Orleans Privateers.
In their first tournament game in 21 years, the Southland Conference Tournament champions lay 1.5 points to Mount Saint Mary’s, which prevailed in the Northeast Conference Tournament, at 3:40 Tuesday afternoon in Dayton, Ohio. The “First Four” matchup is the first of 36 games scheduled through Sunday that combine to make up the busiest sports betting week of the year.
Las Vegas sportsbooks still don’t have a consensus favorite to win the tournament.
“We usually have that one team that is chalk to win it all but this year, there’s a lot of controversy on the No. 1, No. 2 seeds,” Red Rock Resort sports book director Jason McCormick said. “I think it goes nine or 10 teams deep on who should be the favorite.”
McCormick expected to post defending national champions and overall NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Villanova at the top of Station Casinos future odds Monday morning, but there won’t be much separating the Wildcats from the other contenders. At William Hill sports books, Villanova has the second-lowest odds at 7-to-1 behind North Carolina at 13-to-2 but five other teams — Kansas, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Arizona and Duke — all lurk at less than 10-to-1.
By those numbers, it’s the first time in a decade that not a single team enters the tournament at 5-to-1 or less to win the title.
“I counted like 18 teams that I gave a real shot to win it,” said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill sports book director. “I think it’s usually less than 10. It’s going to be all about who gets hot at the right time.”
ESPN Chalk published a few articles in anticipation of the NCAA tournament.
- Odds for all 68 team to win NCAA tournament
- Notable NCAA tourney bets across Las Vegas
- 10 biggest NCAA tournament upsets of the past 20 years
- A full guide to every team in the 2017 NCAA tournament
Cantor Technology is reportedly up for auction.
Nevada sports betting operatorCG Technology — which runs a number of major Las Vegas sportsbooks — appears set go to auction next month, according to industry sources.
President Donald Trump appointed Noel Francisco for solicitor general.
Francisco’s nomination as the next solicitor general — the Justice Department position responsible for representing the executive branch in Supreme Court matters — is the latest development in discussions swirling around the prospect of legalized sports wagering nationwide.
Last month, Trump was asked about his position on making sports gambling legal nationwide. His comments may indicate how his new solicitor general could frame the issue for the Supreme Court.
“I would be talking to [sports league commissioners], and we’ll see how they feel about it,” Trump said in a radio broadcast with Westwood One’s Jim Gray that was released on Super Bowl Sunday. “I’d also get the input from lots of law enforcement officials, because, obviously, [expanded legalized sports betting] is a big step.
Two columnists are using March Madness as an opportune time to discuss legalized sports betting across the country.
- End the madness: Let adults bet on sports
- March Madness raises arguments for, against legal sports betting