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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NBA commissioner Adam Silver once again shared his progressive opinion on sports betting legalization in the United States during a recent ESPN interview.
An article published by Sporting News suggests that Silver’s stance on sports betting makes NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s opinion on the issue look foolish.
The NFL (and NBA, too) has found a way to profit from daily fantasy sports, which is why Goodell and the Shield have no opposition to it. There’s no clear way to do that with sports betting if it becomes legal, which is why some argue Goodell remains so staunchly opposed.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban echoed Silver’s position during a podcast interview with Andy Katz and Rick Klein.
“I’m not a fan of hypocrisy and I love the fact that [NBA commissioner Adam Silver]’s not either,” Cuban said during an interview with Andy Katz and Rick Klein on an ESPN podcast. “We know that there is gambling on our sport. We know that there’s legalized gambling in more than a hundred countries globally and that billions upon billions are being spent on gambling on NBA games. We’re somewhat hypocritical if we say we don’t approve of it or don’t support it in the United States. So I’m all for legalizing gambling.”
In a recent interview, T-Pain revealed that rappers Lil Wayne and Birdman bet each other up to $10,000 at a time on simulated games of Madden NFL.
“I never got in on the bets because, you know, I’m not an idiot,” T-Pain said.
An American Gaming Association study reveals that 81 percent of NFL teams play home games within a short drive of a casino.
“Casino gaming has become a mainstream industry that is welcomed by communities in 40 states, including in many markets with NFL and other professional sports franchises,” said Sara Rayme, AGA’s senior vice president of public affairs. “The facts show that concerns about athletes playing games in Las Vegas are dramatically misinformed. It’s time for a fresh look at the sports betting prohibition that is pushing widely popular sports betting activity to an illegal market that threatens the integrity of the sports we love.”
The Nevada Gaming Control Board released data for April, and the state’s sportsbooks are continuing to set monthly handle records.
All Nevada books combined to take in about $292 million in sports bets last month, according to data released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
That easily eclipses any April on record. According to historical wagering data from the NGCB:
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Handle was up nearly $40 million year over year; books took in about $250 million last April
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Handle is up over $100 million in a three-year period: books took in about $190 million in April of 2013.
The CEO of Penn National, Tim Wilcott, gave an aggressive prediction for sports betting legalization at the East Coast Gaming Congress yesterday.
Penn National CEO Tim Wilmott just said he expects sports betting to be legal in U.S. within 5 yrs. a bit sooner than some say #ECGC
— John Brennan (@BergenBrennan) May 26, 2016
An article published by Forbes explores insider trading as it applies to golfer Phil Mickelson and the recently arrested sports bettor Billy Walters.
But how much they earned is really beside the point. As Eagan’s Shell reminiscence hopefully reminds us, trading based on privileged information is no easy feat.
An analyst suggests that as many as 11 states could end up regulating daily fantasy sports by the end of the year.
Six states have passed bills to regulate daily fantasy sports so far, and five more may do so soon, Chris Grove, of Narus Advisors, said Wednesday.
He said Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and Colorado have passed bills regulating the games. He listed New York, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and South Carolina as states that might also do so by the end of this year.