Texans get biggest SB odds jump from draft; Classic Empire is early favorite to win Derby

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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A CBS Sports article looked at how the NFL Draft affected Super Bowl odds for all 32 teams.

So who’s the biggest winner in William Hill’s post-draft odds? That would be the Houston Texans.

The Texans saw their odds drastically improve after they traded up to grab Deshaun Watson during the first round of the NFL Draft on April 27. The Texans, who opened at 40-1 to win Super Bowl LII, are now listed at 20-1.

That’s the largest jump that any team made in William Hill’s latest odds. Basically, getting rid of Brock Osweiler and adding a quarterback who’s not Brock Osweiler did wonders for the Texans’ odds. The Browns should think about doing the same thing.


Classic Empire is the early favorite for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

The colt, who was listed at 4-1 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook following the draw, will break from the No. 14 post on Saturday. Just two horses have won the Derby out of there. The last was Carry Back in 1961.

Trained by Mark Casse, Classic Empire won the Arkansas Derby and was last year’s champion 2-year-old.

“We couldn’t be in a better place right now,” Casse said.

The favorite has won the Derby in each of the past four years. It’s the longest such streak since the 1970s.

Always Dreaming and McCraken are co-second choices at 5-1.


A Card Player article shows how sports betting and poker are moving in opposite directions in Nevada.

Sports betting and poker have gone in opposite directions over the past several years in Nevada. The two gaming activities provided basically identical revenue ($168 million) for Silver State casinos in 2007, and poker was actually bigger in both 2008 and 2009.

But the end of the poker boom, exacerbated by online poker’s Black Friday in early 2011, and sports betting’s rapid growth have put the games on different paths.

These days, poker represents one percent of overall Nevada gaming revenue ($11.2 billion), while sports betting accounts for two percent. It’s just one percentage point, but it’s still a big deal.

Michael Lawton, Senior Research Analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, told Card Player that poker and sports betting will likely “continue on very different trajectories for some time.”


A Bloomberg article looks at how gambling could help save professional sports from dwindling TV ratings.

Another possibility is that the NBA will consolidate with fantasy basketball and video gaming to augment their revenue. The NBA already has plans to introduce an e-sports product. More speculatively, if more states legalize sports gambling, the league could enter into a revenue-sharing agreement with casinos or bookmakers. Imagine redesigning the playoffs to maximize the number of decisive games and thus boost betting interest — that could mean more but shorter playoff series. At least the fantasy component of such a basketball conglomerate might redistribute some of the attention back to players who are not superstars. Gamblers also tend to be well-informed about the teams they bet on, so this direction could encourage a smarter NBA, better designed for the nerds and fanboys.


One sports bettor risked $50,000 to win $500 on the Golden State Warriors in their seven-game playoff series against the Utah Jazz.

On Tuesday afternoon, hours before heavily favored Golden State tipped off with Utah, the Westgate SuperBook had taken just one bet on the Warriors to beat the Jazz in the seven-game series — a $50,000 bet at -10,000 odds.

If Golden State prevails, the risk-taker will net a profit of $500. To repeat, that’s $50,000 to $500.

The Jazz were as much as 20-1 underdogs to eliminate the Warriors, the outright favorites to win NBA championship.


Floyd Mayweather posted a picture on Instagram of himself holding about $400,000 which he says he won betting on the Boston Celtics.

Floyd Mayweather is never shy about bragging about his gambling winnings. Whether it’s showing off his betting slips or parlays, Mayweather continues to live up to his “Money” nickname.

That’s why it comes as no surprise that Mayweather posted this pic of himself and his winnings from Tuesday night after the Celtics came back to beat the Wizards in overtime thanks to the show Isaiah Thomas put on.


The potential Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight has already had thousands of dollars bet on it in Las Vegas casinos.

Forty of the first 42 bets placed on the fight at the SuperBook were on McGregor, the largest a $1,500 wager at +800. Mayweather is now listed at -900, with McGregor +700.

The SuperBook has already taken more than $10,000 on the fight, which is by no means official. The book stipulates that the fight must be a boxing match and must take place by May 13, 2018, or all bets will be refunded.

“Most fights that are not official don’t garner much handle until officially becoming announced,” SuperBook assistant manager Jeff Sherman told ESPN in an email. “I’m not surprised by the McGregor support, just that it has come without an official fight announcement.”


ESPN Chalk’s David Purdum wrote an article about the potential collision between sports betting and fantasy sports.

Momentum is building to lift the federal prohibition on state-sponsored sports betting in the U.S., but it’s a complex issue that optimistically is expected to take years.

In the meantime, aggressive gaming companies are examining what products they can offer now. They are looking to bridge the gap to legalization with innovative products, designed to mimic traditional sports betting, while also complying with the newer fantasy sports laws.

The line between traditional sports betting and fantasy sports is blurring rapidly and soon may be erased altogether.


An article published by USA Today says that Las Vegas’ NFL stadium wouldn’t have been possible without the gambling industry.

The $1.9 billion project never would have made it through the state legislature – or attracted the Oakland Raiders – without the support of the gambling industry, according to experts and the legislative record.

“The industry has been instrumental in the project,” said Jeremy Aguero, an analyst who works for the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, the stadium’s landlord.

After it opens, the Raiders also might not fulfill their potential there without even more of its support, possibly forcing the league to change its longtime anti-gambling policies purely out of business necessity, experts told USA TODAY Sports. The National Hockey League is adding a team in Vegas this year and said it’s already changed one key gambling policy to reflect its new “market reality.”


The Ringer debuted a new sports betting podcast this week called “Against All Odds with Uncle Sal.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live! on-air personality and “Cousin Sal’s Sure Thing” host Sal Iacono breaks down the world of gambling across a variety of sports, including football, basketball, hockey, UFC, boxing, wrestling, and competitive hot dog eating. Each week, Sal offers up odds analysis as well as his best bets and brings on celebrities, Vegas experts, and his pack of degenerate friends, who are shameless about discussing their latest wins and losses (mostly losses).