Author: David Purdum

For the eighth straight year, the Golden Nugget sportsbook will post the first college football points spreads in Vegas.

The Nugget will release lines on 200 games,  Friday, June 13, in an event that has become widely popular for football-thirsty fans.

On Monday, head oddsmaker Aaron Kessler sent out the games he selected to use this year. Limits are $1,000, and no parlays.

Golden Nugget Games of the Year

(h/t @AaronKessler)

Thursday, Aug. 28

Texas A&M at South Carolina

Boise State vs. Mississippi (in Atlanta)

Friday, Aug. 29

UNLV at Arizona

BYU at UConn

Saturday, Aug. 30

Arkansas at Auburn

Colorado State at Colorado (in Denver)

Clemson at Georgia

California at Northwestern

UCLA at Virginia

Ohio State at Navy

Penn State at Central Florida (Dublin, Ireland)

West Virginia at Alabama (Atlanta)

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State (Arlington)

LSU vs. Wisconsin (Houston)

Monday, Sept. 1

Miami, Fla. at Louisville

 Friday, Sept. 5

Pittsburgh at Boston College

Saturday, Sept. 6

USC at Stanford

San Diego State at North Carolina

BYU at Texas

Michigan State at Oregon

Michigan at Notre Dame

Virginia Tech at Ohio State

Colorado State at Boise State

Saturday, Sept. 14

Boise State at UConn

USC at Boston College

Tennessee at Oklahoma

UCLA at Texas (Arlington, Texas)

Louisville at Virginia

Nebraska at Fresno State

Iowa State at Iowa

Georgia at South Carolina

Purdue vs. Notre Dame (Indianapolis)

Thursday, Sept. 18

Auburn at Kansas State

Saturday, Sept 20

Clemson at Florida State

Mississippi State at LSU

San Diego State at Oregon State

Virginia at BYU

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech

Oregon at Washington State

Oklahoma at West Virginia

Florida at Alabama

Miami, Fla. at Nebraska

Thursday, Sept. 25

UCLA at Arizona State

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State

Saturday, Sept. 27

Oregon State at USC

Tennessee at Georgia

Minnesota at Michigan

Florida State at North Carolina State

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (East Rutherford, N.J.)

Cincinnati at Ohio State

North Carolina at Clemson

Saturday, Sept. 27

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (Arlington)

TCU at SMU

Missouri at South Carolina

Thursday, Oct. 2

Arizona at Oregon

Saturday, Oct. 4

Louisville at Syracuse

LSU at Auburn

Arizona State at USC

Miami, Fla. at Georgia Tech

Vanderbilt at Georgia

Wisconsin at Northwestern

Alabama at Mississippi

Virginia Tech at North Carolina

North Carolina State at Clemson

Baylor at Texas

Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Texas Tech at Kansas State

Boise State at Nevada

Oklahoma at TCU

Florida at Tennessee

Stanford at Notre Dame

Nebraska at Michigan State

Saturday, Oct. 11

Alabama at Arkansas

USC at Arizona

Oregon at UCLA

LSU at Florida

Georgia at Missouri

Florida State at Syracuse

Texas vs. Oklahoma (Dallas, Texas)

Louisville at Clemson

Mississippi at Texas A&M

Auburn at Mississippi State

Cincinnati at Miami, Fla.

West Virginia at Texas Tech

North Carolina at Notre Dame

Penn State at Michigan

Thursday, Oct. 16

Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh

Fresno State at Boise State

Saturday, Oct. 18

Georgia at Arkansas

Stanford at Arizona State

UCLA at California

Notre Dame at Florida State

Missouri at Florida

Nebraska at Northwestern

Clemson at Boston College

Tennessee at Mississippi

Kansas State at Oklahoma

Baylor at West Virginia

Texas A&M at Alabama

Washington at Oregon

Thursday, Oct. 23

Miami, Fla. at Virginia Tech

Friday, Oct. 24

Oregon at California

South Florida at Cincinnati

BYU at Boise State

Saturday, Oct. 25

South Carolina at Auburn

Oregon State at Stanford

Mississippi at LSU

Michigan at Michigan State

West Virginia at Oklahoma State

USC at Utah

North Carolina at Virginia

Arizona State at Washington

Texas at Kansas State

Alabama at Tennessee

Ohio State at Penn State

Thursday, Oct. 30

Florida State at Louisville

Saturday, Nov. 1

Arizona at UCLA

Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Oklahoma at Iowa State

Auburn at Mississippi

Boston College at Virginia Tech

Oklahoma State at Kansas State

North Carolina at Miami, Fla.

Notre Dame at Navy

Stanford at Oregon

Tennessee at South Carolina

Texas at Texas Tech

Thursday, Nov. 6

Clemson at Wake Forest

Saturday, Nov. 8

Texas A&M at Auburn

Notre Dame at Arizona State

Michigan at Northwestern

Alabama at LSU

Louisville at Boston College

Ohio State at Michigan State

Iowa at Minnesota

Baylor at Oklahoma

Florida at Vanderbilt

West Virginia at Texas

Oregon at Utah

UCLA at Washington

Kansas State at TCU

Thursday, Nov. 13

California at USC

Saturday, Nov. 15

LSU at Arkansas

Washington at Arizona

Utah at Stanford

South Carolina at Florida

Clemson at Georgia Tech

Auburn at Georgia

San Diego State at Boise State

Pittsburgh at North Carolina

Texas at Oklahoma State

Arizona State at Oregon State

Missouri at Texas A&M

Nebraska at Wisconsin

Florida State at Miami, Fla.

Oklahoma at Texas Tech

Northwestern at Notre Dame

Thursday, Nov. 20

Kansas State at West Virginia

North Carolina at Duke

Saturday, Nov. 22

Mississippi at Arkansas

Stanford at California

USC at UCLA

Cincinnati at UConn

Oklahoma State at Baylor

Arizona at Utah

Miami, Fla. at Virginia

Oregon State at Washington

Wisconsin at Iowa

Missouri at Tennessee

Louisville at Notre Dame

Thursday, Nov. 27

LSU at Texas A&M

TCU at Texas

Friday, Nov. 28

Arizona State at Arizona

Stanford at UCLA

Central Florida at South Florida

Virginia at Virginia Tech

Nebraska at Iowa

Saturday, Nov. 29

BYU at California

Notre Dame at USC

Florida State at Florida

Georgia Tech at Georgia

West Virginia at Iowa State

Illinois at Northwestern

Kentucky at Louisville

Arkansas at Missouri

North Carolina State at North Carolina

Michigan at Ohio State

Oregon at Oregon State

South Carolina at Clemson

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Washington at Washington State

Minnesota at Wisconsin

Auburn at Alabama

Kansas at Kansas State

Pittsburgh at Miami, Fla.

Nevada at UNLV

Baylor at Texas Tech

Saturday, Dec. 6

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

Kansas State at Baylor

Saturday, Dec. 13

Navy vs. Army (Philadelphia)

A U.S. Postal Service employee was arrested by a Nevada Gaming Control agent on March 31 and accused of stealing winning sports tickets that were mailed in by out-of-state bettors.

Postal worker Shawn Cushman, 35, was charged with three counts of theft and two counts of fraud for allegedly stealing 12 sports book tickets worth $9,400 and “redeeming and attempting to redeem them,” according to NGC Chief of Enforcement Karl Bennison.

The USPS Office of Inspector General confirmed the arrest Thursday and said that it conducted a joint investigation with the NGC, including interviewing Cushman in April.

The USPS OIG released the following statement Thursday: “The USPS OIG considers the allegation of theft of any U.S. Mail by any Postal Service employee to be a very serious issue. When such allegations are made, the USPS OIG vigorously investigates those allegations, as we did in this instance.”

Joe Fortuna, a sports bettor from New Jersey, was one of the alleged victims. Fortuna traveled to Las Vegas last June to bet the early college football point spreads offered by the Golden Nugget sports book. He bet around 20 games at the Nugget and placed several more futures bets around town before returning home.

In past years, Fortuna had flown back to Vegas to cash in winning tickets. But this year, he elected to use the mail, sending in tickets in batches. After Wisconsin covered against Ohio State on Sept. 28, Fortuna was up approximately $6,000. He followed the mailing instructions on the back of the tickets, addressed the envelope to the Golden Nugget Accounting Department and put them in the mail in October.

Four months later, he received two phone calls. The first came from a representative of the postal service, informing him that his tickets had been stolen and cashed. The second call came from the NGC, updating him on where the investigation was at and informing him of his options.

“The NGC has been very apologetic and assured me that I would receive my money back,” said Fortuna, who added that this was the first time he’s ever had an issue mailing in winning tickets.

According to Bennison, the NGC does not receive many complaints regarding stolen tickets. He advised anyone who has issues with mailed-in tickets to first contact the U.S. Postal Service and then NGC. Anyone with additional information related to the incident should contact the USPS OIG at 1-888-USPS-OIG.

In the fiscal year 2013, 339 postal employees and contractors were arrested for theft, delay or destruction of mail, according to the USPS, which claims a workforce of more than 522,000 employees.

While Bennison said the NGC doesn’t receive many complaints regarding stolen tickets, this isn’t the first time Nevada sports book veterans have heard about mailed-in tickets being targeted. Legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough says he remembers it happening during his days that included a long stint at the Stardust sports book.

@DavidPurdum Going on since the early 1970’s. Postmen with the Strip route used to steal tix headed for the old Churchill Downs Race Book.

— Roxy Roxborough (@RoxyLasVegas) May 22, 2014

Chris Andrews, a 30-year veteran Nevada oddsmaker, most recently with Cal-Neva, remembers it happening in Reno.

@DavidPurdum @RoxyLasVegas -A mailman in Reno

got nailed years ago. Cal Neva had provided envelopes that were easily recognizable.

— Chris Andrews (@andrewssports) May 22, 2014

 

Las Vegas sportsbook CG Technologies posted point spreads on every NFL game through Week 16 on Friday.

Week 1

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks (-5, 44.5), Thursday

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (-1, 51.5)

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams (-4.5, 45.5)

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5, 40.5)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-11, 52)

Oakland Raiders at New York Jets (-4.5, 40)

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 43)

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears (-6.5, 48.5)

Washington Redskins at Houston Texans (-2.5, 46)

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs (-5, 44)

New England Patriots (-3.5, 47.5) at Miami Dolphins

Carolina Panthers (-2, 40.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5, 48) at Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-7, 55.5)

New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-4, 46)

San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals (-3 (-115), 44.5)

Week 2

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-2 (-120)), Thursday

Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)

New Orleans Saints (-2.5) at Cleveland Browns

New England Patriots (-3 (-115)) at Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-1)

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants (-3)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins (-9)

Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) at Tennessee Titans

Seattle Seahawks (-2.5) at San Diego Chargers

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5)

New York Jets at Green Bay Packers (-8.5)

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-7)

Houston Texans (-2.5) at Oakland Raiders

Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers (-7)

Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts (-2.5)

Week 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-5.5), Thursday

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (PK)

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Detroit Lions

Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals (-7)

San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-1)

Indianapolis Colts (-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots (-13)

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (-10)

Houston Texans at New York Giants (-4)

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Rams (PK)

San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins (PK)

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)

Chicago Bears at New York Jets (PK), Monday

Week 4

New York Giants at Washington Redskins (-1.5), Thursday

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-1.5)

Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens (-1)

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans (-5)

Detroit Lions (-1) at New York Jets

Miami Dolphins (-5) at Oakland Raiders

Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers (-10)

Atlanta Falcons (-1) at Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers (-6)

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (PK)

New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (-1), Monday

Week 5

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-10), Thursday

Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions (-7.5)

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys (-4.5)

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)

Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts (-3)

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)

St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles (-6)

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants (-2.5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-7.5)

Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos (-9)

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco (-7)

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers (-4)

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots (-4)

Seattle Seahawks (-4.5) at Washington Redskins, Monday

Week 6

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (-1), Thursday

Detroit Lions (-1) at Minnesota Vikings

Green Bay Packers (-2.5) at Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (PK)

Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals (-2)

New England Patriots (-3.5) at Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3)

Denver Broncos (-6) at New York Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans (-7)

Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)

San Diego Chargers (-2.5) at Oakland Raiders

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks (-7.5)

Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals (-4)

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

San Francisco 49ers (-4.5) at St. Louis Rams, Monday

Week 7

New York Jets at New England Patriots (-7.5)

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-1.5)

Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears (-6)

Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens (-3)

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (-4)

Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins (-3.5)

Seattle Seahawks (-6) at St. Louis Rams

Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-2.5)

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers (-2)

Arizona Cardinals (-3.5) at Oakland Raiders

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos (-3)

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

Week 8

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-8.5), Thursday

Detroit Lions (-1) at Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texas at Tennessee Titans (PK)

Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) at Carolina Panthers

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)

Miami Dolphins (-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars

St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5)

Chicago Bears at New England Patriots (-4.5)

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (-2.5)

Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (-2)

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns (-4.5)

Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2)

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints (-2.5)

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (-4.5), Monday

Week 9

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (-2.5), Thursday

Tampa Buccaneers at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals, (-11)

Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)

Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans (PK)

New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs (-6)

San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins (-2.5)

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings (-1.5)

St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers (-11)

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (-1)

Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks (-14.5)

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)

Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants (-1), Monday

Week 10

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5), Thursday

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens (-6)

Kansas City Chiefs (-2) at Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions (-5)

Dallas Cowboys (-10) at Jacksonville Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (-1.5)

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2) at New York Jets

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (PK)

Denver Broncos (-10) at Oakland Raiders

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals (-4)

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks (-10)

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-6)

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (-1), Monday

 Week 11

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-3.5), Thursday

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-7)

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (-4)

Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns (-1.5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Redskins (-2.5)

Denver Broncos (-4.5) at St. Louis Rams

San Francisco 49ers (-3 (-120)) at New York Giants

Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints (-4)

Seattle Seahawks (-2.5) at Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers (-4.5)

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers (-8)

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts (-1)

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2) at Tennessee Titans, Monday

Week 12

Kansas City Chiefs (-4) at Oakland Raiders, Thursday

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (-12)

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (PK)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-6)

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons (-7 (even))

Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles (-7)

Detroit Lions at New England Patriots (-6)

St. Louis Rams at San Diego Chargers (-4)

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-10.5)

Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers (-8.5)

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos (-10)

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (-2.5)

Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints (-6.5), Monday

Week 13

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-3), Thursday

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-1.5), Thursday

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-2.5), Thursday

Oakland Raiders at St. Louis Rams (-5.5)

Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (PK)

San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (-3)

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (-5)

Washington Redskins at Indianapolis Colts (-6)

New York Giants (-5.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Carolina Panthers (-3) at Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons (-4)

New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers (-3.5)

Denver Broncos (-3) at Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (-1), Monday

Week 14

Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears (-4.5), Thursday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (-6)

Houston Texans (-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts (-1) at Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins (PK)

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins (-2.5)

New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings (-2)

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

New York Giants (-1) at Tennessee Titans

Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals (-2)

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos (-11.5)

San Francisco 49ers (-7) at Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks (-1) at Philadelphia Eagles

New England Patriots (-1) at San Diego Chargers

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (-6.5), Monday

Week 15

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis (-1), Thursday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (-6.5)

Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens (-10.5)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5)

Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) at Cleveland Browns

Washington Redskins at New York Giants (-3.5)

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-7)

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-4.5)

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5)

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5)

Denver Broncos (-3.5) at San Diego Chargers

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans (-1.5)

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-3)

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears (-3), Monday

Week 16

Tennessee Titans (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday

Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Washington Redskins, Saturday

San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers (-7), Saturday

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers (-7.5)

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears (-4)

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans (-1)

Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins (-4)

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-6.5)

New England Patriots (-3) at New York Jets

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1.5)

Green Bay Packers (-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New York Giants at St. Louis Rams (-3)

Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys (-2.5)

Buffalo Bills (-1) at Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Denver Broncos (-1.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

Florida State is the favorite to win the first college football playoff, but no one is betting on the Seminoles.

“Hardly any money on them at all, less than 500 bucks,” said Ed Salmons, oddsmaker at the LVH SuperBook.

There have been 2 ½ times more bets on Notre Dame to win the national title than Florida State. Georgia has received twice the amount of bets as the Seminoles. Even Nebraska has received more betting support than FSU.

The LVH is offering national championship odds on 49 teams. At 4/1, Florida State is in the middle of the pack in terms of betting tickets and money.

There’s plenty of action on Auburn, however. In fact, more money has been bet on the Tigers to win the first national championship of the playoff era than any other team at the LVH.

Alabama is second.

Auburn put a scare into the LVH last season by reaching the BCS National Championship Game. The Tigers began the season at 1,000-to-1 to win the national title at the LVH. Florida State saved the LVH a significant loss by rallying past Auburn, 34-31, in a thrilling championship game.

The next day, Salmons opened Auburn at 20/1 to win the 2015 national championship, which will be decided by a four-team playoff. The Tigers had been bet down to 12/1 to win it all at the LVH as of Monday.

“It’s just been bet after bet after bet (on Auburn),” said Salmons.

Salmons says he’s taken 50 percent more money on Auburn than Alabama. The archrivals will meet Nov. 29 in Tuscaloosa in a game that promises to have major playoff implications.

While we await the season, there are a couple upcoming dates college football fans in Vegas should have marked on their calendar:

• Friday, June 13: The Golden Nugget sports book will release point spreads for their college football Games of the Year.
• Sunday, July 20: The tentative date of the LVH’s release of their college football season win totals, games of the year and conference odds.

Odds & Ends

–Teams with most bets to win the national championship at the LVH: 1. Ohio State 2. Alabama 3. Southern Cal 4. LSU 5. UCLA.

–Teams that have attracted the most money: 1. Auburn 2. Alabama 3. UCLA 4. Ohio State 5. Southern Cal

–BYU (300/1), Utah State (500/1), Vanderbilt (500/1) are the only teams listed at the LVH that have not received at least one bet to win the national championship.

 

A team without a first-round pick made the biggest post-draft move on the LVH SuperBook’s odds to win the Super Bowl.

Five teams saw their Super Bowl odds improve, and five saw theirs decrease after last week’s draft. None of the moves were significant. The Indianapolis Colts, who last season traded their 2014 first-round pick for running back Trent Richardson, saw their Super Bowl odds improve from 25/1 to 20/1 at the LVH. The Colts selected Ohio State offensive tackle Jack Mewhort in the second round and Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief in the third round.

The St. Louis Rams improved from 75/1 to 60/1 in the LVH’s odds to win the Super Bowl. The Rams upgraded both sides of interior lines by taking Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the first round.

The Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens each went from 35/1 to 30/1.

The Houston Texans took South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick, but saw their Super Bowl odds fall from 30/1 to 40/1. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers also fell from 30/1 to 40/1. The Carolina Panthers dropped back slightly, going from 25/1 to 30/1. The Atlanta Falcons had a similar drop, going from 35/1 to 40/1.

Odds & Ends

–The LVH released point spreads on 80 NFL games last week. Only one game saw noticeable movement. The San Francisco 49ers grew from 4.5- to 6.5-point favorites over the Bears.

–-Reports surfaced over the weekend that Cleveland Browns All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon is facing a potential season-long suspension for a second failed drug test. Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards and had nine touchdowns.

The Browns went from 5- to 5.5-point underdogs at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 after the Gordon report.

–The LVH SuperBook released NFL division odds this week. The book will take up to $25,000 in liability on the early division future odds.

2014 NFL DIVISION ODDS 

(Courtesy LVH SuperBook)

NFC EAST DIVISION

EAGLES 8-5

COWBOYS 9-4

GIANTS 11-4

REDSKINS 9-2

NFC NORTH DIVISION

PACKERS 5-8

BEARS 7-2

LIONS 3

VIKINGS 18

NFC SOUTH DIVISION

SAINTS 5-4

PANTHERS 5-2

FALCONS 3

BUCS 5

NFC WEST DIVISION

SEAHAWKS 10-11

49ERS 6-5

CARDINALS 10

RAMS 12

AFC EAST DIVISION

PATRIOTS 4-13

DOLPHINS 9-2

JETS 8

BILLS 10

AFC NORTH DIVISION

BENGALS 8-5

RAVENS 9-4

STEELERS 9-4

BROWNS 6

AFC SOUTH DIVISION

COLTS 4-5

TEXANS 13-5

TITANS 13-5

JAGUARS 30

AFC WEST DIVISION

BRONCOS 2-7

CHIEFS 5

CHARGERS 5

RAIDERS 30

The LVH SuperBook released point spreads on more than 75 NFL games Sunday.

Limits are $2,000.

Here is the complete list:

2014 NFL GAMES OF THE YEAR 

(Opening lines courtesy of LVH SuperBook).

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

STEELERS

RAVENS -3 -120

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

SEAHAWKS -3.5

CHARGERS

CHIEFS

BRONCOS -7.5

BEARS

49ERS -6.5

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

EAGLES

COLTS -2.5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

BUCS

FALCONS -5.5

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

PACKERS -2

LIONS

BRONCOS

SEAHAWKS -3.5

STEELERS

PANTHERS -3 -120

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

BEARS

JETS -1

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

GIANTS

REDSKINS -2

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

PACKERS -1

BEARS

EAGLES

49ERS -6

SAINTS -1.5

COWBOYS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

PATRIOTS -2

CHIEFS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014

VIKINGS

PACKERS -9

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014

TEXANS

COWBOYS -4.5

BEARS

PANTHERS -3

BENGALS

PATRIOTS -4

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014

SEAHAWKS -6

REDSKINS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

COLTS

TEXANS PK

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014

STEELERS

BROWNS -1

COWBOYS

SEAHAWKS -8.5

GIANTS

EAGLES -5

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014

49ERS -4

RAMS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014

JETS

PATRIOTS -7

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014

PANTHERS

PACKERS -5.5

GIANTS

COWBOYS -3

49ERS

BRONCOS -3.5

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014

TEXANS

STEELERS -4.5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014

CHARGERS

BRONCOS -7.5

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014

BEARS

PATRIOTS -6.5

COLTS

STEELERS -3 EV

PACKERS

SAINTS -3.5

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014

REDSKINS

COWBOYS -4

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014

SAINTS

PANTHERS -2.5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2014

CARDINALS

COWBOYS -3

BRONCOS

PATRIOTS -3 EV

RAVENS

STEELERS -3

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014

COLTS

GIANTS -2

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014

BROWNS

BENGALS -6.5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014

49ERS

SAINTS -3 -120

BRONCOS -7.5

RAIDERS

BEARS

PACKERS -6.5

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

PANTHERS

EAGLES -2.5 -120

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

BILLS

DOLPHINS -4.5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014

EAGLES

PACKERS -4.5

49ERS -3.5

GIANTS

PATRIOTS

COLTS PK

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014

STEELERS

TITANS -1.5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

CHIEFS -3.5

RAIDERS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2014

BUCS

BEARS -5

REDSKINS

49ERS -7.5

COWBOYS

GIANTS -2.5

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

RAVENS

SAINTS -6

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014

BEARS

LIONS -3 -120

EAGLES

COWBOYS PK

SEAHAWKS

49ERS -2.5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2014

BRONCOS -3.5

CHIEFS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2014

DOLPHINS

JETS -1

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

COWBOYS

BEARS -3

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014

49ERS -7

RAIDERS

SEAHAWKS -2.5 -120

EAGLES

PATRIOTS -1.5

CHARGERS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014

FALCONS

PACKERS -6.5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014

CARDINALS

RAMS -2.5

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

BRONCOS -3.5

CHARGERS

49ERS

SEAHAWKS -3.5

COWBOYS

EAGLES -4

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2014

SAINTS

BEARS -1

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014

TITANS -3.5

JAGUARS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2014

CHARGERS

49ERS -6.5

EAGLES -1.5

REDSKINS

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

SEAHAWKS -3.5

CARDINALS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014

BRONCOS -3

BENGALS

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

PANTHERS

FALCONS -1.5

LIONS

PACKERS -3.5

BEARS

VIKINGS -1

BENGALS

STEELERS -1.5

EAGLES

GIANTS -1

 

**GAME MUST BE PLAYED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF SCHEDULED DATE FOR ACTION**

 

 

Basketball bettors held their own during a record-setting March Madness at Nevada sportsbooks.

$343.5 million was wagered on basketball—both college and pro–in March at the state’s books. That’s the most ever, according to Michael Lawton, Senior Research Analyst of the Nevada Gaming Control, and approximately $19 million more than was bet on basketball last March. But the books kept way less of it.

The books held just 5.65 percent of the money bet on basketball in March, the second lowest hold percentage since 2004. The average hold percentage for March over the previous 10 years was 7.5 percent.  The $19.7 million win was the smallest in the last three years.

“We did not have a good March,” said Jeff Stoneback, assistant manager at the MGM Mirage “I would characterize the NCAA tournament as fair, but we got beat up pretty good in the conference tournaments.”

Bettors lost less this season, but the books are still the overall winners. Nevada sportsbooks have never had a losing March on basketball since the NGC began tracking monthly revenue numbers in 2004.

Because the NCAA tournament spans into April, it’s difficult to accurately estimate how much was wagered on the tournament by itself. You can see its impact, though, by looking at February’s numbers, when the state’s books took only $153 million in basketball bets.

In February, a record $119.4 million was wagered on the Super Bowl in Nevada books. The record handle this March adds to a trend of a growing sports betting market in Nevada.

Stoneback estimated the average price per ticket on the tournament was up “20-25 percent.”

Overall, the books won $12.8 million in March, a number impacted by a $9 million loss on football, caused by futures tickets cashed during the month.

Nevada Casino March Winnings

(Source: NGC. Numbers in millions.)

Twenty-one: $105.9

Craps: $42.0

Roulette: $30, 696

Baccarat: $101,836

Sports Pool: $12.8

LSU is a small favorite over Wisconsin in the marquee matchup of college football’s opening week.

Popular online sportsbook 5dimes.eu opened the Tigers as 2.5-point favorites over the Badgers in an SEC-Big Ten showdown on Aug. 30 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. LSU had seven underclassmen bolt for the NFL, the most of any program, and will be breaking in a new quarterback. Wisconsin, with only 11 returning starters, also will be adjusting to new personnel. Badgers coach Gary Andersen is 5-0 against the spread in season openers, with four of those covers coming at Utah State.

Other notable Week 1 lines:

–Defending champion Florida State opened as an 11.5-point favorite over Oklahoma State in a Saturday primetime game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (The line had grown to FSU -13.5 as Thursday morning). It’s the 36^th straight game the Seminoles have been favored, a streak that dates back to 2011 game at Clemson. The Seminoles went 10-3 against the spread as double-digit favorites last season.

–Alabama opened as a 24-point favorite over West Virginia in a Saturday afternoon game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It’s the 55^th consecutive game that the Crimson Tide has been favored, the longest such streak in the nation and the longest since the USC dynasty of the mid-2000s.

–South Carolina opened as a 9-point home favorite over Texas A&M. Both teams will feature new quarterbacks, but the Gamecocks are in much better hands with the experienced Dylan Thompson, compared to the Aggies, who were scrambling this spring to find a replacement for Johnny Manziel.

As of late Wednesday night, 5Dimes was offering lines on approximately 20 Week 1 games, including Abilene Christian and Georgia State. The host Panthers are 6-point favorites with a total of 64.5. That’s the only total that had been released.

Limits, according to a sports book representative, were $50, and like most way-too-early lines, they’ll move significantly over the next four months leading up to the season. Juice was -120 on all games.

Notable College Football Lines

(Courtesy of 5Dimes.eu; All times Eastern)

Thursday, Aug. 28

Mississippi (-8.5) vs. Boise State, 8 p.m. **

Texas A&M at South Carolina (-9), 7 p.m.

Temple at Vanderbilt (-21), 7 p.m.

BYU (-14.5) vs. UConn, 8 p.m.

UNLV at Arizona (-25.5), 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 30

Penn State vs. Central Florida (PK), 8:30 a.m.*

Ohio State (-14) at Navy, 12 p.m.

Rice at Notre Dame (-21), 3:30 p.m.

West Virginia vs. Alabama (-24), 3:30 p.m.**

Utah State at Tennessee (-5.5), 7 p.m.

Washington (-21.5) at Hawaii, 8 p.m.

Oklahoma State vs. Florida State -11.5, 8 p.m.***

Monday, Sept. 1

Miami at Louisville (-4.5), 8 p.m.

*Dublin, Ireland

**Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.

**AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

NFL point spreads are up in Las Vegas and offshore.

The Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook posted lines and totals on all Week 1 games Wednesday night, just hours after the league released its 2014 schedule.

Limits were $5,000 on sides and $1,000 on totals at the SuperBook.

The NFL released the full schedule at 8 p.m. ET, although many individual team schedules were leaked earlier in the day. The SuperBook posted lines less than an hour after the release.

BetOnline.com posted the first Week 1 lines offshore. You can compare both sets of numbers on the BettingTalk.com live odds feed.

NFL Week 1 Schedule

(Lines courtesy of LVH SuperBook)

Thursday, Sept. 4

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks (-5, 45), 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 7

Oakland Raiders at N.Y. Jets (-4.5, 39.5), 1 p.m.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (-2, 52), 1 p.m.

Minnesota Viking at St. Louis Rams (-5, 46), 1 p.m.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5, 41), 1 p.m.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-11, 52.5), 1 p.m.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 43.5), 1 p.m.

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears (-6.5, 49), 1 p.m.

Washington Redskins at Houston Texans (-2.5, 46.5), 1 p.m.

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5, 44), 1 p.m.

New England Patriots (-3.5, 47) at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.

Carolina Panthers (-2.5, 40.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m.

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5, 48.5) at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-7, 55.5), 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 8

New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-4, 45.5)

San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals (-3.5, 44.5)

Complete 2014 NFL schedule

 

 

 

It was 2008 in the Montreal office of a popular online sports book. Marc was the new guy in the bookmaking department. He was getting ready to have the biggest gambling sweat of his young career.

Marc was working for a book that loves mainstream media attention. The marketing team force-fed the oddsmakers zany prop ideas about anything that was generating media buzz. That summer, longtime game-show Wheel of Fortune announced it would be offering its first $1 million prize during the upcoming season. The marketing team wanted odds on a contestant winning. Marc was on it.

“Twenty-four spaces on the wheel, and 24 spaces on the prize wheel,” he thought. “It’s essentially a two-team parlay with added stipulations. In order to win the million, you had to land on the million dollar slot during the main game play, win that puzzle thus saving the piece, which then activated the million dollar prize on the final puzzle, which also had to be solved correctly.”

He came up with 550-to-1 odds of a contestant winning the million-dollar prize that year. There was no way he was offering 550-to-1 on a media prop, so he decided on 30-to-1. He posted the numbers, fired off an email to his bosses explaining his thinking and headed out for the weekend.

When he returned on Monday, something had gone wrong. A rush of money had come in on “Yes.” The odds had plummeted to 5-to-1. The book was facing $40,000 in liability on a throw-away media prop.

“At this point, I’m shitting my pants,” Marc said. “That’s quite a liability on a media prop.”

Everyone in the office knew of the situation. One of the office TVs normally dedicated to baseball now showed Wheel of Fortune. The first episode went by without incident. The second one did not.

Marc was sitting at his desk when a colleague came in and alerted him that someone was going for the million. The final puzzle was coming up. Everyone gathered around.

With little trouble, Michelle Loewenstein, a 24-year-old newlywed from Santa Monica, Calif., correctly solved “Leaky Faucet” on the final puzzle. Host Pat Sajak opened the prize envelope. The million-dollar prize was revealed.

“We all watched,” Marc recalled. “It happened. I lost my shit, tipping over chairs and anything not bolted down while saying the most terrible of things. I had just lost $40,000 company dollars because of Wheel of Fortune. My job was clearly on the line.”

The next day, Marc was called into his boss’s office. It was an unpleasant discussion, but it ended with the boss saying, “We’d have fired you if you didn’t send out the email explaining your pricing beforehand.”

Marc was relieved. He had been saved by the negligence of others. But the kicker came a week later.

The marketing guy responsible for the Wheel of Fortune odds request stopped by the oddsmakers’ office. Marc razzed him about how much it had cost the company and how much trouble it had caused him.

The marketing person looked at Marc and said, “Oh, the Wheel of Fortune prop? I completely forgot to send that out to our contacts in the media.”

There have been roughly 1,250 episodes since Loewenstein won the million dollar prize. Only one other contestant has won the grand prize. A contestant just this week needed to solve a puzzle that was already filled in to earn a chance to play for the million dollars but mis-pronounced the answer and lost.

Marc is still working as an oddsmaker, albeit at a different sportsbook. You can follow him on Twitter @AnonymousGamblr. 

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