Gamblers got off to a solid start in this year’s NCAA tournament as the First Four games tipped off with a Tuesday night doubleheader.
Both favorites won and covered easily, with Florida Gulf Coast (-5.5) trouncing Fairleigh Dickinson, 96-65, and Wichita State (-3.5) taking a 70-50 win over Vanderbilt.
William Hill US reported that 55 percent of the money and 61 percent of tickets were in favor of FGCU, while 78 percent of the money was on Wichita State as of Tuesday afternoon. At BetOnline, 64 percent of money wagered was on FGCU, with 60 percent on Wichita State.
The field of 64 will be finalized tonight as the First Four wraps up with another doubleheader. As of Wednesday morning, Southern is favored by two over Holy Cross at most books, while Michigan is giving 3.5 against Tulsa in the nightcap.
Who else are bettors behind?
On ESPN’s Behind the Bets podcast, Bob Scucci, director of race and sports for Boyd Gaming, predicted gamblers would be all over Baylor in the Bears’ first-round game against Yale. So far, it looks like he’s right.
Though most of the bigger money is expected to come in closer to game time, Baylor has been the overwhelming choice among gamblers at most sports books. At William Hill’s sports books, the Baylor/Yale matchup was the most popular Thursday game in terms of tickets written as of Tuesday afternoon, and 83 percent of the money was on the Bears, currently a 5-point favorite.
But the biggest disparity in terms of money wagered on Thursday’s games is Butler, which was getting 94 percent of the support at William Hill as of Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs are currently a four-point favorite against Texas Tech at most books and giving 3.5 at William Hill.
AROUND THE WEB
- A deep dive into the psychology of bad beats.
- Feds say 5Dimes laundered $2 million with Amazon gift cards.
- Why the gambling vs. game of skill argument for fantasy sports won’t go away.
- American Wagering, which operates the William Hill US Race & Sports Book franchise, is looking for clarity on rules regarding the comps it can offer.
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
“But it’s basically we’re sending a message to the court that we’re prepared in the state of New York to allow daily fantasy sports to continue — providing it’s monitored, it’s regulated and there are consumer protections.”—John Bonacic, the Racing and Gaming Committee Chairman in the New York State Senate.
The senate’s proposed state budget quietly included language that would make DFS a legal, regulated activity in the state, where the industry is embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that Bonacic’s plan for regulation includes a $500,000 licensing fee and a 15 percent tax on gross revenue generated by players in the state. That could make it near impossible for all but the biggest operators to do business in the state.
TWEETS OF NOTE
There have been four bets on Holy Cross to win it all at 5,000/1 @TheMirageLV.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) March 15, 2016
NBA proposition Golden St Warriors win 73 or more games in 2015-16 regular season? Yes -240 No +200 — Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) March 15, 2016
ODDS & ENDS
- NCAA Tournament coaches’ records against the spread.
- Daily fantasy sumo wrestling is now a thing that exists.
- The President went with chalk in his bracket.
ODDSMAKER’S TAKE
“We were a little high on Cal. We opened at 7 and it got bet down to 6, and I think that was the first one out of the gate. I wasn’t even done hanging the numbers yet when the money came in on that one.” —Boyd Gaming’s Bob Scucci, on betting support for Hawaii.