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Sean Chaffin

Sean Chaffin

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and host of the True Gambling Stories podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @PokerTraditions.

Fantasy Sports

Banking Some Bucks: PropSwap Offers A Unique Marketplace To Sell Your Betting Slips

Sean Chaffin December 10, 2018
PropSwap

The New Orleans Saints were on a roll to start the 2013 NFL season. The team was 7-1 after only losing to the New England Patriots by a field goal.

This left Luke Pergande in a quandary. While working for Bloomberg in San Francisco, he’d visited Las Vegas over Labor Day and bet $100 on the Saints to win the Super Bowl at odds of 50-1.

The Saints’ odds had dropped to 15-1 by November.

Hoping to secure some winnings on a ticket that may eventually be worthless, he called a friend.

“Where can I sell this ticket?” Pergande asked his friend, Ian Epstein. The two met at the University of Arizona.

“Nowhere,” said Epstein, who worked for Arizona’s largest sportsbook CG Technology.

Both began discussing the possibility of reselling betting tickets and even creating a marketplace for bettors to buy and sell — kind of an eBay or Craigslist for sports wagers.

Pergande and Epstein were soon contacting lawyers; 14 out of 15 told them their idea wouldn’t work.

The 15th, however, believed their idea was legal and could succeed.

The duo began working on a plan and found a developer to build a prototype.

Once the gaming commission approved the concept, Pergande and Epstein left their jobs and headed to Las Vegas — and PropSwap was born.

Betting and bargains

Listing a bet or purchasing someone else’s on PropSwap is simple. A new user creates an account and then has access to list or buy tickets.

The company has processes in place to make sure a buyer receives his or her ticket and a seller receives payment. PropSwap even offers resources to help sellers determine the fair market value.

For example, a bettor may have placed a $100 wager on the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl at 40-1 before the season and now the odds are around 4-1. The Chiefs have had a huge season, but winning a Super Bowl is definitely not assured. The bettor can offer that ticket for sale and still bank some cash no matter the turnout.

“You can make your money today off a great pick you made back in August,” Pergande said.

“Without us, you’d have to wait until February to get paid and only if they win. We all know New Orleans or New England may have something to say about that. And what if, God forbid, Patrick Mahomes gets injured? It’s sports; injuries happen all the time.”

Average tickets sell for about 10 times what a bettor paid. That $100 bet turns into about $1,000 — not a bad payday for a Super Bowl payout that isn’t a certainty. Betting slips are kept locally after a sale.

The service benefits buyers because they can get better odds on a wager than they could currently get at a casino. The service collects a 10 percent fee on sale prices.

A quick look at the PropSwap marketplace provides a glimpse of numerous bets listed for sale from several sports.

A prop bet on Patrick Mahomes to lead the NFL in passing yards would pay out $2,550, but is available for only $1,111.

Looking to bet on Kansas Jayhawks to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship? A chance to win $500 is available for $60, odds of a bit over 7-1.

Expanding market

With the recent legalization of sports betting in other states, Pergande and Epstein have a business that seems to be in a position to grow.

After building the business for three years in Las Vegas, Pergande has moved to New Jersey while his partner manages operations in Nevada.

“This concept is great for the casinos because their customers now have an insurance policy for their bets,” Pergande said.

“Customers can sell bets for a loss, too. We’ve seen guys sell their Eagles Super Bowl Bowl bets already this year who don’t have a good feeling they’ll repeat.”

Pergande offers a few success stories.

The Vegas Golden Knights were the talk of the hockey world last season, and one bettor wagered $300 on the Knights at 100-1 to win the Stanley Cup — an opportunity for a payout of $30,000. He sold it for $12,600 before Game 1. The Knights ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals and that bet would have paid nothing.

One bettor placed a wager on the Bills to win less than 6.5 games. Buffalo was 4-8 and would need to finish 3-1 for the bet to be a loser (probably not going to happen). Even so, the ticket owner needed some Christmas money and listed the ticket for $1,650 even though it would actually pay out $1,833. The logic?

“The buyer is happy to pay the $1,650 today, to collect in January once the regular season ends,” Pergande said. “He is going to make an 11 percent return in two months.”

So far, buyers have been easier to attract than sellers but that might change with more legalized sports betting.

The company has found two issues that deter bettors from listing a ticket for sale. One of those Pergande termed an “endowment effect,” where players just don’t like selling what they own, believing their possessions have a greater value than what they’re actually worth.

Another issue is a “regret avoidance effect,” where no one wants to be the one who sold a winning ticket.

An additional challenge is awareness and PropSwap is hoping to change that.

“Many people don’t realize that once they make a bet,” Pergande said, “they can immediately list it for sale using our app.”

Don’t want to wait on that $100 Chiefs wager at 10-1? With odds now in the 4-1 ballpark, it might be time to cash in for a few hundred bucks.

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Sports betting

DraftKings Sportsbook Pools Point To More Sports Betting Industry Innovation

Sean Chaffin December 2, 2018
DraftKings Pools

As more states begin legalizing sports betting, sports books are looking to attract gamblers with new and innovative product offerings. DraftKings Sportsbook announced Thursday that it has unveiled Sportsbook Pools, borrowing a concept from its daily fantasy sports offerings.

The new product, currently on available in New Jersey, is intended to appeal to more casual sports wagering fans and is similar to games among coworkers in office pools. Company officials expect it to be the first in a continuing attempt to offer players new gaming options. The new offering may signal a trend that has also been seen in online poker through the years, adding more betting options and varieties to keep players wagering.

Jump in the pool

The Sportsbook Pool format allows a group of players to make picks from certain games with the competitors battling it out for the top prize. A player who might not be a strict follower of betting lines or the over/under may be more prone to make game selections in a pool. It’s an easy wager and makes following those games on a Saturday or Sunday a bit more enjoyable.

“Millions of Americans have been playing in sports pools for years with their friends and coworkers, and now one of the most popular ways that fans can get skin in the game is live on DraftKings Sportsbook,” said Matt Kalish, chief revenue officer and company co-founder.

Players outside NJ may not be able to wager but can preview Sportsbook Pools in the DraftKings betting app. The site’s inaugural contest for players in New Jersey features a $20 entry with $200,000 in prizes. That includes a $100,000 jackpot shared among those who select all Sunday and Monday NFL Week 10 games correctly. The contest doesn’t only award perfect selectors with payouts, but also those who nail 12 and 11 picks as well.

“DraftKings Sportsbook Pools feature simple predictions, such as picking the winner of each NFL game weekly, combined with the potential to win jackpot-style prizes,” Kalish says. “This product will unquestionably make every game more exciting for DraftKings Sportsbook players of all levels.”

Get $20 Of Free Play at DraftKings!

Future innovation

The new addition is expected to be the first of several rolled out by companies like DraftKings looking to innovate within the sports betting space as they attempt to distinguish themselves and reach out to different levels of players.

Other companies like BetStars, the sports book arm of PokerStars, are offering “odds boosts” and other promotions. FanDuel Sportsbook is offering limited “NBA Overtime Heartbreak” insurance as well as NFL Big Win Bonus for moneyline bets where a pick wins by 14 points or more.

But beyond promotions on traditional sports betting, Sportsbook Pools points to innovations in how players bet on games.

Even the new Alliance of American Football has embraced betting and fantasy football and sees these games as keys to its success and survival. The league itself hopes to offer new betting options within its own app, partnering with MGM as its gambling partner and promising plenty of innovations in live betting and fantasy.

Similar ideas were recently unveiled at the Global Gaming Expo, with companies unveiling new technology for in-game betting. For example, IGT debuted its new CrystalBetting Terminal allowing for bettors to view their preferred games and bet right on screen.

DraftKings is also working on a feature so players can create their own pools. A bettor could create a pool and invite 10 buddies to play. The company is even considering traditional football squares and shotgun pot options.

As the landscape continues to change and more legal jurisdictions open up, it will be interesting to see what the legalized sports book plan to attract more gamblers.

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Sports betting

Cashing Tickets: Parlay Pandemonium In NFL Week 9

Sean Chaffin November 7, 2018
Cashing Tickets Parlay

The sportsbooks took it on the chin over the weekend with the public-heavy NFL sides going 11-0 against the spread. Three crucial wins by the Chiefs, Vikings, and Steelers on Sunday led to some heavy losses for Vegas and other sportsbooks around the country. Beyond those losses, there were some interesting parlays cashed over the weekend. In this article, we take a look at some interesting wins.

Nevada knockouts

Estimates put the Vegas books at losing as much as $10 million over the weekend and that included some big exotic wagers. ESPN’s Darren Rovell noted one big win at the Silver Sevens Casino — a $20 parlay earning one lucky better $13,236. Like most, the win included legs on the Chiefs, Vikings, and Steelers.

The wager included a few over/under picks also and even a college football bet on Syracuse, which handily covered the 6.5-point spread in a win over Wake Forest. Amazingly, none of the games were even that close, making for a nice score of a 662-to-1 return on investment.

The big scores continued and William Hill noted many big winners – even several who earned big bucks for low-roller wagers. A $5 parlay with six legs placed at Siegel Slots and Suites in Vegas brought a payday of $3,500.

At Rail City Casino in Sparks, Nevada, a $2 wager on an 11-leg parlay brought one player a $2,800 score. No doubt there were plenty of sparks in the sports book as he collected his cash.

Beginner’s luck?

Luke Jett, of Gardner, Illinois, visited Las Vegas for the first time over the weekend. Just an occasional sports gambler, he was on a trip with his girlfriend and some of her family. As the NFL games approached, a friend showed him a bit about how to place a parlay bet. Jett knew the 10 teams he wanted but wasn’t sure how to place the bet.

With ticket in hand from the Flamingo sportsbook, he settled in for the action. The results? His $10 bet turned into a sweet $7,000. He now plans to save some of those winnings and use some for another vacation.

The bet on the Miami Dolphins proved to be particularly nerve-wracking with the Miami quarterback struggling against the lowly Jets.

“I got really lucky,” he says. “It’s nice having a cool story from Vegas. I’m never betting on Brock Osweiler to cover -3.5 again, I can tell you that.”

Better than a hat trick

One Vancouver hockey fan showed some real expertise by notching a $30 seven-team NHL parlay beginning on Halloween and continuing on Nov. 1. The win brought a $6,100 win. The bet was placed on PlayNow, which is the official sports betting site of the British Columbia lottery.

College crushers

The NFL may have gotten the best of the books and much of the news in the sports betting world, but a couple nice college parlays also stand out. One bettor at Eureka Casino in Mesquite, Nevada, turned $5 into $4,000 with a 10-team parlay win. Most of the legs came easily, even Clemson’s 38.5-point spread. The Tigers whacked Louisville 77-16.

The Casino Royale is known as one of the cheapest places on the Vegas Strip to buy a beer. Until late last year, an ice-cold Michelob could be had for $1. The casino attracts a budget betting crowd and low rollers enjoy the $3 craps and $5 single-deck blackjack.

Sadly, the Michelob price was moved to $2 last year. Over the weekend, one gambler wagered the price of just one of those Michelobs on an 11-team parlay mostly on college football. It was a huge win and brought the gambler a score of $2,800. The winner now has the option of heading back to the Royale and a few friends 1,400 beers. Cheers!

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Sports betting

CASHING TICKETS: Double Parlay Wins One Bettor $300K At FanDuel Sportsbook NJ

Sean Chaffin October 31, 2018
FanDuel Sportsbook

Wouldn’t we all like to win 150 to 1 on a wager? One lucky bettor did just that at the FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands on Saturday, hitting eight-team and 10-team parlays.

The bets were mostly on college football, with $1,200 bet on the eight-team and $800 bet on the 10-team. The second parlay had the same college football bets as the eight teamer but added two NBA moneyline bets on the Celtics and the Jazz. The $2,000 wager scored a massive payday of almost $300,000.

There was no problem with the NBA games. The Celtics beat the Pistons 109-89 and the Jazz topped the Pelicans 132-111.

In college football, the first few games went well. Washington State beat Stanford (+2.5) 41-38, California (+12) beat Washington 12-10, and San Jose State (-2.5) rolled to a 50-37 win over UNLV.

Tulane (+1) won outright 24-17 over Tulsa, and Syracuse (+2) kept things going with a 51-41 victory over North Carolina State. Mississippi State (-1.5) and Florida International (-3) both had decisive wins to keep the parlays alive. The Bulldogs won easily over Texas A&M 28-13 and the Panthers beat Western Kentucky 38-17.

Luck of the Irish?

One game on the parlay stood out and proved troublesome – Notre Dame. The Irish were a big 22-point favorite over Navy. It looked like smooth sailing for the Irish, who led 27-0 at the half. But a second-half rally by Navy looked like it might send these two tickets to the garbage bin.

By early in the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen had cut the lead to 37-22. The parlay win certainly looked in doubt. But a 22-yard pass from Ian Book to Miles Boykin helped the cause, bringing the score to 44-22. Navy drove deep into Notre Dame territory late in the fourth quarter and the dreaded “garbage time” touchdown looked like it might be a killer. But an interception by Jalen Elliott helped seal the win.

Notre Dame didn’t cover, but the parlay leg was a push – keeping the rest alive and ultimately a winner. The official payout on the eight-team parlay was $108,612.93 and $187.633.52 for the 10-team – a total of $296,246.45.

That late Irish interception was a six-digit savior, but there was one footnote to that game. The Midshipmen scored a meaningless 2-point conversion on their last touchdown. If they had kicked the PAT, that parlay leg would have hit as well – and paid out even more.

Digging the underdogs

If you’re a PAC-12 football fan, it was quite an interesting weekend with all five betting underdogs winning outright. Sports Illustrated notes that a $100 parlay bet on those underdogs to win would have paid big dividends to the tune of almost $117,000.

Even a $10 bet would have been a nice score. If only … ?

Golfing greatness scores six-figures

Not all the big winners have been betting football recently. Golf.com reports that one lucky Irish bettor made a €10 parlay bet with BoyleSports bookmaker over the weekend on two golfers, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Champ. The bet would pay out more than 1,000-1, and was certainly a longshot.

To win, Schauffele had to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, and Champ had to win at Sanderson Farms in Mississippi. You know what happens next, but winning wasn’t easy.

“Schauffele looked like a longshot with just two holes to play, but birdied 17 and 18 to force a playoff with Tony Finau,” the site notes. “He birdied the first playoff hole to hoist the trophy.”

Champ had a four-shot lead on Sunday, but struggled on the first nine holes with Corey Connors surging for a share of the lead. But Golf.com notes that Champ “turned on the jets, making birdie on five of his last six holes to win by four.”

This time, the luck of the Irish prevailed and he scored €10,950 (about $12,400). Cha-ching.

Lead image via FanDuel

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Sports betting

Cashing Tickets: Stanford Stunner Saves An Eight-Leg Parlay Worth $62,000

Sean Chaffin September 25, 2018
Stanford

Longshots, long odds, and big wins. It’s what many who head to the betting window hope for – cashing that big ticket. A few players were lucky enough to bring home some big bucks over the weekend in NFL and college football action.

A Cardinal miracle

A bettor at CG Sportsbook at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas completed a $365 eight-leg college football parlay that scored $61,932.98 on Saturday. The first few teams (Michigan State, Ohio State, Clemson) all covered easily. Stanford (-2.5) was another story, winning 38-31 after completing the most improbable of comebacks.

The Cardinal trailed 24-7 in the third quarter and were only 1% to win the game according to ESPN’s predictive analytics. Then one play turned it all around. Oregon was driving deep into Stanford territory in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, but Stanford returned a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinal still appeared done and dusted with 51 seconds left in the game and the Ducks salting away the clock up 31-28, but Oregon running back CJ Verdell fumbled while fighting for extra yards and Stanford recovered. Moments later they kicked a game-tying field goal, sending it to overtime and keeping our bettor’s parlay alive.

Stanford opened the overtime period with a touchdown and then intercepted a Ducks pass in the end zone to seal the win and keep this parlay intact.

It must have been quite the scene in Vegas after Wisconsin closed out the big win.

Another huge parlay

In a bet that many only dream of, a bettor at the William Hill book in the SLS Las Vegas Casino completed a 10-leg parlay on Saturday. The $100 bet was all on college football and earned $72,000. It all came down to Old Dominion facing a +27.5 against Virginia Tech. The Monarchs went on to a massive upset beating the Hokies outright 49-35.

Amazingly, many individual legs on the parlay came through pretty easily with few close calls – even Ohio State, favored by 37, won handily over Tulane 49-6. Clemson was favored by 16 and won 49-21. Western Michigan was favored by 16.5 and beat Kansas State 35-6. Old Dominion then made it a sweet victory. It’s that easy!

Buffalo bonanza

Bills fans must have been happy as their team bounced back from big losses in the first two weeks of the NFL season. Buffalo had a surprise 27-6 victory over what was expected to be a tough Minnesota team at home.

One bettor at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia, must have had a premonition and booked a $500 straight bet on the Bills at 10-1 odds. It certainly paid off, netting him a hefty $5,000 profit. Cha-ching!

Get $20 Of Free Play at DraftKings!

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Sports betting

‘Old Vegas’ Will Soon Have A New Sports Betting Experience For Gamblers

Sean Chaffin September 11, 2018
downtown las vegas

Downtown Las Vegas received some big sports betting news last week, as D Las Vegas President and CEO Derek Stevens announced new forthcoming sportsbooks for the Fremont Street area.

Stevens will introduce three new sportsbook and entertainment venues throughout his downtown Vegas properties. The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino will serve as a prototype for the new developments, which will feature a multi-level venue and stadium-style seating. The Golden Gate is also expected to feature the largest single screen television in the city and numerous other HD screens and personalized customer service kiosks. The company is also developing a mobile sports app to complement the entire project.

“The State of Nevada, and specifically Las Vegas, has always been the hub for sports wagering in the United States and with the recent Supreme Court ruling, we believe sports wagering will accelerate tremendously,” Stevens says.

The book is expected to open in the third quarter of 2019.

Major downtown projects

After the Golden Gate facility is complete, sports venues will also be built at the new 18 Fremont project and then at the D Las Vegas, which serve as the hub for the sportsbook. 18 Fremont is a working name using the new property’s address.

“It’s something that we’ve always wanted to do,” Stevens told TheLines about entering the market. “But when we just had the Golden Gate and the D, we never thought we had a base big enough to justify getting into the business. Now that we’re building our third hotel casino, we need to be in the sportsbook business.”

Opening the first two books before adding a facility at the D will allow the company to perfect its system and service to customers before building at its signature property, Stevens said. The company is taking sports betting seriously. The book won’t be outsourced to another company like William Hill. It will instead be an in-house project.

Also, Stevens hired longtime Vegas industry veteran Matthew Metcalf as sports director. He previously worked at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, where he helped build it into one of the best sports betting scenes in the country. What can gamblers expect from the new sportsbooks that they can’t find elsewhere? Beyond unique design elements, Stevens directs this question to another interesting aspect and how it benefits gamblers.

“One thing that’s terrific is you’ve got a great ability to line shop because only 100 feet away you’ll have a William Hill over at the Plaza, and then you have an independent sports book at the Golden Nugget,” Steven says. “Even within just a couple hundred feet, you can line shop and get some pretty good value. It’s a great place to bet sports in Las Vegas.”

VSiN City

Along with the three sports facilities, Stevens’ company will be building a new studio for VSiN (Vegas Stats and Information Network) at its 18 Fremont property. The network launched in February 2017 from studios at South Point Hotel Casino with Brent Musburger as a lead voice.

The network broadcasts on Sirius-XM Radio and its website, and was the first network built exclusively catering to sports bettors.
Stevens, who also purchased a 10 percent interest in the network, said the network will continue to broadcast from South Point. The new studio will allow VSiN another option for programming and allow bettors to check out the in-depth news, analysis, and statistics from some of its experts first-hand. Fans and visitors will be able to watch and interact during live broadcasts. He also said the network has plans to open a studio in Atlantic City in the future as well.

Network officials were pleased to be partnering with Stevens.

“Since launching VSiN, one of the things I’m most proud of is the people we’ve been able to partner with to help grow this business,” CEO Brian Musburger said. “We’re thrilled to partner with another of this industry’s most successful luminaries, and honored to be involved in the 18 Fremont project. The VSiN team is looking forward to delivering the news and analysis sports bettors need to win – both here in Vegas and around the country.”

Downtown vision

The 18 Freemont project will be the third addition in an effort to revitalize downtown Vegas. That began with the opening of D Las Vegas in 2012. The property was formerly Fitzgerald’s and underwent a $22 million renovation to give it a more modern feel. A few years earlier, Stevens took over the Golden Gate and completed a major renovation in 2012. The property also received its first major expansion in 2017 by adding the property next door, formerly La Bayou casino.

The 18 Freemont project is a new casino being built at the former location of the Las Vegas Club. Stevens purchased the land in 2015 to continue his vision of revitalizing the west side of the Fremont Street Experience. It will be downtown’s first casino to be built from the ground up in decades.

So far, the new resort and the sportsbooks are without official names, but Stevens’ company is expected to announce those in October. Beyond the new sportsbook and VSiN studio, Stevens said there weren’t many specifics he could unveil quite yet.

With three properties, Stevens’ company will have a major stamp on downtown – an area that wasn’t too attractive to many visitors even only a decade ago. In recent years, however, the area has taken on a hip new vibe with revitalized properties like the D, Golden Gate, Plaza, and Golden Nugget as well as new restaurants and bars, the Fremont Street Experience, and the SlotZilla zip line attraction bringing more visitors to “old Vegas.”

And as more head downtown, Stevens is betting many of them are sports fans – and looking to wager in the new offerings. Stevens adds this about his new vision: “It’ll definitely be something worth seeing.”

Also Read: The Linq Sportsbook Opens In Las Vegas Featuring ‘Fan Caves’

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Sports betting

Bettor Broadcasters: An Influx Of Sports Betting Programming Arrives For NFL Season

Sean Chaffin September 8, 2018
sports betting

That C-note is just eating a hole in your pocket. You want to make those Sunday NFL games interesting, but not sure where to “invest” your cash. Unders, overs, underdogs, favorites, trends, and streaks – it can all be a blur. Will the Patriots cover? How will the Cowboys do this weekend with so many unknowns?

With so much news moving so quickly in the world of sports betting, many media outlets and personalities are looking to offer some help. In just the last couple months, several new shows have been announced offering betting advice. Here’s TheLines.com’s guide to some of these new sports betting shows and what they offer.

FanDuel/TVG 

While most may know the TVG network for its horse racing coverage, FanDuel announced in July after its merger with Paddy Poker Betfair that the company will be partnering with the network to produce shows about sports wagering. TVG, which also part of the company, has wide distribution and will allow the network to also branch out beyond horse racing.

The network announced this week that two new shows would be unveiled on Sundays during the NFL season. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST, the network will air new programming to replace international horse racing. The first is the syndicated 30-minute show, “The Barstool Sports Advisors,” a syndicated 30-minute show that will examine Sunday pro football games “in a way that only Barstool Sports can deliver,” according to the network. It will be followed by a separate 30-minute show exclusive to TVG titled “The Barstool Sports Advisors After Show.” Both programs will be hosted by Barstool Sports personalities Daniel “Big Cat” Katz, Stu “The Source” Feiner, the pseudonymous “PFT Commenter,” and Barstool founder Dave Portnoy.

FanDuel/TVG continues its commitment to sports wagering, and NFL news and advice with “More Ways to Win,” a two-hour show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. The live studio show will preview the day’s action from a betting standpoint, and is hosted by former ESPN and SportsCenter anchor Lisa Kerney. She’ll be joined by several sports experts offering their insight. The show will feature live reports from the FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey (the only U.S. sportsbook next to a pro football stadium), certainly a new insight for NFL pregame show viewers.

SportsLine Edge

CBS Sports debuted this show before the 2018 NFL opener between the Eagles and Falcons. The program can be viewed on the CBS Sports HQ free streaming service, and is hosted by Nick Kostos and features former oddsmaker Todd Fuhrman. The show boasts a panel of experts and guests to offer plenty of betting advice, lines, and fantasy football advice. SportsLine Edge will air on the service Monday and Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. – noon and 2:30 to 3 p.m., and Sundays noon – 1 p.m. and 3:30 to 4 p.m. (all times Eastern). CBS Sports HQ is available on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV.

I’ll Take That Bet

ESPN was early to the sports betting party. It has partnered with The Action Network for this new show, which debuted on the sports network’s new subscription service ESPN+ in May. “I’ll Take That Bet” airs multiple times a week from 5-6 p.m. (EST) and offers viewers gambling insight across several sports. As Action Network noted about the first show in May: “Here’s the gist of the show: Our two analysts — in today’s case, Chad Millman and Paul Lo Duca — draft their favorite picks of the day from a board of 10 bets. These are real wagers you can make across the gambling universe.” As more states legalize sports wagering, it’s a good bet ESPN may be heading to the betting windows more for insight and news.

Farrell on the Bets

Scott Farrell has been a longtime sports bettor and prognosticator. The host of the popular syndicated “Farrell on the Bench” show, courtesy of CBS Sports Radio, has added a new sports betting podcast to his media offerings. During the 30-minute show that debuted Aug. 28, Farrell offers his own unique takes and picks. The gravelly-throated talker will be busy. Along with his syndicated show, “Farrell on the Bets” will be produced six days a week.

Lock It In

Fox Sports is getting in on the sports betting act with this new show set to debut on FS1 on Monday, Sept. 10,  from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (EST). It will be the network’s first show ever dedicated to sports betting and the network notes that the new program “aims to make the avid sports fan smarter and more informed about the world of sports betting.” Hosted by Rachel Bonnetta (pictured), the show also features “Cousin Sal” Iacono from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Fox Sports Radio’s Clay Travis, host of the nationally-syndicated “Outkick the Coverage,” will also appear and is a regular sports bettor, providing listeners with his “blood-bank” guarantee picks each week.

The VSiN Network

The Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN) launched in February 2017 from its studios at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The network is broadcast on Sirius-XM Radio and on its website and was the first network built to exclusively cater to sports bettors. Brent Musburger is the lead voice of the network after retiring from ESPN in January 2017. He hosts the show “My Guys in the Desert” each day with Vinny Magliulo and Josh Towers. The network offers other sports-betting and related programming round the clock, and seems well-positioned as news on lines, odds, and action becomes a bigger part of the sports media landscape.

Every Sunday, the VSiN Sunday Preview will air at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sports USA stations leading into the 1 p.m. NFL coverage. Matt Brown, who you’ll recognize as the host of TheLines Podcast, joins Dave Farra to provide sports betting information and analysis for the full slate of games.

Also Read: Is VSiN A Sports Betting Model For Mainstream Media Companies?

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Sports betting

Crystal Ball: When Betting Super Bowl Futures, History Says Stick To Medium Favorites

Sean Chaffin September 4, 2018
Super Bowl Futures

Football is the biggest season for the American sports betting world. For pro football fans, that all culminates with the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. No doubt many bettors are already getting in on the fun with their Super Bowl futures bets.

With so much parity in the NFL, the good news for sports bettors is that there is always hope. Each year it seems a low-wrung team manages to emerge and make a run to the playoffs, and occasionally the Super Bowl. But overall, bettors should steer clear of these longshots if recent history means anything.

In 2017, the Eagles opened at around +5000 (50/1) before beating the Patriots 41-33 in February to bring home the title. The Patriots started as a 13/4 favorite. A hundred bucks on the Eagles would have earned a lucky bettor $5,000. That would certainly fund a nice vacation – after the season of course.

Parity makes those longer-odds teams seem possible for Super Bowl or conference champions. But a quick look at teams over the last decade shows that out of nowhere long-odds champions are rare. The Eagles were an outlier.

The futures betting sweet spot seems to be in the +1200 (12/1) to +1800 (18/1) range before the season gets underway. Here’s a look at those winners and their pre-season futures odds courtesy of FootballLocks.com.

  • 2018 – Eagles (+5000)
  • 2017 – Patriots (+800)
  • 2016 – Broncos (+1000)
  • 2015 – Patriots (+1500)
  • 2014 – Seahawks (+1200)
  • 2013 – Ravens (+1200)
  • 2012 – Giants (+1500)
  • 2011 – Packers (+1200)
  • 2010 – Saints (+2500)
  • 2009 – Steelers (+1800)
  • 2008 – Giants (+3000)

In this span of 11 Super Bowls, only three longshots (27.3 percent) won it all. But teams with odds between +1000 and +1800 brought home the Lombardi Trophy eight times (72.7 percent). So you’re looking at the Browns at 80-1 or up and coming squads like the Titans (+3400) or Chiefs (+2800), that money might be better spent.

This year, only around 10 teams fall within that betting range from the Rams and Vikings at +1100 to the Saints and Falcons at +1800. While the smart money should probably go there, the thrill of hitting on a bet on recent Super Bowls champs like the Giants, Saints, or Eagles convinces many bettors open the wallet for that longshot.

As the season approaches, here’s a look at every NFL teams’ odds to win the Super Bowl at the various online sportsbooks in New Jersey:

TeamDraftKingsBetStarsFanDuel888sportSugarHouse
Kansas City+250+275+250+250+250
LA Rams+375+350+350+375+375
NE Patriots+350+333+350+350+350
New Orleans+180+175+175+180+180

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Bets And Birdies: Three Memorable Phil Mickelson Wagers On The Golf Course

Sean Chaffin August 23, 2018
Phil Mickelson

The golf season may be winding down, but fans will be eager to check out at least one more event on the horizon in 2018. Golf legends Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are now confirmed to play a winner-take-all heads-up match on Thanksgiving weekend at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.

The winner will take home $9 million. Woods and Mickelson are the top money earners in tour history and Mickelson would close the gap by a lot if he were to win this one as the underdog. Woods opened as a -130 favorite (Mickelson +110) at the Westgate SuperBook in Vegas when the match was first announced. The line moved to Woods -180 (Mickelson +150) at Westgate as of Wednesday evening.

Every shot can be viewed live, in pay-per-view, on the B/R Live app. Bettors will have no shortage of options to wager on the match; props and in-play betting will be a huge draw, especially in legal betting markets like New Jersey and Nevada where mobile betting will be available.

Mickelson said during a practice round for the Northern Trust Open this week that details are being worked out to allow various challenges during the match with Woods, including the longest drive, longest putt, and closest shot to the pin.

No stranger to throwing down a few bucks on a bet (OK, thousands usually), Mickelson is an old pro in the wagering game. We thought it would be fun to look at four interesting bets he made over the years, including three that happened right on the golf course.

Two million bucks? No problem

That’s no small football bet, but during the 2017 federal securities fraud trial of Las Vegas businessman and gambler Billy Walters, court documents revealed Mickelson had transferred $1.95 million to the gambler in 2012, according to ESPN.

The documents revealed: “Records show that in July 2012 Mickelson owed a debt to William T. Walters, the defendant, related to sports gambling.” Not one to welch on a bet, Mickelson transferred the money to Williams that September. No details on what Mickelson bet on, but his golf bets seem to have turned out better.

Not quite two million bucks

In a 2014 Masters practice round, Mickelson left a shot just off the green on the par-3 sixth hole. A fan said it was too tough a shot and Mickelson wouldn’t get up and down. A $1 bet was made – and the fan won.

Once again, Mickelson paid the bet, but had to borrow a five-dollar bill from a caddie, noting that he doesn’t carry small bills. The fan also took home a keepsake – a Mickelson golf ball. At least this loss didn’t require a bank transfer.

Putt it, bitch

On the course, apparently, Phil is money when bigger cash is on the line. Paul Azinger told PGA Tour Radio about a Mickelson shot many years back that netted Lefty a few thousand bucks against some golf legends.

On the 18th hole, all four golfers in the group had birdie putts, with Mickelson’s ball closest at 15 feet. The three others missed, and each had $1,600 on the line. If Mickelson made the putt, they owed him that amount.

“If he makes it, we lose $1,600,” Azinger said. “If we beg out, we forfeit $800. But if he misses it, we only lose $400. So Payne (Stewart) says, ‘I’m out.’ I said it was downhill, right-to-left. He’s not making it.”

Ben Crenshaw also begged out, locking up $800 for Mickelson. Azinger decided to stay at the full amount and said to Mickelson, “Putt it, bitch.” Lefty holed it, of course.

“Payne starts smiling and high-fiving Mickelson because I just lost $1,600 and he only lost $400,” Azinger said. “I was so mad. That’s when I knew Mickelson was going to be a really good player.”

Tin cup cash

One crazy Mickelson bet came during the filming of the movie “Tin Cup.” Cheech Marin played a caddie in the film and spoke to Golf Digest about an amazing shot he witnessed.

“We were between scenes, standing around, and someone came up with a bet,” Marin said. “There was this really tall pine tree, and someone said to Phil Mickelson, ‘I bet you can’t put your shoulder against the tree, drop a ball and hit it over the tree.’ The shot basically had to go straight up. Everybody threw in a hundred bucks. I think there was $1,200 in the pot. And he did it! When the ball was still in the air, Mickelson bent over, picked up the money, and put it in his pocket.”

Tough putts, pine trees – no problem.

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NFL Preseason Betting? Opportunity Awaits The Diligent Gambler

Sean Chaffin August 10, 2018
NFL Preseason Betting

Sports fans can finally cheer. The football season is here. (Well, preseason football anyway). While the games are pretty lame and feature many players who won’t make an official roster, they do offer something many fans have been waiting for – a chance to bet a few bucks on a football game.

Football remains king at the betting window. Of $4.8 billion wagered in Nevada in 2017, one-third was put on college and pro football ($1.7 million). Can money be won on the preseason? Is there any possible way to figure out if the Chargers’ second-stringers can top the Cardinals third-stringers this weekend? Some say the preseason offers a real chance to cash a few tickets (or get a nice feeling when that win pops up on your phone app).

Be in the know

Steve Golden with GoldenBoyPicks.com has been a sports handicapper for 12 years. He says betting preseason involved deeper research, but bets can be won. Younger teams that may be up and comers may have more willingness to play some starters or better players longer. An opportunity might be there for a knowledgeable gambler.

Veteran teams resting starters may be at a disadvantage in the preseason (at least for bettors), and drop games to inferior teams looking to build momentum with a win or nice performance.

“It’s mostly about information and knowing game plans,” Golden says. “Teams looking to have an upstart or breakout year with fresh faces are solid options. They have more motivation to perform and create a good culture of winning.”

A team that would be a heavy underdog in the regular season may have a shot at a preseason win or at least keep it closer than expected. Professional sports bettors take advantage of situations like this.

“A lot of people think the preseason is a complete crapshoot,” professional bettor Ron Boyles told ESPN. “I don’t think there’s too many things better, actually.”

Boyles advises watching for trends. For example, Mike Zimmer is 14-3 in the preseason and Pete Carroll is 34-14-1 against the spread in these games. It’s important to know what to expect in the game. Will the starting quarterback play a half or be pulled after one series? Any extra information can help.

“The best thing is finding out a team that is game-planning against a team that is not,” Boyles said. “It is just like free money, and I like to bet the first half.”

Fantasy focused

Preseason can also be a great place to really scour box scores for players who might break out. Owners in deep fantasy leagues, especially those that draft early, have a shot to load up players on their watch lists.

Breakout players come from every round in the draft and preseason offers an opportunity to really be in the know.

And who hasn’t had a player go down in the preseason. Maybe you had Ryan Tannehill in 2017. Or Cameron Meredith. Or Julian Edelman. All faced season-ending injuries before the season even started.

Quick-thinking owners check out those backups for a diamond in the rough.

The preseason may not be real football, but a winner is a winner – whether cashing a ticket or finding that breakout star to fill a roster need. And it at least serves as a nice replacement until the real games kick off.

OK, not really. But will Phillip Rivers play at all on the road against the Cardinals? The Chargers are 2-6 straight up and against the spread in their last eight exhibition games. Hmmm…

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