Posts Tagged ‘sports betting’

The Weekly Sports Betting Wrap Sheet (3/1/10)

March 1st, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping   Comments Off on The Weekly Sports Betting Wrap Sheet (3/1/10)
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After two weeks worth of great Olympics betting action, the festivities in Vancouver have finally come to a close. There’s plenty left to rant and rave about in the American sports scene, none of which have anything to do with the efforts of the US hockey team, which claimed silver medals after losing in overtime to the Canadians in Sunday’s gold medal game.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Purdue Boilermakers F Robbie Hummel, who suffered a season-ending injury in the same week that his team lost any hope of a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Last week, we took some time to rant about how poorly the Villanova Wildcats played against bubble teams in the Big East. Now, it’s time for the Georgetown Hoyas to step up and face the music. C’mon guys… Losing at home to Notre Dame, playing without its stud F Luke Harangody? That makes two completely inexcusable and embarrassing losses at home on the season, with the other coming at home against South Florida back on February 3rd. Only managing 15 rebounds as a team against the Irish was quite disgusting, and the end result was just as repulsive for a team that once upon a time believed it was good enough to be on the #1 line in the NCAA Tournament.

Don’t think that you’re getting away from this one, Boston Celtics. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you complaining now that you were playing without your best player, F Paul Pierce against the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night. No offense, but if you took your entire regular starting five out of the lineup, you’d still have a squad that was lined at -4 at home against the Nets. Oh, you don’t believe me? Tell me that you’d rather have Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, Trenton Hassell, and Brook Lopez over Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson, Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, and Tony Allen. Get real fellas. If your boy Ray Allen keeps putting up 3/11 shooting nights, you won’t even survive the first round of the playoffs let alone make a run at the NBA title.

The New Mexico Lobos got arguably their biggest win of the season on Saturday when they knocked off BYU in the closing moments of their game 83-81 to clinch up the Mountain West regular season title. However, that’s not what we’re ranting about. We’re ranting about that ridiculous postgame altercation that HC Steve Alford had with one of the Cougars. Hey Coach, you know better than this. You can’t sit there and yell at a player on the opposing team (or your own team for that matter), “I’m going to tell you real clear… You’re an [expletive]!” That marred a big win for your team, Alford, and you owe your guys a heck of a lot better than that.

As an American, it’s really easy to rant on the Russians, but in this case, there were two boneheads that deserve it. Alexander Ovechkin decided that it was a great idea to bust up a camera after his hockey team was bounced from the Olympics. A great display of sportsmanship in an athletic event that is designed to promote the essence of being a good sport in representing your nation.

However, that wasn’t nearly the funniest, yet disgraceful Russian moment of the Olympics. President Dmitry Medvedev demanded that all of the Russian sports officials that were responsible for the debacle that was the country’s dismal 15 medal performance in the Winter Olympics to resign their posts. He claimed, “I think that the individuals responsible, or several of them, who answer for these preparations, should take the courageous decision to hand in their notice. If we don’t see such decisiveness, we will help them.”

So let’s get this straight, el presidente… You’re going to force out all of your Olympic coaching representatives right after the Vancouver games?

Man, are things going to be difficult for the other countries coming onto Russian soil for the 2014 Games in Sochi…

The Weekly Sports Betting Wrap Sheet (2/22/10)

February 22nd, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping   Comments Off on The Weekly Sports Betting Wrap Sheet (2/22/10)
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There’s plenty to rant about this week in the sports world. Not only were the Olympics hot and heavy, but the NBA’s trade deadline has come and gone as well. There’s also just a few weeks left until Selection Sunday. Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re ready to take out the trash and call out the stiffs that wrecked the sports world for the week that was.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Phoenix Suns’ F Amare Stoudemire, who has to be wondering why he’s still stuck in the desert for the duration of the season.

Hey, Canadian Ice Hockey Team… What gives? You’re the host nation, you’re playing on your own ice in front of tens of thousands of your fans, and you’ve clearly got one of the best sets of 23 guys ever assembled on the same ice. Why the heck do you need a shootout to get past Switzerland and then do you lose to your arch rivals, the United States Hockey Team? That’s awfully unacceptable, eh? Now, as the #6 seed in the tournament, you’ve got to take out Germany just to earn the right to get into the quarterfinals of this draw, while the US and three other teams that played better than you did during the group stages are resting and watching.

We’ve already done some ranting when we talked about out NBA Trade Deadline Report Card last week, but there’s no way that we can’t continue to rant on the Phoenix Suns for the way that they handled the Amare Stoudemire situation. Phoenix clearly doesn’t want Stoudemire’s contract hanging around any long, and in spite of the fact that he leads the team in scoring, they talked for three weeks about getting rid of him. That angered the big man and took away some effective games from him. And when all was said and done, Phoenix traded him to… oh that’s right. The Suns never did move him. Now, Phoenix has a few more months of Stoudemire’s contract and, assuming that he doesn’t exercise his $17M option for next year, will be left with nothing but some extra cap space for 2011.

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What’s up with the Houston Rockets anyway? Wasn’t this team supposed to get a heck of a lot better by getting rid of Tracy McGrady and bringing in a bunch of pieces to the puzzle that were supposed to make this a playoff team? Don’t blame Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries. Martin’s put up 27 combined points in his two games as a Rocket, and Jeffries was one rebound shy of a double-double on Sunday, but all that was accomplished this week was a dud loss in the Bayou and a smack down at the hands of the Pacers at home. That won’t get Houston to the playoffs. The only thing that that will do is move HC Rick Adelman a lot closer to the unemployment lines.

Just two weeks ago, a lot of college basketball pundits thought that the Villanova Wildcats had a gripe to be the overall #1 seed of the upcoming NCAA Tournament (click here for our latest look at the March Madness odds). Now, losses to Pitt on the road and at home against UConn have them spiraling out of control heading towards the Big East Tournament. It’s bad enough that the Cats would probably be on the #2 line if March Madness started today, but coming up is a roadie at the Carrier Dome. Yikes! Things could get a lot worse before they get better for Villanova.

The Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet (2/15/10)

February 15th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping   Comments Off on The Weekly Sports Betting Rap Sheet (2/15/10)

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Even though many in the sports world were looking into 2010 Winter Olympics odds over the course of the week, there was still plenty left to rant about in the major sports. Here’s a look at my rap sheet for the teams, players, and situations that cost we, the sports nation some valuable coin.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
The crash of two Korean speed skaters on the final turn of Saturday night’s race that allowed American
Apolo Ohno to take the silver medal and prevented South Korea from sweeping the podium.

I could just rant all week about the Big East. We’ll start with you, Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I thought you wanted to really go dancing at some point so that you could say that you didn’t totally waste four years of having C Luke Harangody on your roster. At least you stuck in front of the college basketball betting line against Seton Hall, but what gives about losing at home to the Johnnies? You’re not exempt of this one either, Louisville Cardinals. Yeah, yeah, that win against Syracuse was really nice on Sunday, but truth be told, that only made up for your complete 74-55 dud against St. John’s on Thursday. Speaking of upsets that make no sense whatsoever… Hey Connecticut Huskies, how do you ever expect to make March Madness when you’re only score 48 points at home against Cincinnati? Your four top scorers should be worth more than that every single night! Finally, Georgetown Hoyas, you just stink. Rutgers is awful. Period. A-W-F-U-L, awful! There’s no excuse, even on the road, for you to be losing to a team like that. And you think you’re a #2 seed in the dance? The only thing you’re number two in right now is my doghouse.

Man, Houston Rockets… You were the probably the worst of the worst last week down in South Beach. How do you only score 66 points in an NBA game? I mean seriously, how is that possible? Yeah, fine. So you were without Gs Kyle Lowry and Trevor Ariza. I get it. You were shorthanded. Me and four other boards with angry faces could probably shoot better than 30.2% from the field for a game, and I’m only 5’7″ on a good day. Oh, by the way… Don’t think that I’m not looking at you G Aaron Brooks. You can’t shoot 3/16 from the floor by yourself in a game.

How’s about a little more effort here, Air Force Falcons. Ok, so you were 22.5-point underdogs going into Provo against BYU on Saturday. Fine. At least try to pretend like you can win the game. Instead, you got rolled up, getting outscored 53-20 in the first half and ultimately losing 91-48. Your 22 turnovers made you look like a circus out there on the court. The Bad News Bears may have done better than that.

Nice week, G Antero Niittymaki. There’s a reason that the Lightning just can’t quite seem to get over the hump once and for all and crack back into the Eastern Conference postseason. After putting up a stretch of games that had everyone in Tampa Bay holding up “Getting Niitty With It” signs, he gave up four goals in the first period of Thursday night’s game against the Bruins, and followed that up by conceding five two nights later against the Islanders. Oh by the way, G Mike Smith, you’re not exempt from this one either. Giving up four against the Rangers on the final day of the regular season before the NHL hockey season took a hiatus for the Olympics wasn’t swift either.

Rachel Alexandra & Zenyatta: The Race that Must Go On

February 6th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in Horse Racing   Comments Off on Rachel Alexandra & Zenyatta: The Race that Must Go On

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Long before there was gambling on the Super Bowl or NBA basketball or Major League Baseball, there was horse racing. For thousands of years, gamblers have been banking on which horse could run a certain distance or a certain track the fastest. Things have gotten a lot more sophisticated for the “Sports of Kings” in the last four millennia, but the news for the equestrian world has been grim over the last several years.

News out of New York in December was the worst of all. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) may be in a position where it can’t make payroll, which could effectively shut down the storied Belmont Racetrack, as well as all of the other racing circuits in the Empire State. The Triple Crown would never be the same again, as the third leg, the Belmont Stakes, would be compromised.

Every year, it feels like horse racing is ready to take off once again behind a new story and a new super horse. But alas, every year, the winner of the Kentucky Derby has fallen in one of the next two Triple Crown races. The sport hasn’t had an icon win its most illustrious three jewels since Affirmed did it in 1978.

Enter Zenyatta, the super filly who has successfully won all 14 races in her career, including the Breeder’s Cup Classic at Santa Anita last year over horses such as Mine That Bird (who won the Kentucky Derby), Summer Bird (who won the Belmont Stakes), and Colonel John. That made her the first filly ever to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic. Zenyatta finished runner-up for Horse of the Year honors in 2009, but was also finished second to Serena Williams for the AP’s Female Athlete of the Year last year to boot.

However, even though Zenyatta has all of the accolades in the world, there’s still one horse that she hasn’t conquered.

See Rachel Alexandra, who was the filly that bested all of the boys and Zenyatta for the Horse of the Year award in 2009. She was the only Triple Crown race winner that wasn’t in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, because her owners didn’t want to see her run on the synthetic track at Santa Anita. Rachel Alexandra marched into Pimlico last year as a favorite over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and put both him and the rest of his mare counterparts to shame by taking the Preakness Stakes just two weeks after walking away from the rest of the field in the Kentucky Oaks by a whopping 20 lengths. That made her the first filly in 85 years to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

How is it possible to separate two unbeaten horses? Experts have clamored all year about the prospects of seeing a Rachel/Zenyatta duel, and now, someone has come to the table with the money to make it happen. Oaklawn Park is offering a $5 million purse for a prospective race between the top horses in the sport.

The art and sport of horse racing clearly needs a superstar. Neither the six-year old Zenyatta nor the four-year old Rachel Alexandra can successfully do it by themselves, especially since their races will largely go unnoticed outside of the Breeders Cup. But with the Kentucky Derby just looming a month after the prospective race between these two behemoths, it may be just the kick needed to get horse racing back on the map.

As sports betting fans, we should all be dying to see this happen before it’s too late. It’s often that you get to see any matchup between two unbeaten people, horses, or teams, especially not ones that have been so dominant and look totally unflappable.

The race, as they say, must go on.

C’mon Man! (for week ending 1/31/10)

February 1st, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in General Handicapping   Comments Off on C’mon Man! (for week ending 1/31/10)
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The week before the Super Bowl generally doesn’t have much action in the way of sports betting, but in the seven days just completed, there were plenty of players, coaches, and teams that just fell on their faces that cost we, the basketball betting or hockey wagering fans some scratch. So to all of the following people, I only have two words to say… C’mon Man!!!

Hey Edmonton Oilers, are you ever going to win a game in 2010? Remember when you were riding high after a five-game winning streak that wrapped up on December 11th? Since then, all you’ve done is win exactly one… that’s right… ONE game. You’ve been outscored by the aggregate score of 84-39 in that stretch, and now you’ve hit the low of all lows. Facing a Calgary team that had lost nine straight games itself, you came out and got thrashed 6-1 on Saturday night. So until you pick up a ‘W’ and make yourselves even remotely relevant again in the NHL betting world… C’mon Man!!!

The Indiana Pacers played a fantastic NBA betting affair on Friday night at home against LeBron James and Co. Not only were they outscored 36-18 in the opening stanza, they also only dropped nine points for the entire fourth quarter. But they had to expect better out of F Danny Grainger, right? Grainger is averaging 22.9 points per game, but the only thing that was more uninspiring than his 14-point effort against the Lakers on Wednesday was his 6/23 shooting performance against the Cavs on Friday. You know kid, I know you want to get the heck out of town, but can you at least try a little bit harder and shoot just a tad better than 26% from the field for a game in which you take so many shots? Pacers betting fans appreciate it… C’mon Man!!!

Does anyone know what’s going on with the Texas Longhorns? All of a sudden, they’ve allowed three straight teams to hang 80+ points on them even though they’re only conceding 67.5 points per game on the season. Once upon a time, this team was ranked #1 in the nation. Now, with three losses in its L/4 games, the worst of which came at home to Baylor on Saturday, the Horns will be lucky to hold in the Top-10. What makes matters worse? Texas hasn’t covered a college basketball betting line since December 22nd against Michigan State. Tickets to a Longhorns game: $10. Losing NCAA basketball betting ticket: $550. Watching a team fail to beat the number in eight straight games: Priceless… C’mon Man!!!

Let’s hear it for the Los Angeles Clippers, who became the first team in the NBA all season to lose to both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Jersey Jets this season! However, what made that feat all the more impressive is the fact that they did all of that in a span of three nights! Want an even better one? Check out the margins of victory for the two worse teams in the NBA… The T’Wolves won by 14, while the Nets won by 16. There’s never any excuse for play this… oh wait… It’s the Clippers… C’mon Man!!!

Trends to Watch Out For: 2010 Super Bowl Betting Preview

January 31st, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in NFL Football   Comments Off on Trends to Watch Out For: 2010 Super Bowl Betting Preview
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Super Bowl XLIV is right around the corner, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking a look at some of the Super Bowl betting trends that you should consider before placing your bets on next Sunday’s big game. As always, don’t forget to take advantage of all of the great Super Bowl bonuses available to you at our sponsored sportsbooks. Check out one of our newest sponsors, Oddsmaker Sportsbook for a whopping 100% signup bonus!

Underdogs are typically the way to go… This bodes awfully well for New Orleans, particularly catching so many points. The only teams to cover a spread higher than four points in recent Super Bowls have been these Indianapolis Colts in 2007 (-7 vs. Chicago Bears) and the Denver Broncos in 1999 (-7.5 vs. Atlanta Falcons). Aside from that, dogs larger than four points have been golden, going 6-2 ATS dating back to 1996. The underdog has covered six of the L/8 Super Bowls overall as well.

Run, run, run, as much as you can… Once again, in all likelihood, this is a huge trend that will be solid for the Saints. In the previous 43 Super Bowls, the team running the ball more in the game went a stellar 37-4 SU. (In Super Bowl V, both the Cowboys and Colts ran the ball 31 times. The same happened when the Bills and Cowboys rushed the pigskin 29 times apiece in Super Bowl XXVII) The Colts pass the ball on almost 63% of their offensive downs. New Orleans is still a pass-happy squad, but it only puts the pill in the air 55% of the time. The Saints are averaging carrying the ball 6.3 times per game more than Indianapolis does. Don’t think that the Colts don’t know about this stat though. An aerial based team in 2007 itself, the Colts still ran the ball 40 times combined with RBs Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, and that’s why they captured Super Bowl XLI.

All Over the Under… Reaching 56.5 points in any NFL betting battle is difficult, but the truth of the matter is that it’s very possible, especially when you consider how good these two offenses are that will take the field on Sunday afternoon in Miami. However, keep in mind that only eight Super Bowls have exceeded 56 points in NFL history, and none have gotten there since 2004. It’s not like there has been a lack of offensive firepower in the big game either of late. Last season, the Cardinals had one of the highest-flying offenses in the league. The same could be said about the record-setting Pats of 2007-08 and the Colts from ’06-’07. Chew on this as well. Indianapolis only had three games this season, including the playoffs, get to that 57+ point mark. New Orleans has played both of its playoff games beyond that number and did play six games past that point in the regular season. However, only three of those occurred away from the Superdome.

Watch out for moneyline value… Normally speaking in the regular season, teams that are favored by 5.5-6 points are usually lined around -250 or so on the moneyline. But this is the Super Bowl, and the majority of money either comes in on the favorites to cover the football betting line, or the underdog to win outright on the moneyline. The end result? Deflated numbers for the favorites to win SU. Right now, at Diamond Sportsbook, you can find Indianapolis lined at -220, and if you shop, you may be able to find a -200 or so by game time.

NFL’s Fight To Prevent Legal Sports Betting Raises Some Questions

August 13th, 2009 by Lou Palumbo (Head Columnist) | Posted in NFL Football   4 Comments »

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The National Football League, along with the NCAA and the other professional sports leagues in the United States, have filed suit against the state of Delaware (on July 24, 2009) to prevent legal sports betting from taking place. The state of Delaware passed a law (on May 12, 2009) which gives the state the right to allow and accept legal sports wagers. The newly passed law would, in-turn, make Delaware the 4th state in the U.S. to allow legal wagering on major sporting events. However, the NFL has led other sports organizations in legal battles opposing the state of Delaware’s legislation. The NFL claims that sports betting “would irreparably harm professional and amateur sports by fostering suspicion and skepticism that individual plays and final scores of games may have been influenced by factors other than honest athletic competition.”

These actions from the NFL, and the great lengths the league has gone in opposing this new law has escalated a new nationwide debate amongst sports bettors and sports fans alike. Many fans and discerning voices have questioned why the NFL would spend millions of dollars tackling an issue as large as sports betting.  After all, most would agree that preventing football betting would seriously jeopardize the NFL’s popularity.  Other sports writers and fellow bloggers across the web have voiced their displeasure in the NFL’s actions, stating that the league’s actions are extremely hypocritical, and that the true motives behind the NFL’s fight are being concealed from the public.

The NFL has long been the leader of major sports in the United States. However, their firm stand opposing legal sports betting has produced a lot of mixed emotions. Most people would question why the league would contest the sports betting industry when it promotes so much attention to the NFL. The NFL states that the intentions behind their actions are to keep illegal favoritism out of pro football. However, their stance is a completely unfair assumption to connect that type of illegal activity with the sports betting industry as a whole.  Wouldn’t legalization and more regulation make it easier to spot the cheats and scandals in their game?  One would think that a computerized system taking bets would be more likely to notice a fix or irregular betting patterns then many illegal bookies.  Perhaps the National Football League is worried that some of the gambling issues that have risen in sports like baseball and basketball will carry over into the NFL. Over the past few years there have been cases where players, coaches, and referees have wagered on sports, meaning their actions may have threatened the true outcome of the game. If that were to happen in professional football, it would have a much bigger impact on the sport. However those instances, where “unfair favoritism” has been questioned in sports, have been very rare occurrences; Most of those instances were related to illegal sports betting operations rather then a legal and regulated type of sports betting.

The NFL’s fight against legal and regulated sports betting also shows less faith in the league’s own governing body and the people that are hired to make sure the game is “on the up and up.” Does the NFL really think that the referees they hire would show favoritism in any relation to sports betting? If a referee or any other type of league official were subject to some type of influential favoritism, then perhaps they should have never been given that opportunity or job in the first place.  Instead of spending millions on legal teams to fight online gambling, perhaps the league could put their money toward hiring and testing full-time officials; refs that work all year round, which in turn would improve the overall quality of the game.  If the NFL wants to spend millions cleaning up the “integrity” of the league, perhaps they could put that money toward hiring better referees and actually improving the screening and testing that these officials are put to.  I am sure most would agree that there are more productive ways to spend millions of dollars (toward improving the quality and the integrity of the sport) then to spend it on bunch of lawyers. It makes you wonder who is really making these decisions.

NFL may be in a losing battle here as they are contesting not only an industry that allies their own popularity, but they are also taking on issues like personal rights. Most people would agree, whether you approve or oppose legalized sports betting, that any type of gambling is, and should continue to be a personal right that one can participate in by choice. Along with personal rights, the NFL is trying to prevent policy that could generate billions in revenue for the states, which in turn would help a dire economy; taking money away from illegal betting operations, turning them into regulated and controlled business enterprises.  Again, most would also agree that legal and regulated businesses are much less open to corruption then illegal bookmaking operations, often run by the mob and criminal enterprises.  Does the NFL really have the power and money to prevent an industry from legally flourishing, which in turn could create millions of jobs and bring in billions of revenue for state and federal governments?

People must abide by governing laws, but the National Football League is suggesting that even legal types of sports betting are wrongful by nature and will negatively impact all sports by producing the possibility of “unfair competition”.  However, many issues of possible “corruption” and “unfair competition” are even questioned today, in NFL games over the past few years; instances where favoritism was perhaps being shown to teams with larger fan bases (or teams who are bet on less with bookmakers).  Many people have raised their own “fair competition” issues following games where there public is clearly betting on one side and the opposite side seems to somehow cover the spread on what fans would characterize as “unfair” and “skeptical” calls by officials.

An excellent example of this would be in the 2008 regular season Chargers vs. Steelers game (on 11/16/08).  In this game, a last second, and 100% meaningless (to the winner of the game), touchdown by the Steelers would have produced a win for all the people who bet on Pittsburgh (-4 points) that day.  This touchdown (which would have put Pittsburgh up by 8) was removed and taken off the board without any explanation by the officials (video).   Immediately after the game, the league stated that this was a “mistake” by the officials.  The “removed touchdown mistake” ended up making all Steelers bets losses.  The Steelers just happened to be the most commonly bet NFL wager of the day on that Sunday (with over 10 million dollars in action on them).  As a result, this “removed touchdown mistake” (which was discussed for 15 minutes by the officials with no time on the clock) ended up generating tens of millions of dollars in gambling profits for the Vegas casinos and illegal bookmakers.  This “mistake”, for some reason, took the game’s officials fifteen minutes discuss and eventually make (while zero seconds were left on the clock).  Despite the fact that the 15 minute discussion HAD NO BEARING ON WHO WOULD WIN THE GAME (only the cover was decided by the call), they still spent considerable time discussing it (I wonder why).  This “mistake” sure did work out well for Vegas and illegal bookmaking operators.  Now, after seeing this, I am supposed to believe the NFL when they tell us that a completely regulated (and 100% legal) form of sports betting in Delaware would actually increase skepticism by fans; and at the same time, also increase fixed games by officials.  Personally, I find that to be entirely unreasonable speculation (and quite frankly, completely hypocritical).  That game was clear evidence that the referees are 100% aware of the game’s spread.

Again, the NFL (and many other sports leagues in this fight) could take the money (and the time) that they are currently putting behind this fight (to prevent legal betting), and spend it on increasing regulation in their own sport, in effort to prevent cheats, sports betting scandals, and “mistakes” by their referees.  But, an overall opposition to the legalization of sports betting and firm stance against all types of betting seems to baffle the NFL’s fans; whom have knowledge on the subject. Why would the NFL want to prevent this?

For the most part, the NFL has done a good job throughout their history at keeping instances of cheating and “unfair competition” from evolving.  It is very unlikely that a legal and controlled sports betting industry could change those values; not to mention how the NFL is villainizing their fans who actively participate in legal betting, by suggesting that all types of sports gambling are wrongful by nature. This article is not an attempt to debate whether or not sports betting (in general) is morally right or wrong, but new legalization laws shouldn’t give the NFL the right to have their own preference towards the gambling industry and state law. It’s just not their decision to make.

This particular story has grown into a much bigger issue and debate outside of the state of Delaware. I have to ask…If the NFL opposes the Delaware sports betting legislation, does this mean they also oppose all other states that allow legal sports betting? Why don’t they feel the need to oppose the sports betting laws in Las Vegas? Why release injury reports a week before the game to the general public?  If sports betting as a whole were to cease existence as of today, the National Football League would feel a tremendous impact. The NFL television ratings would take catastrophic drops.  Think of all the sports bettors that tune in every Sunday to games after making a wager or filling a parlay card in hopes to make a few bucks. One thing sports betting does provide, is an uncontested excitement to the games, whether the wager is large or small.  Those who appreciate that very excitement would not have nearly as much interest in the NFL or sports as a whole. However, I believe the real issue here lies in the NFL’s firm stance to prevent a person from making their own choice. The National Football League should not have the right to insist that those who participate in sports betting are doing wrong.

For any free-thinker and general skeptic, this entire issue and debate has to raise other questions. Some of the  questions one might ask include;

Are there perhaps other motivations behind the NFL’s fight to stop legal sports betting in the United States?

Why would the NFL care if Delaware legalizes betting similar to the type of sports wagering that goes on in Las Vegas and other legal venues?  Why don’t they take Nevada to court?

If the NFL is so extremely anti-gambling, why doesn’t the league assist the authorities in cracking down on illegal bookmaking operations.

Why doesn’t the NFL put all the money they are using on lawyers into increasing the league’s own conduct and integrity (if that’s what they care so much about)?

If you get answers to these questions from the league, please let me know.  The truth is, there are so many much bigger issues that the NFL could (and should) be focusing their attention on, rather than blurring the lines of such a personal issue that would most likely have no impact on the actual game.

Perhaps one of their focuses could be an actual effort to keep their athletes safe off the field (and away from criminal activity). In the last year, the NFL has lost two star players (in Sean Taylor and the retired Steve McNair) from murders.  Additionally, NFL players are constantly filling up newspaper headlines in reference to criminal activity. Meanwhile, (instead of fixing the game’s real problems) the NFL is trying to control their fans (preventing them from placing a $100 bet on the game) when at the same time, the league can’t even control their own players.  The NFL is actually attempting to tackle a legislative issue in order to prevent their fans from participating in a safe, legal, and what would be, a completly regulated activity.  At the same time, they can’t even keep their own employees from criminal, unlawful, and harmful behavior.

Is it really worth the time and money to go to a legal war with an industry that has helped make the NFL the leading sports association in the world; particularly when the league has so many other problems that need addressing?  If you ask me, it flat out does not make any sense at all.

What do you think?  Let the Bankroll Sports staff and other NFL fans aware of your thoughts on this major issue by leaving your comments below…