The state of Illinois took its first sports bet in the week March Madness was canceled. In the months that followed, betting action was negligible. But over the last 90 days, as sports returned, the Prairie State emerged as the Midwest capital of online sports betting. The Illinois Gaming Board […]
Oddsmakers Predicted Presidential Election Outcome More Accurately than Pollsters
As the 2020 US election awaits certification, most (but not all) oddsmakers and sportsbooks are paying out Joe Biden as the winner. Looking back, it was the betting world, not traditional pollsters, that called the election more accurately. More money changed hands on the 2020 election than any event in […]
DraftKings’ Q3 Gains Create Stock Surge, But is Success Sustainable?
Buoyed by a trio of new states approving gambling on Election Day and continued progress with professional sports partnerships, DraftKings reported some big third quarter wins on Friday. As a result, shares of DraftKings stock jumped more than 10% to end the week after the company released blockbuster quarter-end totals, […]
Odds to Win 2021 World Series Move in Miami’s Favor As Marlins Hire First Female GM in Baseball History
Bettors responded to the Miami Marlins’ hiring of Kim Ng as their general manager Friday by improving the team’s odds to win the World Series. The team’s historic announcement makes Ng not only the first female GM in all of North American professional sports. It also signals the long-overdue promotion […]
UCLA to Host Cal on Sunday as Pac-12 Shuffles Schedule to Save Seasons
As COVID-19 infection rates soar to all-time highs nationwide, the Pac-12 is doing its best to juggle schedules and save football seasons. But even the most creative last-minute efforts will still fall short for some. After two teams lost their week two opponents for this weekend, the conference scrambled to […]
Week of Cancelations: COVID Outbreak at ASU Spoils Cal’s Season
California at Arizona State was canceled Friday due to a COVID-19 outbreak at ASU, which includes an undisclosed number of players, coaches, staff along with Sun Devils’ Head Coach Herm Edwards. “I encourage all of you to take this virus seriously, to wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and get […]
Will Another NBA Bubble Season Benefit the Lakers? Oddsmakers Say Yes
The LA Lakers Thursday became the first team to announce some of their upcoming regular-season protocols, including playing the entire season in a modified bubble at the Staples Center. They are also the odds-on favorite to win the 2020-21 season and prove their 2020 bubble championship was no fluke. When […]
Indiana Smashes Online Gambling Records: Now #4 in US Sports Betting
Indiana cracked the top five in online sports betting handle with a bullet as Hoosiers wagered $231 million in October. That number is up more than 11% from September’s in-state, record-setting total of $207 million, and signals $35 million in gross revenue for September and October combined. State officials estimate […]
New Jersey Seeks To Loosen Restrictions on College Sports Betting
In hopes of continuing its run as the nation’s epicenter for online sports gambling, New Jersey lawmakers introduced a bill Monday that would remove restrictions on collegiate sports betting. The measure would eliminate a restriction that prohibits wagering on college sporting events taking place in the state, within state limits, […]
More COVID Scratches for Week 11: Is It Almost Time To Cancel the 2020 College Football Season?
Add Saturday’s No. 12 Georgia vs. Missouri matchup to the growing list of COVID-19 scratches in Week 11 for the SEC. As the pandemic rips through the most formidable conference in college football, cancelations across the country are complicating the playoff picture, putting a strain on public health concerns, and […]
Alabama-LSU and Texas A&M-Tennessee Postponed as COVID Hits SEC Hard
The 14th and 15th NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision games to be postponed or canceled in November also happen to be the season’s most significant. They come as the SEC faces a history-making weekend of missed kickoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Defending national champion LSU versus No. 1 […]
COVID-19 Rips Through College Football as Infection Rates Reach All-Time Highs
On Monday, the list of college football COVID-19 casualties started taking shape and, with four days of testing and postponements remaining, it looks like Week 11 could be one of reckoning. Momentum has been building in COVID’s favor as national infection rates are reaching an all-time high. Last week, schools had […]
WynnBET Expansion Lights Fiscal Path for Wynn Resorts
An announcement that Wynn Resorts is in the process of investing heavily in its online gambling product, combined with the news that a COVID-19 vaccine may be in the offing, resulted in a mammoth win for the resort and entertainment giant (NASDAQ: WYNN) as its stock price surged more than 22% Monday […]
When Will Sportsbooks Pay Election Bets? Sites Vary on What Makes Biden Victory Official
Sportsbooks are as split as the US electorate on what to do about Donald Trump after the American presidential election was called on Saturday for former Vice President Joe Biden. With the 45th President refusing to concede, and Trump campaign operatives promising lawsuits to contest election results, some bettors have […]
NFL Week 9 COVID-19 Update: Matt Stafford to Start, Baker Mayfield Placed on Reserve
Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford is set to return under center Sunday after a second trip to the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list has ended. The Detroit Lions said Sunday Stafford was activated after being placed on the list Wednesday. The Lions will travel to face the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North […]
Pac-12 Down Two More Teams Due to COVID-19 Outbreak
With COVID-19 cases in the US setting a single-day record of 120,000 on Thursday, the Pac-12 continues its struggles with the pandemic as the second matchup of its delayed season kickoff was canceled on Friday. Officials from the University of Utah announced that they found positive cases among an undisclosed […]
ESPN Eliminates 500 Jobs, 300 Through Layoffs
ESPN’s financial woes, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in a massive layoff of 300 staffers along with the elimination of 200 currently unfilled job openings. The layoffs will be spread throughout the sports cable empire, with on-air personnel being spared initially, according to a memo from ESPN Chairman […]
Cal-UW Game Canceled Despite Strictest COVID Protocol in the Nation, Playoff Hopes for Both Schools Dashed
The Pac-12 did everything it could to limit the spread of COVID-19 among its student-athletes, but on Thursday evening, it became the latest conference to cancel a matchup. Washington at California is the Pac-12’s first cancellation, and the 42nd college football game delayed or wiped out this season due to […]
COVID Violations Cost Raiders $500K and Draft Pick, Pro Bowl Offensive Tackle Out Again This Week
On Thursday evening, the NFL announced it fined the Raiders $500,000, head coach Jon Gruden an additional $150,000, and took away the team’s 2021 sixth-round draft pick as a result of multiple COVID-19 violations. League and NFLPA officials said the fines and penalties came in the wake of an investigation […]
Bettors May Not See a Payout on the Presidential Election Until Early 2021
As the country waits for ballot tallies in a handful of battleground states, there’s plenty of fodder for anxious bettors to fret about while we wait to learn who the next president will be. With a handful of post-election day lawsuits already threatened in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and perhaps more […]