Naturally, tennis betting sharps will keep a close watch on Caroline Wozniacki. After beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the Dubai Championships last week, Wozniacki reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking from Kim Clijsters. Along with fellow top-four seeds Vera Zvonareva, Francesca Schiavone and Li Na, Wozniacki receives a first-round bye.
Kuznetsova isn’t so lucky. Just two days after losing to Wozniacki, she’s back in action in the first round on Tuesday. She’s a -160 favorite to topple Shahar Peer (+120). Also of note in this WTA Qatar Ladies Open 2011 Preview: Jelena Jankovic will battle Fatma Al-Nabhani on Tuesday. Jankovic is a huge tennis betting favorite at a whopping -5000 over Al-Nabhani (+1200).
Monday’s noteworthy opening-round action includes a tilt between Nadia Petrova and Roberta Vinci. Petrova is a slight favorite at -175 compared to Vinci’s +130 moneyline.
The most intriguing underdog line of the week could be Sania Mirza’s. Known as India’s great tennis hope, the hard-smashing 24-year-old faces off against Mirza Kirilenko on Tuesday. Kirilenko is the slight favorite at -160 over Mirza (+125) but could an upset be in the cards? Kirilenko lost in the first round at the Dubai Championships whereas Mirza won her first match.
The Qatar Ladies Open will rage on this year without its defending champion. Maria Sharapova won the event in 2008, defeating Zvonareva, but won’t play this time around due to an illness.
Get the best tennis odds and props at Bodog Sportsbook
Trevor Bayne, who just turned 20, shocked the world on Sunday in NASCAR’s biggest event to become the youngest driver ever to win the Great American Race. But Bayne said Monday he probably won't attempt to run for the Sprint Cup championship this year.
"I think we're probably just sticking with what we planned," Bayne said.
Bayne is a Nationwide Series driver for Roush-Fenway Racing and planned to run for the title this season in NASCAR's second level. He is scheduled to race in 17 events in the Cup Series on loan to the Wood Brothers team. NASCAR changed its rules this year, making drivers pick just one series to collect points, and Bayne chose the second-tier Nationwide Series. Bayne can change his mind, but he would not be given retroactive points for the Daytona 500. NASCAR officials said Monday the win would count toward seeding in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, but he would not receive any points.
Sunday’s race produced a record 74 lead changes among 22 different drivers, and a record 16 cautions as the tandem racing on the newly repaved track took its toll in wrecks and blown engines. The Wood Brothers team hadn’t won a Cup race of any kind since Bayne was 10, in 2001, and had only five wins in the past 27 years. It was the team’s fifth Daytona 500 victory, but first since David Pearson won in 1976. Bayne was just 20 years old plus one day on Sunday. Jeff Gordon was the previous youngest winner, at 25 years and six months. Bayne’s only previous Cup series start came last year at Texas, where Bayne ran 17th in his debut. No driver had won the Daytona 500 in his first attempt since Lee Petty won the inaugural race in 1959.
A major schedule shift will take place next year when the Daytona 500 is moved to Feb. 26, the fourth Sunday of the month instead of the third. NASCAR made the change in part because of the NFL talking about expanding the season to 18 games. NASCAR didn’t want to stage its race possibly on what could be Super Bowl Sunday.
The Sprint Cup Series visits Phoenix this Sunday for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 – bet on it at Bodog Sportsbook
It could possibly sound addicting, but sports gambling is genuinely just for fun and a way to bond together with your friends. You can bet a bit quantity of funds and still have an excellent time. Sports gambling makes the outcome of a game far more meaningful along with the entire duration of the game much more thrilling and exciting. Here are some basics to get you started on sports gambling.
To location a bet, all you’ve got to do is go to a sportsbook, which is really a place that accepts sports bets. In the United States, there are four states where you can do sports gambling legally, but illegally, you are able to do it anywhere so long as you may uncover a bookie AND you might be of legal age (over 21). Several of the sports you can bet on are professional and college football and basketball, professional baseball, professional hockey, and horse and dog racing. You are able to bet on anything that involves sports, seriously, after all, it’s sports gambling. It is possible to bet on the overall combined score of a game, on what round will the opponent be knocked out, and even whether or not a coin toss in a game lands heads or tails. All you’ve to do is location your bet depending on the statistical odds (chances of winning/losing).
In sports gambling, bookies rely on statistics to assist you to choose which team you believe will win. There is such a factor called a “spread,” which is a point benefit given to a weaker team that’s expected to lose by X number of points. This is the odds maker’s way of making even bets achievable for a Sports Book. For instance, if an individual may bet on a team which is expected to lose, and still win the bet so long as the team loses by a given number of points.You might be asked to bet a few notches higher than the cash you might in fact win. This is truly just the bookie’s way of making funds.
In sports gambling, there are diverse kinds of bets. You will discover straight bets, parlays, teasers, and over/unders. In sports gambling the most frequent type of bet is the straight bet, where all you’ve to do is to pick the team which you believe will lose or win. Over/under bets are wagers on the combined number of points scored in the game by both teams. Parlays are combined bets on numerous games. Teasers are comparable to parlays, but it is possible to add or subtract points from the spread to create your bets stronger. This is just to show you that sports gambling may be made extra fascinating and challenging by the bets that you place. There you go – the basics of sports gambling. Why do not you give it a try, and have a lot of fun within the method. Just remember not to get too carried away and invest your whole 401K plan on a whim. You just may possibly wind up regretting it for life.
This NCAA Tournament-bracket style event is by far the best tournament of the year so far and features 62 of the world’s Top 64 ranked players – two of the Top 64, Toru Taniguchi and Tim Clark, had to withdraw due to injuries. Taniguchi’s withdrawal might not be a good thing for world No. 1 Lee Westwood, who is the top seed in the Bobby Jones bracket. That’s because Henrik Stenson replaced Taniguchi and will face Westwood (18/1 on Bodog to win this tournament) in the first round Wednesday. Stenson won this event in 2007 and Westwood doesn’t have a good record in this tournament in never getting past the second round. It could be the third No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed in first-round history.
The favorite on Bodog’s golf odds to win is Tiger Woods at 10/1. Of course Woods hasn’t had a victory since his personal life became tabloid fodder in 2009. But Tiger, the top seed in the Sam Snead bracket, has won this tournament three times: in 2003, 2004 and 2008. He was the only player to repeat and set the record for biggest margin of victory in the ’08 final, an 8-and-7 rout of Stewart Cink. You can bet on which player wins each individual bracket, and Tiger’s is loaded with two-time Match Play winner Geoff Ogilvy and two-time runner-up Paul Casey (the second favorite at 12/1 to win the tournament) – not to mention Dustin Johnson and Ernie Els.
The other top overall seeds are Phil Mickelson in the Ben Hogan bracket and Martin Kaymer in the Gary Player bracket. Kaymer (14/1 to win) is considered the top player in the world right now even though he’s technically No. 2 in the world rankings. The 2010 PGA Championship winner has never won a WGC event and is 2-3 all-time at the Match Play. Mickelson (16/1) hasn't lost a first-round match in his last seven attempts but he's never gotten past the quarterfinals in 10 career starts.
You can bet on every Match Play match as well as daily futures updates at Bodog Sportsbook
There were definitely a few upsets in Round 1, with none bigger than No. 16 seed Thomas Bjorn knocking out No. 1 seed Tiger Woods, meaning Tiger’s winless streak on Tour will reach at least 17 months. Tiger had tied Bjorn on the 18th hole, but on the first playoff hole Woods drove into the desert bush and that was basically that. Bjorn now gets Geoff Ogilvy, a two-time winner of this event. All of the other No. 1 seeds won rather easily.
The next biggest surprise had to be world No. 6 Steve Stricker, a No. 2 seed and former winner of this event, losing to the youngest player in the history of the event in 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero. Two other top Americans, Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk, also were sent packing.
In Round 2, the glamour matchup is Phil Mickelson vs. rising star Rickie Fowler. Mickelson showed no signs of fatigue Wednesday routing Brendan Jones 6 and 5. This is Lefty’s sixth consecutive week of play. Fowler made five bogeys on Wednesday but still beat Peter Hanson 1-up. Mickelson is at -160 on Bodog’s golf odds to win this match, with Fowler at +125.
Here are the pairings for Round 2, with local tee time. You can bet on each match at Bodog.
9:10 a.m. No. 2 Graeme McDowell vs. No. 10 Ross Fisher
9:22 a.m. No. 14 Stewart Cink vs. No. 11 Y.E. Yang
9:34 a.m. No. 2 Paul Casey vs. No. 10 Jason Day
9:46 a.m. No. 3 Ernie Els vs. No. 6 J.B. Holmes
9:58 a.m. No. 15 Matteo Manassero vs. No. 7 Charl Schwartzel
10:10 a.m. No. 3 Luke Donald vs. No. 6 Edoardo Molinari
10:22 a.m. No. 2 Rory McIlroy vs. No. 10 Ben Crane
10:34 a.m. No. 14 Ryan Palmer vs. No. 6 Miguel Angel Jimenez
10:46 a.m. No. 1 Phil Mickelson vs. No. 8 Rickie Fowler
10:58 a.m. No. 4 Matt Kuchar vs. No. 12 Bo Van Pelt
11:10 a.m. No. 16 Thomas Bjorn vs. No. 8 Geoff Ogilvy
11:22 a.m. No. 13 Mark Wilson vs. No. 5 Bubba Watson
11:34 a.m. No. 1 Lee Westwood vs. No. 8 Nick Watney
11:46 a.m. No. 13 K.J. Choi vs. No. 12 Ryan Moore
11:58 a.m. No. 1 Martin Kaymer vs. No. 9 Justin Rose
12:10 p.m. No. 4 Robert Karlsson vs. No. 5 Hunter Mahan
Get all your golf odds and props at Bodog Sportsbook
The Venezuelan Acosta is 28-3-2 for his career with an impressive 22 knockout victories. He rides a 19-fight winning streak into Saturday’s title bout. He won the WBA world lightweight strap off Paulus Moses with a sixth-round knockout last May. Acosta followed up that win with a first-round KO of Armando Cordoba in November, needing just two minutes to finish the job.
Rios, an American, is a rising star in the lightweight division with a record of 27-0-1, with 19 of his victories coming by knockout. He last fought in November of 2010 as well, beating Omri Lowther by TKO in the fifth round.
Whether or not they’re wagering on him, plenty of bettors will at least be cheering against Rios. He’s developed somewhat of a “bad boy” reputation in the sport after he mocked renowned trainer Freddie Roach’s Parkinson’s disease. He’s an exciting fighter who comes forward, stays aggressive, and really doesn’t mind getting hit.
If Rios is the greater talent, Acosta is considered the more cerebral fighter. He likes to counterpunch, fight defensively and use the jab to set up his major attacks. Don’t be surprised if Acosta gets plenty of action at sportsbooks. An aggressive opponent like Rios may actually play right into his counterattacking style.
The interesting contrast between styles makes Acosta vs. Rios a highly anticipated matchup among the boxing betting community.
Get the best fight odds and parlays at Bodog Sportsbook
Is Bayne a one-hit wonder? It’s obviously unlikely that he wins again after shocking the world last week and becoming a star by winning NASCAR’s Super Bowl in just his second Cup start. Bayne isn’t even a full-time Sprint Cup driver yet until he gets possible sponsorship. He will race at Phoenix (as he did in Saturday’s Nationwide Series, in which he will remain as a full-time driver). Bayne wrecked in practice for the Sprint Cup on Friday, meaning he will be in a backup car for this one.
Tony Stewart is among the betting favorites this week after a disappointing 13th-place finish last week at Daytona – Stewart was lined up second on what proved to the final restart of the 500. Stewart will be making his 19th Cup start Phoenix International Raceway. He has seven top-five finishes, has led 327 laps and has an average finish of 12th. But he also has won just once at Phoenix and has only one Top-10 finish in his past six starts.
Jimmie Johnson is the favorite this week as he leads all drivers with four victories (in the past seven races) at this track. The five-time points champion finished just 27th last week at Daytona. Like most drivers, Johnson said he feels the “real” season starts this week after two weeks of restrictor-plate racing at Daytona.
Carl Edwards also is among the betting favorites this week. He finished second to Bayne last week and is second behind Johnson in career Top-10 finishes at Phoenix with seven. He won the last race held at PIR in November
The best NASCAR props can always be found at Bodog Sportsbook!
The 33-year-old Judah will face Kaizer Mabuza on Sunday for the vacant IBF light welterweight championship this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The IBF ranks Mabuza first and Judah second. The winner will move on to some big fights that will unify the IBF belt with other major ones.
Judah (40-6, 1 NC) is a former superstar, a man with five titles in two weight classes. On Saturday, he’ll attempt to win the same belt he won as a 22-year-old in 2000. Judah was written off by many in 2008 after losing to Joshua Clottey but has slowly worked his way back up the ranks since then, rattling off four straight victories.
Mabuza (23-6-3, 1 NC), a veteran South African, is an intimidating character. He’s one of the biggest light welterweights out there and he’s known for his chiselled physique. Mabuza has also battled through some absolute wars in his career. He hasn’t been knocked out in seven years and he’s taken some huge shots along the way to validate his chin.
Mabuza has also doled out plenty of punishment. His last effort was particularly amazing – he crushed Kendall Holt in the sixth round. Holt was expected to dominate Mabuza, not vice-versa.
So does Judah have a chance despite being the older, smaller fighter? He’ll hope to outbox the brutal Mabuza. He’s training with the legendary Pernell Whitaker to sharpen his finesse skills. Mabuza is a menacing fighter but plenty of bettors will put their faith in the tried and tested Judah, hoping he’ll outsmart his opponent on Saturday.
Take advantage of the opportunity and weigh in on Judah vs. Mabuza before it's too late.
Get all your boxing odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
There are three previous winners in the field sure to draw betting action at sportsbooks this week: Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick and Joe Nemechek. Martin is a three-time winner, Harvick has two Sam’s Town titles to his name, and Nemechek has one.
Of that group, Harvick seems like the guy to watch this week. He’s the defending champion and has cracked the top four six times in his last eight starts at the Sam’s Town 300. Then again, it’s hard to argue with the three-time winner Martin. He remains Nationwide’s all-time series wins leader at 48 and has never finished worse than sixth in five career starts at this race. Bet on NASCAR with Bodog.
Another driver who should get some bets this week is Reed Sorenson. Through two Nationwide races this season, he leads the series with 78 points. He’s the only driver on the circuit with two straight top-five finishes to start the year. Close behind him and sure to generate some interest among the betting public are Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (73 points) and Jason Leffler (71 points).
Though the big star Kyle Busch may draw some interest, he could be fool’s gold this week. He has just one top-10 finish in seven tries at this week’s host track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Get all your NASCAR betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.
Caroline Wozniacki’s WTA No. 1 world ranking has also earned her the top seed in California this week. The Denmark native is off to a great start in 2011. After getting ousted in the semis by Li Na at the Australian Open, Wozniacki surged to victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Wozniacki reached the finals again at the Qatar Ladies Open, where she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva.
Belgian superstar Kim Clijsters checks in with the second seed at the BNP Paribas Open. Like Wozniacki, Clijsters has been going deep into tourneys regularly this season. She kicked her year off with a loss in the finals to Li Na at the Medibank International, but rebounded by capturing the Australian Open over the same opponent. Clijsters then won both her opening Fed Cup matches before falling in the Suez Open final to Petra Kvitova.
Vera Zvonareva is chasing back-to-back victories. The Russian was last seen in Qatar, when she defeated Wozniacki in the finals. Zvonareva is certainly more inconsistent than the first and second seeds, however, and is a wild card to win or flame out early. While she has a win and two semifinal appearances to her credit this year, Zvonareva has also been bounced in the third and second round of tournaments. She’s definitely a gamble.
Samantha Stosur is the fourth-seeded player and represents a bit of a drop-off in competition. The Australian might have a tiny bit of momentum, at least, after making the quarterfinals in Dubai in her last outing (she was beaten by Jelena Jankovic). Still, in four tournaments this year, that was the only time Stosur got past the third round. She also lost both her Fed Cup matches.
Bet on the BNP Paribas Open now.
Get all your tennis odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
Cotto, 30, is a former welterweight and light welterweight champion. He’s 35-2 in his career with 28 knockouts, but many boxing pundits consider him damaged goods since getting crushed by Antonio Margarito in 2008 and Manny Pacquiao in 2009. They’re the only two losses on Cotto’s resume, and he was TKO’d both times.
The Puerto Rican bounced back with a ninth-round TKO over Yuri Foreman in June — earning him his current middleweight title — but he’s endured shoulder surgery and has a ton of personal distractions to deal with, including domestic problems and the death of his father.
Mayorga, 38, is 29-7-1 in his career with 23 wins via knockout. It’s surprising to see him take on a fight of this stature—even with Cotto’s skills fading—as the Nicaraguan has had a really tough go over the past few years.
Mayorga has lost four of his last eight fights, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent he doesn’t have the chin to box anymore. The last three losses ended in knockouts or TKO’s, meaning Mayorga is risking some serious pain for a payout on Saturday. His win over Michael Walker last December was his only fight since getting knocked out by Shane Mosley in September 2008. Rust is going to be an issue.
Get all your boxing odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
The new policy is primarily aimed at wagering on any tournament in which the player or caddie may be a participant, but it includes a stipulation forbidding gambling on any event in which the player or caddie may have inside information.
Such a policy has long been in effect on the PGA Tour in the United States.
European director of tour operations David Garland told the Associated Press that the proliferation of gambling scandals throughout Europe and the fact that golf is the fourth-most popular wagering sport in Britain were motivating forces.
"We just feel that looking at other sports, and instances of gambling scandals in other sports over here, we didn't have a policy. It's been a little topical at the moment," he said.
Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the tournament committee, said the biggest concern is the spread of inside information that could influence serious wagering.
"I don't think the $20 bet is a problem," Bjorn said. "We've had big scandals in cricket, there's stuff going on in snooker. You have to protect yourself against the inside stuff."
Bute, 31 years old, is a heavy favorite at -1200. The Canadian-Romanian has yet to lose a single fight in his career, going 27-0 with 22 wins via knockout. Bute has enjoyed a very impressive run; he’s already defended his title six different times, and all but one of those was achieved with a knockout. His last fight was a ninth-round knockout over American Jesse Brinkley.
Fighting in front of the Montreal crowd should give Bute a huge boost, as it always does. The popular fighter is a natural lefty with a wonderful counter punch. He’s got a great mix of speed and power and should be a real handful for Magee. It’s worth noting, however, that some observers have criticized Bute for taking on fighters that aren’t up to his caliber.
The 35-year-old Magee won’t be hurting for experience when he steps into the ring on Saturday. The former Olympic boxer has 38 professional fights on his resume, with a solid 34-3-1 record and 24 knockouts to go with it. He’s owned the European, IBO and British super middleweight titles. Like Bute, the Northern Ireland native is also a southpaw, and there’s been word that Bute has been training very hard and taking Magee quite seriously.
Magee is riding a 10-fight winning streak. He hasn’t been beaten since a 2006 loss to Carl Froch, when he was knocked out in the 11th round. Since then, Magee has been pretty impressive. Three of his last four fights have ended in knockout victories. Magee was last seen taking on Roman Aramyan; the Armenian was forced to retire after the ninth round, so Magee retained his European championship.
Fight fans know where to bet: Bodog Sportsbook
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Clijsters, though, is coming off a disappointing effort at the Paribas Open last week. After taking care of business in the first few rounds, the Belgian was forced to withdraw in the fourth against Marion Bartoli. Clijsters won the first set 6-3 but is struggling with shoulder issues. She packed it in trailing 1-3 in the second set. If Clijsters can stay healthy, though, don’t be surprised to see her race to the finals. She already has three finals appearances this season, including a victory over Li Na in the Australian Open.
World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will also be making an appearance on Sony Ericsson odds. Wozniacki is coming off a win against Bartoli in the Paribas Open on Sunday. The Dane won in Dubai earlier this season and lost in the Qatar Ladies Open final against Vera Zvonareva, so she’s consistently buzzing around for a title. With Clijsters nursing the sore shoulder, Wozniacki is the safer bet.
In addition to Clijsters, there are a few other past champions who should be in the mix. Victoria Azarenka won the title in 2009, but her status could be in doubt this week. The Belarusian was forced to retire in the quarterfinals last week when she injured her hip against Wozniacki.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the Sony Ericsson Open in 2006. The Russian hasn’t been terribly consistent this season, but she’s shown flashes. Kuznetsova lost in the finals to Wozniacki at the Dubai Tennis Championships and made the quarterfinals at the Medibank International, but she’s also been bounced from tournaments quite early, too (second round at the ASB Classic, fourth round at the Australian Open).
The Williams sisters have won eight of the past 13 Sony Ericsson titles, but neither will be making an appearance in 2011. Serena Williams is out with a foot injury and blood clot. Venus Williams pulled out last week thanks to an abdominal injury.
Get all your women's tennis odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
Women’s tennis betting resumes this week with the Sony Ericsson Open, and it should be a real thriller as almost all the big names have signed on to play. Defending champion Kim Clijsters will be one of the favorites in this year’s impressive field.
Clijsters, though, is coming off a disappointing effort at the Paribas Open last week. After taking care of business in the first few rounds, the Belgian was forced to withdraw in the fourth against Marion Bartoli. Clijsters won the first set 6-3 but is struggling with shoulder issues. She packed it in trailing 1-3 in the second set. If Clijsters can stay healthy, though, don’t be surprised to see her race to the finals. She already has three finals appearances this season, including a victory over Li Na in the Australian Open.
World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will also be making an appearance on Sony Ericsson odds. Wozniacki is coming off a win against Bartoli in the Paribas Open on Sunday. The Dane won in Dubai earlier this season and lost in the Qatar Ladies Open final against Vera Zvonareva, so she’s consistently buzzing around for a title. With Clijsters nursing the sore shoulder, Wozniacki is the safer bet.
In addition to Clijsters, there are a few other past champions who should be in the mix. Victoria Azarenka won the title in 2009, but her status could be in doubt this week. The Belarusian was forced to retire in the quarterfinals last week when she injured her hip against Wozniacki.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the Sony Ericsson Open in 2006. The Russian hasn’t been terribly consistent this season, but she’s shown flashes. Kuznetsova lost in the finals to Wozniacki at the Dubai Tennis Championships and made the quarterfinals at the Medibank International, but she’s also been bounced from tournaments quite early, too (second round at the ASB Classic, fourth round at the Australian Open).
The Williams sisters have won eight of the past 13 Sony Ericsson titles, but neither will be making an appearance in 2011. Serena Williams is out with a foot injury and blood clot. Venus Williams pulled out last week thanks to an abdominal injury.
Get all your women's tennis odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
Novak Djokovic should be at the center of attention after an absolutely blistering start to the 2011 season. The Serbian has played in three tournaments this season and won all three, including a victory at the Australian Open. Djokovic also won last week’s Paribas Open, getting past Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal along the way. Djokovic hasn’t just been good—he’s been absolutely dominant. The world’s No. 2-ranked player has lost just five sets all season.
Nadal is still searching for his first tournament victory of the season. He came closest in the Paribas before getting ousted 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 by the red-hot Djokovic. The Spaniard also has quarterfinal and semifinal appearances this season, plus a pair of wins in the first-round of the Davis Cup, so he’s been hovering in contention. Nadal is due for a breakthrough.
Federer was knocked out in the Paribas semifinals by Djokovic, and it’s probably safe to say he’s getting awfully sick of his Serbian rival. Federer won the Qatar Open earlier this year and reached the semis, final, and semis of three other tournaments—and was ousted by Djokovic every time. The Swiss has firmly established himself in his own tier ahead of just about everybody, but behind Djokovic.
Andy Roddick will be back to defend his Sony Ericsson title. The American has already enjoyed some solid success this season, including a win at the Morgan Keegan Championships and a loss in the final at the Brisbane International. Roddick was very disappointing in his last tournament, though, getting bounced by Richard Gasquet in the fourth round of the Paribas Open.
And, as usual, Woods (8/1) makes a risky pick. Woods is still trying to rediscover his game after the fallout from his very public divorce, and it didn’t look like things were going so well through his first two tournaments of the year. He looks like he’s finally coming around, though, after a 10th-place effort at the World Golf Championships at Doral two weeks ago. This week should be a good test to see how far Woods has really come.
Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell are each tied with 16/1 odds to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Johnson has already hit the links six times this year, twice as much as Woods. He’s earned three top-10 finishes, including a second-place effort at the WGC event. Had it not been for a great final round from Nick Watney, Johnson would have had his first win of 2011.
McDowell, on the other hand, completely melted down after a fantastic start to the year. The Northern Ireland native opened the year with three straight top-10s—a third, ninth and sixth. He wasn’t comfortable at all two weeks ago, however, as he struggled to a 42nd-place finish at Doral.
Phil Mickelson rounds out the top contenders at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, checking in with 20/1 odds. He’s also played in six tournaments this season, with mixed results. Lefty kicked off his season with a second-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he added another top-10 finish at Pebble Beach. Mickelson also has 29th, 35th and 55th (at Doral) efforts to his credit, though, so consistency is an issue right now.
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Johnson has 7/2 odds to take care of business this weekend. The Hendrick Motorsports superstar is still searching for his first win of the season, as he’s been a little inconsistent so far in 2011. However, he did turn in a third-place effort at the Jeff Byrd 500 last time out, so he should be carrying some momentum into the week.
Carl Edwards is next in line with 6/1 odds to win at Auto Club Speedway. Unlike Johnson, Edwards is off to a blistering start in 2011. He’s racked up first or second-place finishes in three of his last four races, including a second-place effort last weekend. Edwards also has a couple of poles this season, so he looks like the man to beat right now.
Kyle Busch has 8/1 NASCAR odds this weekend, and he might be the lone driver who could be considered hotter than Edwards. Busch has already racked up three Top-10 finishes in his four Cup races this year, including two finishes among the Top-5. The Joe Gibbs Racing star capped it off with a victory at last week’s Jeff Byrd 500.
Jeff Gordon rolls into Auto Club Speedway with 17/2 odds to take the checkered flag. Gordon won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 earlier this season, just his second victory in three years, but it’s hard to trust him. That was his only Top-10 finish of the season, and Gordon was a middling 14th last weekend.
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Sports commentators are fuelling the boom and putting children at risk by bombarding viewers with odds and betting promotions, experts say.
The surge in online betting providers and smartphone technology has given Australian punters access to 2319 online gambling sites, up from only a handful in the 1990s.
Alex Blaszczynski, a psychologist who is treating a rising number of sports betting addicts, called for a crackdown on how gambling is marketed.
"These (sports stars) are role models that people look up to," Prof Blaszczynski said.
"My concern is over the next few years we're going to see a steady rise in sports-related problem gambling."
Aussie punters are set to lose $611 million through online sports betting this year, up from $264 million in 2006, Global Betting and Gaming Consultants figures reveal.
Total sports betting is much higher as the amounts do not include bets through phone calls or at TAB outlets.
Fiercely competitive gambling firms have been raising the stakes with blitzkrieg marketing campaigns, including the use of sporting idols to provide odds mid-match.
"That is normalising gambling. Let's be sensible about it now and have a balance of appropriate advertising," Prof Blaszczynski said.
There were 24 new sports betting clients at Prof Blaszczynski's University of Sydney gambling treatment clinic last year - a 70 per cent rise from 14 new clients the previous year.
Relationships Australia and Gamblers Anonymous also told The Sunday Mail's Gambling Nation investigation of a new trend towards problem sports betting.
Addiction concerns come as match fixing now rivals doping as sport's biggest challenge.
Sports betting was the vice of choice for a growing number of gamblers, driven by the spread of smartphones which provide constant internet access, according to Southern Cross University researcher Dr Sally Gainsbury, who is conducting a major survey of the nation's gamblers.
"My figures indicate sports gambling is the fastest growing form of gambling in Australia," Dr Gainsbury said.
"Within Australia and internationally these online gambling companies are increasing their expenditure on marketing, anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent in the last year alone.
"For problem gamblers there's that trigger, that impulse to gamble. For children . . . there is this link between the celebrity or sporting figure endorsing a gambling site.
"Kids look at that as something to aspire to. That certainly is of concern."
Mission Australia's Queensland state director Penny Gillespie said there was a growing sense sport could only be enjoyed with a bet.
"For children, they're are going to grow up thinking sport goes hand-in-hand with gambling."
Monday has just a few matchups that will catch bettors' eyes, including Tomas Berdych facing Jeremy Chardy. Berdych is a -1100 tennis betting favorite over Chardy, who sits at +550 to win.
Berdych, a top-10 player in the world, hasn’t tasted much success in 2011, failing to get past the semifinal of any tournament. Most notably, he took a beating from Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last month.
On Tuesday, some of the really big fish join the pond at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Roger Federer is a -5000 favorite over Somdev Devvarman. Federer won the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open to start his season but hasn’t played since Djokovic upset him in the Aussie Open. In Devvarman, he certainly draws an obscure opponent, but the wildcard Devvarman did reach the final of ATP Johannesburg earlier this year.
Djokovic gets his tournament underway on Tuesday as well, He’s a -750 favorite for his draw against Michael Llodra (+450). The Joker doesn’t get the same free pass Federer gets. Llodra pulled off a shocker when he beat Djokovic last November.
Still, Djokovic will get plenty of tennis betting support after an Aussie Open win in which he stormed through Berdych, Federer and Andy Murray in succession. Anyone hoping to place a bet on Murray for this year’s Dubai Championships will be disappointed; Murray pulled out because of a wrist injury.
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