Denny Hamlin has certainly come to the right place if he hopes to lock down a spot in the Chase for The Sprint Cup on the NASCAR betting circuit this weekend.
With just one race remaining before the postseason cutoff is made to 12 drivers, Hamlin currently sits in a Wild Card spot to advance and he returns to Richmond International Raceway for the Wonderful Pistachios 400 this Saturday night (7:30 pm Eastern, ABC) as the two-time defending champion at this event.
Kyle Busch, who leads all drivers this season with four victories in the Sprint Cup Series, is the NASCAR betting favorite to win this weekend’s race at 7/2 odds, with Hamlin listed second at 5/1 odds. Jimmie Johnson, the No. 1-ranked driver in the standings with 17 Top-10 finishes in 25 races and 873 points, is listed third at 8/1 odds, along with the winner of last week’s AdvoCare 500 race in Atlanta, Jeff Gordon.
Carl Edwards (at 11/1 odds to win the Wonderful Pistachios 400), Matt Kenseth (20/1), Kevin Harvick (14/1), Kurt Busch (18/1), and Ryan Newman (30/1) have each secured their spots already in the Chase, along with Johnson, Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski (14/1).
Besides Hamlin, the drivers who still have a shot to advance to the Chase with the right mix of results this Saturday night include Dale Earnhardt Jr. (30/1), Tony Stewart (11/1), A.J. Allmendinger (40/1), Clint Bowyer (22/1), Greg Biffle (30/1), Paul Menard (50/1), and Martin Truex Jr. (40/1).
Johnson (twice) as well as Harvick and Kurt Busch join Hamlin as former September winners in recent Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway. Harvick’s win came back in 2006, and a visit to Victory Lane on Saturday night would tie him with Kyle Busch at four checkered flags this season. Gordon and Keselowski also have three wins apiece.
Get all your NASCAR odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
Dominant points leader Sebastien Vettel of Red Bull is the favorite on the F1 odds to take the checkered flag on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix – and is there any real reason to go against him on that betting board?
Well, some bettors at the Bodog Sportsbook might be inclined to go with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on Sunday instead. After all, he's the defending race champion, beating McLaren's Jenson Button and teammate Felipe Massa across the finish line in 2010. Vettel was fourth at that race.
That has Alonso tied with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at 3/1 odds to get the win at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, just back of Vettel and his 2/1 betting line. Hamilton was involved in an accident at this event last year and didn't finish the race.
Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Michael Schumacher, and Rubens Barrichello rounded out the Top 10 at last year's Italian Grand Prix. Barrichello is a three-time winner of the race (2002, 2004, 2009), while Alonso also won in 2007, and Vettel took the checkered flag in 2008.
And Vettel also took the checkered flag in the circuit's last race, the Belgian Grand Prix on August 28. That snapped a lengthy (for him) losing streak of three races for the Red Bull driver; he hadn't won since the European Grand Prix on June 26, finishing back of the leader in Britain (Alonso), Germany (Hamilton), and Hungary (Button).
Still, Vettel has seven wins on the season, and he holds a commanding 259-167 lead on Webber in the drivers championship with seven races to go on the year. That has him as the 1/50 favorite on the Formula 1 betting lines at the Bodog Sportsbook to win the 2011 title, well ahead of Alonso (28/1), Hamilton (28/1), Button (66/1), and Webber (80/1).
Webber is also at 13/2 to win in Italy on Sunday, with Button at 7/1, Massa at 28/1, Rosberg at 40/1, and Schumacher at 66/1.
Get all your Formula 1 odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
Two weeks and many rain delays later we're finally getting what we figured would be the last matchup on the men's side of the U.S. Open draw on Monday – the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed.
However, top-seeded Novak Djokovic didn't look like he'd pay off for his supporters on the tennis betting odds at the Bodog Sportsbook at the start of his semifinal matchup against No. 3 Roger Federer on Saturday.
Djokovic dropped the first set 7-6 to Federer in the semifinals, then was beaten 6-4 in the second set to put himself in a big hole. The Serbian, though, managed to turn around his fortunes after that, rattling off 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 victories to win in five sets.
Nadal didn't have as much trouble against No. 4 Andy Murray of Great Britain in his semifinal matchup, winning 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on Saturday night to set up Monday's meeting with Djokovic for the U.S. Open men's title.
Despite needing a big comeback against Federer, though, Djokovic is still pegged as the -175 favorite on the tennis odds at the Bodog Sportsbook to win the title on Monday. Nadal has been set as the +135 underdog for the match.
The tennis props market will also be buzzing for the match, with Djokovic sitting as the -140 favorite to win the first set over Nadal (+110), and the OVER/UNDER for the number of games getting played at 40.5.
Like Djokovic's chances of winning the title in straight sets? That wager is at +300, while a Nadal sweep would pay off at +500 on the tennis betting odds for Monday.
Get all your tennis odds at Bodog.
The IndyCar betting season enters its home stretch on Sunday afternoon as the circuit's drivers hit the streets of Baltimore's Inner Harbor for the inaugural edition of the Baltimore Grand Prix.
After this weekend there are only three races left on the IndyCar calendar for 2011 – the Indy Japan 300 (September 17), the Kentucky Indy 300 (October 2), and the IZOD IndyCar World Championships (October 16). That means drivers don't have much time left to make their move in the standings.
Heading into the Baltimore Grand Prix this weekend Dario Franchitti is the IndyCar standings leader with 475 points but Will Power remains right in his rear-view mirror with 449 points on the season – and he's coming off a victory.
Power took the checkered flag in the last IndyCar betting event, the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at the Infineon road course on August 28. Franchitti settled for a fourth-place showing in that race, allowing Power to chop 21 points off his lead in the standings.
Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe finished second and third, respectively, at Sonoma, while Scott Dixon, Sebastien Bourdais, James Hinchcliffe, Graham Rahal, E.J. Viso, and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the Top 10. Danica Patrick, fresh off her announcement that she was bolting to NASCAR next season, ended up in 21st place.
Patrick sits 12th in the current driver standings and out of contention for the series title as she wraps up her IndyCar career. Dixon trails Franchitti and Power in third place in the current standings, 75 points back of the lead. Oriol Servia (148 points back of Franchitti) and Briscoe (163 points back of Franchitti) are fourth and fifth in the points race.
Get all your IndyCar odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
His body and rep have taken a beating but Tiger Woods is back on the PGA Tour and, in his 25-minute press conference Tuesday, said he hasn’t felt this good in years.
“I don't feel a thing. It feels solid, it feels stable, no pain. That's one of the reasons why I took as long as I did to come back is that I want to get to this point where I can go ahead and start playing golf again like this.”
*Get your Tiger Woods PGA odds in the Bodog Sportsbook! Bodog be a player.
Despite Woods claiming he’s got back his swagger back, bettors should be reluctant to believe it’s back to the days of “Tiger versus the field”. Oddsmakers opened Woods’ PGA odds behind Rory McILroy at 14-1 to win the 2011 WGC Bridgestone Invitational and 20-1 to be the Round 1 leader.
Woods is coming back after taking a three-month break due to knee and Achilles injuries suffered at the Masters. During that time he also cut ties with his caddy Steve Williams. Childhood friend — and Woods’ personal hooker and pornstar provider, according to reports — Byron Bell will be his part time caddy for the time being.
The Bodog Sportsbook will be offering other cool bets like odds on whether Woods will finish in the top 10 and odds to be the top American player at the tournament.
Despite all his issues Woods is still just behind Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson with 14-1 odds to win the 2011 PGA championship.
Get your Tiger Woods PGA odds in the Bodog Sportsbook! Bodog be a player.
Who will be the 30 that advance to the TOUR Championship next week in Atlanta?
Well, Webb Simpson is certainly looking good to be a part of that field, seeing as how he's in first place in the FedExCup standings heading into this week's tournament. Simpson won the second FedExCup event, the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, two weeks ago and sits 897 points up on second-place Dustin Johnson.
Bet on the PGA with Bodog.
Johnson won this year's FedExCup opener, The Barclays, and he's also the defending champion at the BMW Championship – he took this event by a single stroke over Paul Casey last season.
Still, it's not Simpson or Johnson who sits atop the golf betting odds at the Bodog Sportsbook to win the BMW Championship. Instead, it's Luke Donald at 10/1 odds, with the native of England currently in fourth place in the FedExCup standings.
Adam Scott is next at 14/1 on that odds list, followed by Johnson and Jason Day at 16/1, and both Simpson and Steve Stricker at 18/1. Scott is 16th in the points race right now, while Day is sixth, and Stricker is eighth. Matt Kuchar, third in the standings, is back at 22/1 odds to get the win at Cog Hill this week.
Phil Mickelson, 10th in the current standings, is also at 22/1 odds for this week's event. Lefty finished in a tie for eighth place at this tournament last season, and he's coming off a 10th-place finish in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Get all your PGA odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
The reset FedExCup standings has Simpson with 2500 points, followed by Dustin Johnson at 2250, Justin Rose at 2000, Luke Donald at 1800, and Matt Kuchar at 1600. And the winner of the FedExCup doesn't just get a trophy – they get $10 million too.
However, even though Simpson leads the points race it's Donald who sits atop the golf betting board at the Bodog Sportsbook to win the 30-player TOUR Championship this weekend. Donald is pegged at 13/2 odds on that list, followed by Simpson at 12/1, and each of Johnson, Adam Scott, Jason Day, and Nick Watney at 16/1.
Kuchar and Rose are then at 18/1 on those golf odds, and Rose hits East Lake on a roll after picking up a two-stroke win over John Senden at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club over the weekend. Simpson won the Deutsche Bank Championship three weeks ago, and Johnson won the FedExCup opener, The Barclays, at the end of August.
Geoff Ogilvy was third at the BMW Championship last week, but he's back in 24th place in the FedExCup standings with 270 points and at 25/1 odds to get the win this week. Donald and Simpson rounded out the top five golfers at Cog Hill.
Jim Furyk won the TOUR Championship last season, but he's 36th in the FedExCup standings and didn't make the cut for the tournament this year. Donald was second at the event in 2010, ending up one stroke back of Furyk, with Retief Goosen third, and Watney and Paul Casey tying for fourth place. Goosen and Casey aren't in the field this year either; Watney is seventh in FedExCup points with 1200.
Two-time TOUR Championship winner Phil Mickelson (2009 and 2000) is 14th in the points heading into the tournament this week, and at 20/1 to win the event.
Get all your PGA odds at Bodog.
Earlier this year, West Brom signed the largest sponsorship deal in club history and a betting agreement with Bodog, the world’s leading online gaming brand. The Baggies will have Bodog’s name on their kits or tops for the next two seasons.
At the Man U match, a 2-1 loss for West Brom, the lucky winners in the online Bodog promotion were treated to a champagne reception and stadium tour, a four-course meal in a private box and free drinks while watching the action. In addition, the famous “Page 3” models from the English tabloids joined the winners in the box for the match. And following the game, the winners were taken to meet the “man of the match” and presented with plenty of Bodog swag.
It has been a tough go early in the Premier League season for the Baggies as they stand last in the table entering the weekend’s play with just one win against four losses and only three goals scored for a minus-5 goal differential – it’s WBA’s worst Premier League start ever. But perhaps a match this Saturday against manager Roy Hodgson’s former Fulham club at the Hawthorns is just what West Brom needs. Fulham is the only winless team in the EPL and has scored only four goals.
Also boding well for West Brom is that none of the 10 Premier League meetings all-time between WBA and Fulham have ended as an away win, with eight victories for the home team and two draws (both at the Hawthorns). Fulham have scored only two goals in five Premier League visits to the Hawthorns and one of those was an own goal. So it’s shaping up as a potentially good day for the Baggies.
After finishing back of the leader in three straight events Vettel got back to the top of the podium on August 28 at the Belgian Grand Prix, and he followed up that result with a victory last time out in the Italian Grand Prix.
That's given the Red Bull driver a ridiculous 284-172 lead on Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the championship standings, and his team leads McLaren and Ferrari by large margins in the constructors championship.
And at the Bodog Sportsbook right now Vettel is listed as the 11/10 favorite on the Formula 1 odds to get the win in Singapore on Sunday. The Red Bull driver has eight victories this season – the rest of the field has managed to win a combined five times.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who has two wins this season, is next at 7/2 odds, followed by Alonso (one win on the season) at 9/2, and McLaren's Jenson Button (two wins on the season) at 15/2. Red Bull's Mark Webber (15/2) and Ferrari's Felipe Massa (40/1) round out the rest of the top tier of contenders.
Mercedes GP drivers Nico Rosberg (66/1) and Michael Schumacher (100/1) are next on the list, followed by Renault's Bruno Senna (250/1) and Vitaly Petrov (250/1).
Alonso won the Singapore Grand Prix last season, with Vettel settling for a second-place result, and Webber ending up in third place. Button was fourth and Rosberg was fifth at that event, while Massa was eighth, and Hamilton failed to finish the race.
Get all your Formula 1 odds at Bodog Sportsbook.
The organization in April found 53 percent of respondents favored legalized sports betting, while 30 percent opposed it. Even if the referendum is approved, bets couldn’t be placed on NFL games and other events until a federal law banning legal sports betting is overturned. The ban doesn’t apply to Nevada and three other states.
Pete Wooley, a political scientist and director of the poll, said the final 300 interviews were to be conducted over the weekend.
“I can’t make any firm observations about this current measurement, however my expectation is that there will be little movement since our April poll which showed people ready to embrace sports betting in venues where there is already betting,’’ Wooley said. “I think most people see this as a revenue generator for the state with little downside.‘’
All of which is pleasing to state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, who is all-in on seeing New Jersey becoming a state where sports betting is legal.
Lesniak sponsored the bill that created the Nov. 8 referendum. The Sen. Jim Whalen-chaired Senate State Government and Wagering Committee will meet today to hear testimony “on the importance of authorizing sports wagering for the gaming industry of New Jersey,’’ according to language on the public notice for the hearing.
Lesniak said he hopes Gov. Chris Christie and federal regulators listen to the testimony, too.
Lesniak said he expects voter approval but says he’s counting on support from Christie to help the state litigate past the federal ban.
“I think the referendum is going to pass overwhelmingly for many reasons, the most significant being that people are already betting on sports teams and want to bet on sports teams,’’ Lesniak said. “It’ll be a big boost in tourism for Atlantic City and for jobs at the casinos and racetracks. Atlantic City will be packed on Super Bowl week, for the Final Four, when the Giants play the Eagles, for numerous occasions when marquee sports events are taking place.’’
The Casino Association of New Jersey supports the referendum, despite Lesniak modeling a format where racetracks participate in sports betting.
Lesniak said casino operators “have come to realization they need new sources of revenue, despite some of it going to the racetrack. If they insist on 100 percent of it, they’ll get 100 percent of nothing.’’
A consultant hired by an Internet gambling association estimates that sports betting could become a $10 billion-a-year industry in New Jersey, generating nearly $100 million a year in tax revenues for the state.
Comment: The publication of the Green Paper on Online Gambling earlier this year has inevitably led to a major rise in the volume of the debate over how best to protect integrity in sport.
As a not-for-profit organisation established by the leading licensed, regulated bookmaking industry to safeguard sports’ integrity, the European Sports Security Association (ESSA), has been on the front line in the fight against match-fixing for the past six years. We believe that the model of self regulation that we have pioneered in Europe offers a blueprint on how the gaming industry can preserve betting integrity in sport, while at the same time balancing the interests of consumers with their protection.
Since its establishment in 2005, ESSA’s singular purpose has been the protection of betting integrity in sport. It does this first and foremost by acting as a monitoring system for fraudulent betting activity by coordinating the antifraud efforts of its member organisations, investigating instances of irregular activity and passing on anything suspicious to sports bodies and regulators for them to act on.
The battle against match-fixing is far from won but ESSA has had its fair share of success. In 2010, for example, ESSA members raised a total of 58 alarms; that’s 58 instances where bookmakers were concerned that the betting activity could be fraudulent. Of these, however, only on four alerts were regarded as suspicious.
This is a very small figure, especially when you consider that match-fixing is regarded by some as a bigger threat than doping. Match-fixing scandals have been making the headlines in recent months but Europe’s licensed, regulated bookmakers are rarely, if ever, involved. Often, the problems can be attributed to far-east betting syndicates that have infiltrated Europe.
Put simply, when criminals seek to fix matches, they very rarely come to the licensed, regulated bookmaking industry to cash in on their deeds. This is because licensed, regulated bookmakers are good at managing risk. They have been investing considerably in state of art security and know-your-client-technology – above and beyond the requirements of any regulator – and have become very good at spotting fraud in real time, wherever it is being perpetrated. This security operation is just as effective for in-play, or live, bets as it is for pre-match bets, contrary to many commentators, as the same real time technology is able to sound the alarm whenever a suspicious bet is placed.
This model of self regulation may not be glamorous, but it works, freeing up time for sports regulators to concentrate on catching the criminals, making it difficult for criminals to commit crimes and delivering a safe environment for consumers to be entertained. The model could be made to work better: for example, ESSA has no powers of investigation or prosecution, so we often find that, as an organisation, we have little insight into what happens when we do pass on intelligence to the relevant authorities.
Ultimately, though, this model works because bookmakers are incentivised to invest in betting integrity. And because their relationship with sport is a symbiotic one, and therefore it is in both theirs and sport’s long term interest that crime is kept out of sport betting.
The growth in popularity in sports betting is a European success story that has brought economic benefits to Europe, provided consumers with a safe and legitimate pastime and channelled billions of direct and indirect funding into all levels of sports.
To build on this, Europe needs a model of self regulation that encourages cooperation between bookmakers, sports regulators and other stakeholders. It also needs a coordinated effort involving public authorities to kick match-fixers out for good. Europe needs stronger governance within the sports themselves so that it becomes impossible for players, presidents, officials or anyone else involved to affect the outcome of a contest illegally. This way, we can continue to have a sporting environment we can all be proud of.
Cochran hung on to win the title last year by carding a final-round 71 after opening with rounds of 64 and 67 for a three-round total of 202 to defeat runner-up Tom Pernice by two shots. John Cook wound up in third place, another two strokes behind Pernice.
All three of those Champions Tour veterans are back at Prestonwood and expected to contend for the winner’s share of the $2.1-million purse, with Cook listed at 12/1 on the golf betting odds to win the SAS Championship, and Cochran and Pernice both just a notch behind at 14/1 odds along with Peter Senior.
There are three co-favorites ranked ahead of that trio on the current odds list at Bodog Sportsbook, however, and they are among the most successful golfers ever to swing a club. Former Masters champion Fred Couples, as well as former British Open champions Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Lehman are each listed at 10/1 odds to win the SAS Championship.
Corey Pavin, Jeff Sluman and Kenny Perry – each of whom were also very successful PGA Tour pros before graduating to the Champions Tour – represent another strong collection of contenders that is sure to draw the interest of the gallery at Prestonwood this weekend. Those three competitors are each listed at 16/1 odds to collect the $315,000 winner’s cheque on Sunday.
Germany’s indomitable Bernhard Langer is another potentially lucrative choice at 18/1 odds, while veteran South African Nick Price rounds out the top tier of contenders at 20/1 odds.
Get all your golf odds at Bodog.
Power finished second behind Scott Dixon at the Indy Japan 300 two weeks ago, but after winning the previous two races on the IndyCar betting circuit that runner-up finish was enough to push Power ahead of rival Dario Franchitti into first place in the standings. Power took the checkered flag at the Baltimore Grand Prix on September 4 and also crossed the finish line first back on August 28 at the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Franchitti finished well back in eighth place at the Indy Japan 300 and was knocked down a notch into second place, 11 points behind the surging Power.
Coming off that impressive victory in which he led the pack for almost the entire race in Japan, Dixon holds down third place in the standings but is a distant 59 points behind the front-running Power. Dixon earned a victory at the Kentucky Indy 300 back in 2008.
Helio Castroneves returns to the 1.5-mile oval track at the Kentucky Speedway this Sunday as the defending champion of the Kentucky Indy 300, after beating runner-up Ed Carpenter across the finish line last year. Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan would up third and fourth respectively a year ago, with Franchitti in fifth place, Dixon seventh, and Power finishing in eighth place. Marco Andretti was sixth.
The IndyCar Series schedule will conclude on October 16 in Las Vegas with the IZOD IndyCar World Championships.
Get all your IndyCar odds at Bodog.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey are seeking to overturn the federal Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act. This Act bans sports wagering throughout the United States, except in specified jurisdictions. New Jersey legislators want to permit regulated sports betting in order to generate tax revenue from this activity. This, however, is a long drawn process that requires changes to the state's constitution. In order to enable the changes, a referendum of state residents will be required, and this will be held on November 8. If the sports betting referendum passes then appropriate legislation will have to be framed and passed. The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee is already drafting a bill to allow betting on non-college sports teams at Atlantic City casinos and at two specified race tracks. The bill will have to be passed by both the Senate and the House in New Jersey and then signed into law by the governor. The governor had earlier this year vetoed the online gambling bill. He had also opposed the sports betting proposal on the grounds that it is against federal law. However, all this may change if there is overwhelming support for sports betting in the November referendum. Only after the sports betting law is enacted could the state of New Jersey go to court in an attempt to overturn the federal ban.
The casino and horse racing executives clearly support the introduction of a legalized and regulated sports betting regime, but there are some points of differences. These concern how the rewards of sports betting should be allocated. Joseph Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, has proposed that revenue from sports betting should go only to the casinos. New Jersey Senator Jim Whelan, chairman of the gaming committee, has made it clear that he would not get the legislative support to legalize sports betting unless the profits were spread around the state. Meanwhile all eyes are on the November 8 ballot.
Senator Lesniak is also waiting for the outcome of the sports betting referendum. He hopes that a favorable vote will help him get his revised online gambling bill passed through the Senate and the House. Lesniak has fine tuned the bill that was vetoed by the governor to accommodate most of the latter's objections.
A number of New Jersey legislators are backing an initiative to make available video slots at horseracing tracks outside Atlantic City. This is in order to make the horse racing viable at these race tracks. They also feel that a favorable vote in the sports betting referendum will help them.
The 46-year-old Hopkins will be looking to work his opponent from close quarters and negate the footwork and combinations of Dawson. Hopkins will surely bring the fight to Dawson, trying to test the heart of the younger challenger; all the champ has to do is stay out of danger while he’s doing it. If Hopkins is able to control the pace and land his big right hand he could easily frustrate and out-work Dawson for the title retention.
For Dawson he will need to rise above what Hopkins is going to do to him. He can’t let Hopkins' clutch-and-punch style get to him and will need to throw fast combinations from the outside to get the victory. If he can keep the pace of the fight to a high level he may be able to wear down his older opponent enough to dominate the later rounds.
The one thing that Dawson needs to be wary of is Hopkins' heart. He showed against Jean Pascal that he can come back from adversity early in a fight and that he will not quit. The same cannot be said for the 28-year-old Dawson thus far in his boxing career.
Get all your boxing odds at Bodog.
Opponents say it‘s an exercise in futility. While there‘s a referendum on the ballot asking voters for their opinion, federal law forbids gambling on sports in all but four states.
The ballot question will poll voters on whether sports betting should be allowed at the casinos and racetracks. Betting would be permitted on professional and collegiate sports — except for athletic events taking place in New Jersey or games involving New Jersey colleges.
Those lawmakers who advocate online gambling, sports wagering and video slots say the nonbinding referendum is the first step in the process of overturning the federal ban. If the measure to amend the state Constitution is approved Nov. 8, the Legislature would have to pass a law authorizing betting. If that succeeds, supporters vow to fight the U.S. law in court.
Bringing online and sports betting to New Jersey has been tried, and failed, before. Most recently, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have allowed Atlantic City casinos to run bets and wagers remotely, as long as they were placed in New Jersey.
This time around, lawmakers pushing for the measure have popular opinion on their side. A recent poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that 52 percent of New Jersey residents surveyed favor legalizing sports betting, while 31 percent are opposed.
Proponents also point to the economic advantages of the gambling expansion. A recent study estimates sports betting could mean about $225 million in new revenue for the casinos and racetracks.
Another consideration is the continuing decline of the horse racing industry. A 2007 Rutgers study found the industry pumps $1.1 billion annually into the state economy, provides 13,000 jobs and accounts for 176,000 acres of open space. Slot machines and sports wagering could help maintain that economic and environmental boon.
Millions of people will be betting on the outcome of the major league baseball’s world championship series through illegal transactions with bookies. Illegal sporting bets are estimated to add up to almost $400 billion a year.
Not too long ago, gamblers had a choice of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Today, surrounding states and the internet offer convenience and variety that New Jersey has been slow to match.
It’s time to reassess the advantages of online betting and sports wagers to New Jersey.
In a statement Sportingbet said it planned to sell the business, which is run out of the Channel Islands due to gambling restrictions in Turkey, to East Pioneer Corporation, a subsidiary of the Aim-quoted gaming company GVC Sports. The deal is subject to shareholder approval.
Andy McIver, Sportingbet’s chief executive, said the disposal was part of the company’s strategy to move to regulated gambling markets.
“Given our other big markets, Spain and Greece, have recently regulated their gambling markets, Turkey was the one which stood out [and] that has often been cited as an overhang on our equity,” he said. “So it was a question of when, not if.”
Sportingbet, which first announced it was in talks with GVC in July, said the €142.5m would consist of monthly payments staggered over three years with the first instalment due in January 2012.
Nick Batram, an analyst at Peel Hunt, said Sportingbet’s equity could receive a boost given the political risk associated with Turkey.
“The disposal of Turkey is to be welcomed and the price looks compelling as well,” he said. “The deal will be dilutive from an earnings perspective, but with over 70 per cent of the company’s revenues from regulated markets I expect there will be a significant re-rating with regard to the shares.”
Shares in Sportingbet rose 2.58 per cent, or 1p, to 39.75p in London.
On Monday Sportingbet shares tumbled nearly 20 per cent after it announced a mutually agreed termination of takeover talks with Ladbrokes.
Ladbrokes’ takeover was thought to be contingent on Sportingbet selling its operations in Turkey, where online gambling is illegal. But it emerged that Ladbrokes had further concerns about the legacy risks involved in the takeover.
Earlier this month Sportingbet announced full-year revenues to the end of July were broadly flat at £206m. However, strong performances in Turkey and Australia helped offset weaker results from Europe, where the economic downturn hit trading in Greece and Spain.
Mr McIver said the proceeds from the sale would be reinvested in Sportingbet’s existing markets, especially Australia, and “possibly” used to expand into new markets.
Franchitti (11/4 at the Bodog Sportsbook to take the checkered flag this weekend) jumped back into the lead in the standings last week with a second-place result in the Kentucky Indy 300; Power (7/1) ended up back in 19th place at that race, and heading into the final event of year he trails his rival by 18 points for top spot.
Ed Carpenter (25/1) was the surprise winner of the Kentucky Indy 300, while Scott Dixon (9/2) was third, James Hinchcliffe (60/1) was fourth, and Ryan Hunter-Reay (30/1) was fifth. Oriol Servia (40/1), Wade Cunningham (Field – 14/1), Ryan Briscoe (7/1), Buddy Rice (Field – 14/1), and Danica Patrick (16/1) rounded out the Top 10.
Dixon can't catch Franchitti for first place in the final standings and the $1 million prize, but he's now just 55 points behind Power and can jump into second place with the right set of results in Las Vegas on Sunday. Dixon has at least clinched third place in the final standings and its $175,000 prize; second place is worth $250,000.
Servia is locked into fourth place in the final standings and will get a $125,000 cheque for his efforts, while fifth place (and the last 'end of season bonus' of $75,000) can still be claimed by six drivers – Tony Kanaan (18/1), Briscoe, Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti (14/1), Graham Rahal (25/1), and Patrick.
Kanaan enters the IZOD IndyCar World Championships with a two-point lead on Briscoe for fifth place, with Hunter-Reay 19 points behind him. Andretti (-29), Rahal (-46), and Patrick (-52) are longshots to grab that fifth-place money.
Finally, the circuit's top rookie award (and $50,000) is also on the line on Sunday; Hinchcliffe currently leads JR Hildebrand (50/1) by six points for that prize.
Get all your Indy odds at Bodog.
Red Bull's Vettel sits as the 5/4 favorite on the odds board to get the win in the Korean Grand Prix on Sunday. Vettel had engine problems at this event last season and failed to finish the race, but he leads the circuit with nine victories so far in 2011.
McLaren's Jenson Button, who was 12th in Korea in 2010, is next at 7/2 on the odds board for this week, followed by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at 9/2, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at 5/1. Alonso beat Hamilton by almost 15 seconds to win the Korean Grand Prix last season.
Red Bull's Mark Webber, at 13/2 for this weekend on the F1 lines, was involved in an accident with Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg (100/1) at this event last season and they didn't manage to finish the race either. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, at 66/1 for this weekend, ended up on the podium in third place last season.
Red Bull is also the 4/5 favorite to produce the race winner on Sunday, followed by McLaren at 3/2, and Ferrari at 9/2. The OVER/UNDER on the winning margin for the event sits at six seconds on the F1 props market.
As well, Button is set as the -167 favorite to end up with the most points on the season between him, Alonso (+350), Webber (+600), and Hamilton (+1600). Button has 210 points in 2011, while Alonso has 202, Webber has 194, and Hamilton has 178.
There are just three races left in the F1 season after this weekend's event in South Korea.
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The ageless Bernard Hopkins will put his new WBC Light Heavyweight title on the line this Saturday night against top contender Chad Dawson. Boxing betting fans rarely get the opportunity to bet on a title fight that will be as closely handicapped as this one will be this weekend.
The 46-year-old Hopkins will be looking to work his opponent from close quarters and negate the footwork and combinations of Dawson. Hopkins will surely bring the fight to Dawson, trying to test the heart of the younger challenger; all the champ has to do is stay out of danger while he’s doing it. If Hopkins is able to control the pace and land his big right hand he could easily frustrate and out-work Dawson for the title retention.
For Dawson he will need to rise above what Hopkins is going to do to him. He can’t let Hopkins' clutch-and-punch style get to him and will need to throw fast combinations from the outside to get the victory. If he can keep the pace of the fight to a high level he may be able to wear down his older opponent enough to dominate the later rounds.
The one thing that Dawson needs to be wary of is Hopkins' heart. He showed against Jean Pascal that he can come back from adversity early in a fight and that he will not quit. The same cannot be said for the 28-year-old Dawson thus far in his boxing career.
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