Sports betting forum archive

I think for Roy is better to Retire. and make some other good things that he can do.

Betonline is a great site so are bet365

As New Jersey moves ever closer to legalizing sports betting, a new poll shows Americans are evenly split on whether it should be legal across the nation.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind poll finds voters split 42 to 42 percent over whether people should be allowed to bet on professional and collegiate sports. But the trend is moving in favor of permitting it. The group's last poll on the subject, in March 2010, found 53 percent of voters opposed to sports betting, with only 39 percent favoring it.

Poll director Peter Woolley predicts support will grow if sports betting is promoted as a new source of revenue for cash-strapped states.

"Gambling has become, for good or ill, a national industry, and you can bet that politicians and casinos all over the country are closely following New Jersey's plans," he said.

New Jersey is expected to approve a sports betting law next month, then go to federal court to try to overturn a federal ban on it in all but four states. Garden State voters in a non-binding referendum in last month's election indicated by a 2-to-1 margin they want sports betting legalized in New Jersey.

Mark Moffa, a Yardley, Pa. resident and huge Philadelphia Eagles fan who works near Princeton, would take advantage of it. "I'd love the opportunity to place a sports bet," he said. "It's something a lot of people do anyway, whether it's on the Internet or through a friend or just among themselves. It should be legal and have the opportunity to be taxed."

Likewise, Bill Ordine, a former newspaper journalist who now runs the phillygambles.com website, would place a bet now and then if it were legalized in New Jersey.

"There is enormous pent-up demand for sports wagering," he said. "We write about it because even though we can't do it on our region, it is part of the water-cooler conversation. Every time someone talks about what Atlantic City needs to save it, the talk turns to sports betting.

"I grew up in South Philadelphia, and the enthusiasm for sports wagering in this region is unparalleled," he said. "Taking a risk is part of our DNA. If you're an Eagles fan and you're in Vegas, even as disgusted as you are with this team, you may take $10 and put it on the team to win the Super Bowl. You can't do that here."

The FDU poll of 855 registered voters nationwide was conducted by both land lines and cellphones from Nov. 29 through Dec. 5. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The group most strongly in favor of sports betting is households that already do it. Voters in households where people already bet on sports, or participate in an office pool, approve overwhelmingly of the idea by a margin of 71 to 23 percent. Voters in households where no one bets on sports oppose the notion, 46 to 36 percent.

Men favor the idea by margin of 49 to 37 percent, while women oppose the notion by a similar margin, 47 to 35 percent.

Age is an important indicator of support, too. Voters under 45 favor the idea, while older voters generally oppose it.

New Jersey last week dropped a provision from its proposed sports betting law that would have permitted state residents to place bets from their home computers or cellphones. The changes were made in the hope of getting Gov. Chris Christie to support it. He vetoed a bill in March that would have made New Jersey the first state in the nation to allow in-state Internet gambling.

The FDU poll found voters nationwide oppose Internet betting by a 2-to-1 margin. That opposition is little changed from 2010.

Lawmakers have dropped provisions in a proposed sports betting law that would have let state residents place bets from their home computers or smartphones.

Sponsors said the changes were necessary to keep Gov. Chris Christie from vetoing the bill like he did with a measure in March that would have made New Jersey the first to approve in-state online gambling.

The bill would still let people bet on sports at Atlantic City casinos and horse tracks around the state.

Final votes still need to be made on the bill before the Republican governor acts on it. State Sen. Ray Lesniak, an Elizabeth Democrat and the bill's main advocate, said they will take place Jan. 9.

And even if Christie signs it, a federal ban on sports betting in all but four states would have to be overturned in the courts before the New Jersey law would take effect.

"We want our casinos and racetracks to hit the ground running should New Jersey prove successful in overturning this unfair federal law, and this is a step in the right direction," said Assemblyman John Burzichelli, a southern New Jersey Democrat. "New Jersey must be on the forefront of this gaming option should the opportunity arise, and this bill will accomplish that goal. We'll be ready to go once we work through the legislative process."

The changes made Thursday also restore Cherry Hill as the only non-racetrack site in the state for a sports betting parlor. Legislators included the former Garden State Park racetrack site in the original bill because they felt the affluent suburban area was too lucrative to cede to Philadelphia if Pennsylvania ever approves sports betting.

Cherry Hill was removed from the Senate bill earlier this month but restored on Thursday.

Sponsors want to sue in federal court to try to overturn the federal ban on sports betting in most states.

Lesniak had tried to sue the U.S. government over a 1992 federal law called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which limits sports betting to four states that approved it by a 1991 deadline. New Jersey weighed such a law but failed to act on it. Sports betting is now legal only in Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana.

A judge dismissed Lesniak's lawsuit last year. But he said he believes that a second lawsuit will succeed with the backing of the state Legislature, a law signed by the governor and a nonbinding referendum passed by voters by a 2-1 ratio last month.

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.

Supporters say the state is missing out on tax revenue because many fans bet illegally with bookmakers on sports games.

The corruption in sport is not abating with the recent reports in the Italian media regarding the arrest of seventeen people on charges of match fixing in that country. The Gazzetta Dello Sport reported live in a press conference in Cremona implicating Atalanta’s Cristiano Doni together with former Serie A players Luigi Sartor (ex-Inter and Roma) and Alessandro Zamperini in the scandal that has seen them arrested for alleged match fixing.

The case is focusing on 20 different games with one game involving Champions League side Napoli (v Sampdoria in January 2011) as part of the investigation and another between Brescia and Lecce is being scrutinized extensively. A number of the matches are from Serie B in 2009/10 and 2010/11. It’s thought that gambling rings in certain areas of Asia were being used to place the wagers with Eastern Europe used as the common ground for both sides. The arrest of seven people from the Baltic region points to the validity of this theory in the case.
Roberto Di Martino, the Chief Prosecutor in the case revealed in more detail where the investigation might be going, stating, “Police reports have enabled us to understand that the problem of manipulation of football also involves Germany, Turkey, Croatia, and Hungary. It has a major importance of a letter of request made in Finland, where there was a gentleman of Singapore, already condemned in Germany, which was part of this transnational organization.”

Pietro Lo Monaco, a sports commentator, commented on the case, “I have a feeling of dismay and we hope that the latest episode will prove a deterrent. The problem arises from the lowest level of the game and works its way up.”
The police in Italy have obtained records of calls made in Croatia regarding five of the games in question that are allegedly calls that involve bribes. This is not the first time corruption charges have been laid for match fixing in Italy, some things seem never to change.

People are in a fun mood usually after the Holiday season has calmed down a little bit. Punters look at the odds and think to place a few bets on their favourite sport or game. The bookmakers see Boxing day as a great boon and are predicting that the King George VI chase at the Kempton track with Long Run and Kauto Star racing full out will bring the wagering to a new high.

The race featuring the four time winner Kauto Star and Long Run which took away the title last time out will be televised to millions of viewers. Ladbrokes is indicating that the opinionated gambling public will put between £35-40million on the line for this one event. A spokesperson for the High Street bookie Ladbrokes, David Williams stated, “When the big horses turn up, the big money turns out. Kauto Star and Long Run have really galvanized the public. They could add an extra £10-15m to betting on the race. Turnover might get close to £40m. Williams added, “That would be right up there, second only to Grand National day. Cheltenham Gold Cup day is big but it is not a public holiday and today punters are being served up a feast of action across the sporting stage.”

That feast includes a full schedule of football with Barclays Premier League games with bookies revealing betting action could top £100m overall. The Kempton venue is expected to be at near capacity of 22,000 people for the race although the television coverage will reach a much larger number. With a first prize of £102,000 in the offing, the King George VI classic also has significance in the jump trainers’ championship.
Whether its football, horse racing, poker or bingo a bank holiday is a great day to relax and enjoy the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

Bovada is owned and operated by the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, which was the former license holder and operator of the Bodog Sportsbook. Now that Bodog is leaving the US market, Morris Mohawk is opening up their sports betting under the ‘Bovada Sportsbook’ name.

The United States Department of Justice (“DoJ”) has given the online gaming community a big, big present, made public two days before Christmas. President Barack Obama’s administration has just declared, perhaps unintentionally, that almost every form of intra-state Internet gambling is legal under federal law, and so may be games played interstate and even internationally.

Technically, the only question being decided was “Whether proposals by Illinois and New York to use the Internet and out-of-state transaction processors to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults violate the Wire Act.” But the conclusion by the DoJ that the Wire Act’s “prohibitions relate solely to sport-related gambling activities in interstate and foreign commerce,” eliminates almost every federal anti-gambling law that could apply to gaming that is legal under state laws.

If the Wire Act is limited to bets on sports events and races, what other federal anti-gambling statutes are left? There are prohibitions on interstate lotteries, but Powerball and the other multi-state lotteries show how easily these can be gotten around, even before Congress passed an express exemption for state lotteries. And poker is not a lottery under federal law.

So, all that are left are the federal laws designed to go after organized crime. These all require that there first be a violation of another law, like the Wire Act, the federal anti-lottery statutes, or a state anti-gambling law. If a state has expressly legalized intra-state games like poker, as Nevada and the District of Columbia have done, there is simply no federal law that could apply.

If the bettors and operator are all in the same state, and the gambling does not involve a sports event or race, the Wire Act cannot be used against the operator, even if phone wires happen to cross into another state. And if the state legislature has made the online game legal, it does not violate any other federal anti-gambling law.

I suppose it is possible that the DoJ could argue that poker is a “sporting event or contest.” But the language of the Wire Act prohibits “information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers ON any sporting event or contest.” If poker is a contest, it is one where players bet IN the contest, not on it. Anyway, the DoJ held that the Wire Act was designed to go after bookies taking bets on horse races and football games, etc., not other forms of gambling. And even the DoJ would not argue that a game like blackjack is a sporting event or contest.

In a footnote, the DoJ expressed no opinion about the provision in the Wire Act that allows prosecutors to shut down phone lines where true interstate or foreign gambling is taking place. But, since the DoJ has now concluded that every other section of the Wire Act applies only to races and sports events, it would be truly bizarre to believe that Congress intended only this one section to apply to other forms of gambling.

This means there may be nothing preventing states from making compacts with other states, and even foreign nations, once they have legalized an online game, like poker. If Nevada and the District of Columbia want to take Internet poker players from each other, what federal law would they be violating? And, if they agreed that their residents could bet with licensed poker operators in, say, Antigua and England, while residents of those nations could bet with poker operators in Nevada and Washington, we know they would not be violating the Wire Act, or the anti-lottery laws, or any of the federal prohibitions which require that the gambling be illegal under a state’s laws.

The immediate beneficiaries will be the D.C. Lottery and Nevada-licensed private operators, since those jurisdictions are the furthest ahead. The state lotteries in Illinois, New York and New Hampshire will also initiate or expand their online games. After all, most of the provincial lotteries in Canada are already operating Internet poker.

I believe this will be a major incentive for the other states looking at legalizing intra-state poker and other games. First will probably be Iowa. The State Legislature mandated a report, which has already been submitted, concluding that intra-state poker can be operated safely and will raise money. The Iowa Legislature meets for a short period at the beginning of the year, so it has to act quickly, or it will be passed by other states in 2012.

Those other states are California and New Jersey. California is desperate for any source of revenue, and it has so much legal gambling that the only question is which operators are going to be the big winners. The Democratic-controlled Legislature in New Jersey approved intra-state online gaming, but the bill was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie (R.-NJ). Christie understands his state need the money, so he will probably help put the issue on the ballot in November. Last month, the voters of New Jersey approved sports betting. There is no reason they would not also approve Internet casinos. It will be interesting to see if the main author, state senator Ray Lesniak (D.-Union), will limit online patrons to New Jersey, as his original bill stated, or, if he will accept players from any other state and nation where Internet gambling is legal.

Once these jurisdictions open their online games, even if limited to players who are physically within the state, operators will push for compacts to allows interstate Internet poker among the legal states. And other states, like Florida, will jump on the bandwagon.

What impact will all this have on proposed federal laws? Proponents are trying to spin the DoJ opinion. The Poker Players Alliance stated, “However, this ruling makes it even more important that Congress act now to clarify federal law, and to create a licensing and regulation regime for Internet poker, coupled with clear laws and strong enforcement against other forms of gambling deemed to be illegal.” But the reality is that Congr

Englishman Luke Donald won the 2012 Race to Dubai as the top player on the European Tour, and made history by also winning the money title on the PGA Tour, but he’s not the favorite on the golf betting odds to win the 2012 Race to Dubai.

Get your PGA futures today at Bovada.

That honor instead goes to youthful Irishman Rory McIlroy, who still had a chance to overtake Donald in the year’s final event in 2011 but fell short and wound up finishing second in the Race to Dubai behind Donald. Nonetheless, it’s McIlroy who is listed as the 7/2 favorite on the golf futures at Bovada's online sportsbook to get the job done in 2012, with Donald ranked second behind McIlroy at 4/1 odds.

Formerly known as the Order of Merit, the Race to Dubai is the season-long competition among European Tour golfers that concludes with the Dubai World Championship. Donald, the No. 1 ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings, eventually won the 2011 title by a comfortable margin over McIlroy. McIlroy finished the year ranked No. 3 in the world and earned his first major championship by running away with the U.S. Open to win by eight strokes.

Martin Kaymer of Germany, who won the 2010 PGA Championship, is listed just behind Donald at 5/1 odds. Kaymer won the 2010 Race to Dubai and finished in third place last year. World No. 2 Lee Westwood won the 2009 Race to Dubai and is also sure to be a strong contender again this season at 7/1 odds.

Sergio Garcia of Spain (16/1 odds), Paul Casey of England, and Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (both at 20/1), as well as former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and long bomber Alvaro Quiros of Spain (both at 25/1) complete the top tier of contenders to win the 2012 Race to Dubai.

Twenty years after missing a deadline to let its residents bet on professional or collegiate sporting events, New Jersey legislators passed a law Monday night that would make it legal.

But that was the easy part. Once Gov. Chris Christie has signed the measure, as is expected, the state faces an uphill battle in federal court to try to overturn a law banning sports betting in all but four states. The state Senate and Assembly adopted a bill that would let New Jerseyans place bets at the 11 Atlantic City casinos and the state’s four horse racing tracks on football, baseball, basketball and other professional or college sports games. Bets could not be placed on games involving New Jersey collegiate teams.

They also passed laws allowing horse racing fans to place bets at bars and restaurants, and pressured businesses planning to build off-track betting parlors to get it done within a year or get out of the business.

“These votes, by both houses of the legislature and the voters of New Jersey, mark the beginning of the end of the inequitable federal ban on sports betting,” said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a northern New Jersey Democrat who has been the measure’s strongest proponent. “This time next year our residents won’t have to fly to Las Vegas or visit their local bookie to bet on the Giants, Jets or Eagles to win the Super Bowl. They will be able to go to an Atlantic City casino, Monmouth Racetrack or The Meadowlands.”

Lesniak, who sued the federal government in an effort to overturn the ban, only to see his lawsuit dismissed, predicted the state will have better luck in court, particularly given that New Jersey residents indicated by a 2-to-1 margin in a non-binding referendum in last November’s election that they favor legalized sports betting.

Channeling his inner Rex Ryan, the prediction-prone coach of the New York Jets, Lesniak said, “I guarantee a victory in the federal courts for New Jersey to be able to enjoy the same benefits from sports betting Congress has given to Nevada.”

New Jersey missed a 1991 federal deadline to legalize sports betting, and was left out of the 1992 law that allowed it in Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana. Nevada is the only state taking legal bets on individual games.

Sports betting proponents want to help the state’s struggling casinos and horse racing tracks, where bets would be taken, and provide a new source of tax revenue from a huge pool of money flowing untaxed to illegal bookmakers often allied with organized crime, or to unlicensed offshore Internet sites.

“Let’s face it - sports gaming is already taking place, but the only people taking advantage of it are the bookies and criminal enterprises,” said Assemblyman John Burzichelli, a southern New Jersey Democrat.

Lesniak had to drop a provision that would have let residents bet from their home computers or cellphones in order to improve the odds that Christie will sign the bill. The Republican governor endorsed the referendum before the vote was held.

The Atlantic City casinos welcomed passage of the bill, saying it would help them compete with gambling houses in neighboring states, and offer one more attraction to customers who now have more gambling options than ever before.

“If and when the federal ban is overturned, this law would permit casinos to accept wagers on sporting events, adding another amenity to enhance our ability to compete and grow as a destination resort,” the Casino Association of New Jersey said in a statement released Monday. “Legalized sports betting would provide an economic boost for Atlantic City and the entire state of New Jersey, as it would attract more tourists to our city and its world-class entertainment, thriving restaurants, brand-name retail shopping and world-famous Boardwalk.”

The legislature also approved a measure allowing horse racing fans to place bets from in to 12 bars or restaurants in northern and central New Jersey.

New Jersey has authorized 15 off-track betting locations, but only three have been built. Racing industry executives blame the uncertainty surrounding their sport in New Jersey, including ongoing efforts to find a private operator for Monmouth Park, and the end of annual casino subsidies to the tracks.

The legislature also passed a law Monday requiring holders of permits to build off-track betting parlors who have not yet built them to do so within a year, or forfeit a $1 million bond and lose the right to build such a facility.

The PGA Tour season has already begun, with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions concluding today in Hawaii – leader Steve Stricker is the heavy 2/7 favorite on Bovada’s golf odds to win. But to many bettors, the golf season doesn’t really begin until Tiger Woods takes his first shot of the year. And now we know when that will be in the U.S: at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, on Feb. 9-12.

Get all your golf props at Bovada’s online sportsbook. Welcome:

Woods hasn’t played the Pebble Beach pro-am event since 2002. He won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 strokes and also won this tournament at the course earlier that year, coming from five strokes back to edge Matt Gogel. Woods has played the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am a total of six times. He finished second in his 1997 debut and placed 13th or better on two other occasions in addition to the win. Woods returned to the venue in 2010 for the U.S. Open and tied for fourth.

"It's always been one of my favorite spots," Woods said in his statement on his website. "It might be the prettiest place on earth."

Woods normally begins his PGA Tour season at Torrey Pines in January. This year, however, he is playing the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on Jan. 26, the same week as the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Woods had said that he would be adding a new event to his schedule. As with AT&T, Woods noted earlier that HSBC has been a supporter of the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The Pebble Beach Pro-Am is contested over three courses, with Pebble used for just two of the four rounds. The pro-am format will require Woods to play with an amateur for the first three days.

After opening the 2012 PGA Tour golf betting season with a solid victory in Maui, Steve Stricker will hop over to Honolulu and try to extend his hot streak for another week beginning Thursday at the Sony Open.

Stricker is listed as the 7/1 betting favorite on the golf odds to win again this week on the par-70, 7,068-yard course at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii, in the first full-field event of this year’s PGA Tour calendar. Last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, which Stricker won by three strokes, was limited to the 27 available players that won at least one tournament on the 2011 PGA Tour.

Webb Simpson, who finished second to Bill Haas in the FedExCup playoffs last season, will once again try to chase down Stricker after finishing four shots back in a tie for third place with Jonathan Byrd last week. Simpson is the second favorite behind Stricker at 10/1 odds, while Byrd offers substantial value as a Top 5 pick on the odds list at lengthy 25/1 odds to win.

In between those two players are PGA Tour stalwarts Zach Johnson and KJ Choi, at 14/1 and 16/1 odds respectively. Johnson will be making his 2012 season debut at the Sony Open, while Choi finished strongly last week by shooting a sizzling final-round 65 to wind up tied for fifth place. Johnson (2009) and Choi (2008) are just two of many recent champions who will be in the mix at the Sony Open this week.

Mark Wilson, the defending champion, is listed at 40/1 odds to repeat the feat this year along with Ryan Palmer, who won the Sony Open in 2010. David Toms, the 2006 winner, is at 33/1 odds, while 2005 champ Vijay Singh is at 50/1 odds and 2007 titlist Paul Goydos is considered a longshot at 125/1 odds.

Get all your 2012 golf betting odds at the Bovada Sportsbook.

With the health issues of the formerly dominating Venus and Serena Williams, women’s tennis is as wide open as it has ever been and there are probably more than a dozen players who could win the Australian Open. The tennis season’s first Grand Slam event begins Monday (Sunday night USA time) in Melbourne.

Get all your tennis odds at Bovada’s online sportsbook.

Caroline Wozniacki is the No. 1 player in the world and the top seed for this tournament, but she’s only the sixth-favorite to win at 12/1 on Bovada’s tennis betting odds. Wozniacki seems to shrink from the moment in Grand Slams as she is the first No. 1 player in the world to have not won a major. She did reach the semifinals of two Grand Slams last year, including this tournament. Wozniacki has a minor wrist injury that required treatment during the deciding set of her quarterfinal loss at the Sydney International on Wednesday.

Because of Wozniacki’s defeat in Sydney, she could have lost the No. 1 ranking to Petra Kvitova if the Czech lefty had won that tournament, but Kvitova was beaten 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 by Li Na on Thursday in the semifinals. Still, Kvitova is the 5/2 betting favorite. The reigning Wimbledon champion and No. 2 seed has played the Australian Open only three times, with a best finish of the fourth round a year ago.

Serena Williams is the second-favorite to win at 7/2. Serena, who has been plagued by injuries for more than a year, pulled out of the Brisbane International last week after twisting her ankle while winning a second-round match. She will play but may not be 100 percent. Serena, seeded 13th, is a five-time champion of this tournament and has won the past two Aussie Open she played (missed last year). Sister Venus pulled out of this event earlier this week because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

No. 12 seed Kim Clijsters, the defending champion, and Victoria Azarenka are at 13/2. Clijsters also has health concerns, pulling out of a warm-up tournament with a hip injury. She missed the final two majors last year due to injury. Azarenka, the third seed, looks for her first Grand Slam final appearance.

Aussie Samantha Stosur, the sixth seed, is 10/1 to win the tournament in front of her countrymen. She is the reigning U.S. Open champion but has never advanced past the fourth round here. Li Na is 12/1 with Wozniacki. Li reached the Australian Open final last year two weeks after winning in Sydney. She did event better at the next major, winning the French Open to become the first player from China to win a Grand Slam singles title. But she was an early out at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Bet the tennis season’s first major now at Bovada!

It was a turbulent start in tennis betting action at the Australian Open for second seed Rafael Nadal, as the world’s No. 2-ranked player battled through a sore knee and tried to quell a brewing controversy over critical comments he was reported to have made about rival Roger Federer.

Nonetheless, the fiery Spaniard defeated Alex Kuznetsov of Russia in straight sets (6-4, 6-1, 6-1) to advance to the second round of play at the year’s first Grand Slam event in Melbourne. Nadal won the match despite having his right knee heavily taped and complaining of pain and a limited range of motion prior to the match.

Bet on the Austrlian Open today.

Nadal, who subsequently tried to downplay remarks he reportedly made on Sunday that were interpreted as being critical of Federer’s seeming reluctance to publicly support his fellow ATP Tour pros with regard to scheduling changes, will hit the court as a -3300 betting favorite for his second-round match against underdog Tommy Haas (+1000).

Federer, who quickly dismissed the notion that he might have any concerns about Nadal’s remarks, also won his first-round match in straight sets (7-5, 6-2, 6-2) with a dominating victory over Alexander Kudryavtsev of Russia. The Swiss legend, seeded third in the men’s draw, will face Andreas Beck of Germany as a prohibitive favorite (-10000) to win his second-round match against the underdog Beck (+1600).

Nadal and Federer are on the same side of the men’s draw and appear destined to meet in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, presuming they maintain good health and are able to win all of their respective matches leading up to the final four. While Nadal is currently bothered by a sore right knee, Federer withdrew from the Qatar Open two weeks ago with a sore back.

Juan Martin del Potro (22/1 odds to win the Australian Open), Tomas Berdych (33/1) and Mardy Fish (125/1) and are among the top players on the same side of the draw as Nadal (13/2) and Federer (4/1) who could well threaten an upset as the tournament continues to unfold.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law Tuesday legalizing sports betting in the state — but only after a federal ban on such gambling is overturned.

The governor signed a bill that had been passed overwhelmingly by both houses of the state legislature. It would legalize betting on professional and collegiate sporting games at the Atlantic City casinos and the state’s four horse tracks. Next up is a court fight to overturn a federal law that makes it illegal to bet on sports in all but four states. If New Jersey prevails and the law is either overturned by the courts or repealed by Congress, it would free all 50 states to offer sports betting.

“This is the beginning of the end for the unfair, discriminatory and unwise federal ban on sports betting,” said Sen. Raymond Lesniak, an Elizabeth Democrat who has been the measure’s most vocal proponent. “It has failed to curb the public’s desire to bet on sporting events. Indeed, betting on sports has increased exponentially since the ban passed Congress.”

Voters signaled by a 2-to-1 margin in a non-binding referendum in November that they want sports betting to be legal.

“New Jersey voters made clear they want sports wagering, and this law will handle it in a responsible and professional fashion,” said Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, an Essex County Democrat. “It does the right thing for New Jersey, and will ensure our racetracks and casinos remain competitive. Our job isn’t done, but this is great economic progress for our state.”

Deputy Assembly Speaker John Burzichelli, a southern New Jersey Democrat, said the law is designed to reclaim money currently flowing to illegal bookies and offshore gambling web sites.

Let’s face it — sports gaming is already taking place, but the only people taking advantage of it are the bookies and criminal enterprises,” he said. “This opens the door for New Jersey to implement well-regulated sports gaming.”

Lesniak tried once to sue the U.S. government over the 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which limits sports betting to four states that approved it by a 1991 deadline. New Jersey weighed such a law but failed to act on it. Sports betting currently is legal only in Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana.

A judge dismissed Lesniak’s lawsuit. But he believes a second lawsuit will succeed with the backing of the state legislature, a law signed by the governor and the voters’ referendum.

He predicted the state attorney general’s office would soon file a lawsuit. A spokesman for the office did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

“Our Attorney General already has the legal arguments to blow a bigger hole through the federal ban than San Francisco 49ers’ Anthony Davis could to the Giants defensive line,” Lesniak said, already envisioning how much money could have been legally wagered on this weekend’s NFC championship game.

A 1990s study pegged sports betting — legal and otherwise — as a $380 billion industry in the U.S. Proponents of legalized sports betting estimate the market has since grown to a half-trillion dollars, with most of it going untaxed and unregulated.

Sports betting revenue would be taxed at the same 8 percent rate the casinos currently pay on their gambling winnings. Another 1.25 percent levy would go to a development fund for Atlantic City projects.

A much-anticipated clash between fierce rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will highlight semi-final action at the Australian Open in Grand Slam tennis betting action on Wednesday night in Melbourne, Australia.

Visit Bovada now for all your Australian Open tennis odds and player props.

Federer, the former No. 1-ranked player in the world who has a record 16 Grand Slam titles under his belt including four previous crowns at the Australian Open, is listed as a solid -160 favorite on the tennis odds to defeat Nadal and advance to yet another Grand Slam final.

Nadal, who has also been previously ranked No. 1 in the world and has ten Grand Slam crowns on his resume including one at the Australian Open in 2009, is listed as the underdog at +130 odds. Nadal defeated Federer in five sets to win his lone title at Melbourne Park, and also beat Federer in four sets in 2005 - the last time they met in a semi-final at the Australian Open.

Federer, the No. 3 seed, comes into this semi-final matchup on the heels of an impressive straight-set victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Tuesday. Later that night, the second-seeded Nadal needed four gruelling sets to defeat Tomas Berdych and advance to face Federer on Wednesday night.

In the other semi-final, defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia will tangle with Andy Murray of Scotland in a repeat matchup of last year’s Australian Open final which was won in straight sets by Djokovic.

Djokovic overcame David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 in the quarter-finals, while Murray vanquished Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Djokovic is a -250 favorite while Murray is a +185 underdog.

Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that boxing fans and bettors will see anytime soon the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao super-fight that everyone has been clamoring for as Mayweather has settled on an opponent for May 5 in Las Vegas: junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Mayweather will open as the -600 favorite on Bovada’s boxing odds with Cotto at +400. Mayweather had publicly called out Pacquiao but the sides just can’t seem to agree on terms for what would be the richest fight in history. Reportedly Mayweather said no to Pacquiao’s request for a 50-50 split of any potential purse.

“I’m fighting Cotton on May 5th because Miss Pac Man is ducking m,” Mayweather tweeted of Pacquiao after being granted a license to fight Cotto.

Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs), the welterweight champion, will move up to 154 pounds for the fight, a weight class Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) has thrived in since moving up following beatings at the hands of Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. Cotto has since gotten payback on Margarito, beating him in December when Margarito was unable to continue due to swelling around his right eye.

Cotto had long been one of the leading names to get the fight with Mayweather along with fellow titleholder Saul Alvarez. Besides Mayweather and Pacquiao, Cotto is the next biggest pay-per-view attraction in boxing and has a huge Puerto Rican fan base. This will be for Cotto’s WBA junior middleweight belt.

Mayweather was last seen beating Victor Ortiz in a controversial fourth-round knockout in September. “Money” will head to jail on June 1 for 87 days due to a domestic violence conviction. He was supposed to begin his sentence on Jan. 6, but the judge in the case deferred his report date to June 1 in order for Mayweather to fight on May 5.

Get all your boxing odds and props at the Bovada Sportsbook!

From Nashua to New York to Washington, D.C., football fans will put their money where their mouths are this weekend.

Thousands of dollars are sure to trade hands between backers of the New England Patriots and New York Giants once the final score of Super Bowl XLVI is set.

Authorities don’t exactly endorse gambling of this sort. But they aren’t ready to make any arrests.

Nashua Police Chief John Seusing said the department isn’t investigating any Super Bowl betting pools and hasn’t had any gambling complaints in recent years.

Still, he wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s an accepted practice, and added it wouldn’t be condoned in the Nashua Police Department.

“I think it’s well known that pools probably take place every Super Bowl,” he said. “By the letter of the law, it could be illegal depending on the extent of it, but every Super Bowl or World Series, I’m sure these things pop up.

“Frankly, we have much more important things to worry about.”

Merrimack Police Chief Mark Doyle said even small gambling is strictly against the law, but there is some awareness that it happens around town. Officers will investigate if there is a complaint, but the department has rarely, if ever, received one.

“You always hear about it around town, some of the lounges or bars may be hosting Super Bowl parties, but we’ve never received any complaints of illicit gambling, not in recent memory,” Doyle said.

Doyle also echoed Seusing’s comments about having bigger issues to worry about.

“Frankly, we don’t have the resources to investigate these kinds of things; it’s not anything we seek out,” he said. “We understand these things go on. For some folks it’s part of the culture of the Super Bowl and something they’ve been doing for years. It’s not so much that we accept it, but we only investigate if it infringes on the quality of life in our community.”

To some political leaders, the game is worth more than money: Home pride is on the line.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, for instance, have each agreed to bets with New York colleagues.

Under Shaheen’s wager, her Senate colleague Chuck Schumer will have to buy a beer from New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewer for each member of the Senate if the Patriots win. If the Giants win, Shaheen will have to buy her 99 Senate colleagues a beer from New York’s Brooklyn Brewery.

“This Sunday, the only thing sweeter than the taste of craft beer brewed in the Granite State will be the taste of victory when the Patriots beat the Giants,” Shaheen said in a statement. “I look forward to joining the rest of my fellow Senators as we wash down New England’s win with some of New Hampshire’s best brews, courtesy of Senator Schumer.”

In the other house of Congress, Guinta, of Manchester, has put even more local pride on the line, putting up a package of local favorites against a range of New York delicacies wagered by his congressional colleague Nan Hayworth, of New York.

In the bet, Hayworth has offered a selection of cold cuts, baked ziti and New York cheesecake if the Patriots win. Guinta has put up a menu of New Hampshire maple syrup from Gilford, lobster from Seabrook and poutine from the Chez Vachon diner in Manchester.

“This meal represents a slice of New Hampshire cuisine,” Guinta said in a statement. “I’m proud to showcase the best of our state’s foods with my bet. But I’m sure that when the Patriots whittle the Giants down to size Sunday evening, the lobster, syrup and poutine won’t be going anywhere.”

Last month, Guinta won a dozen Maryland crab cakes from U.S. Rep. Andy Harris after the Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens in the conference championship game.

“He shared (the crab cakes) with his very grateful staff, and I can tell you they were delicious,” Guinta spokesman Mark Powell wrote in an e-mail to the Telegraph. “One of the best crab cakes I’ve ever tasted.”

Boxing betting fans get an opportunity to bet on one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world this weekend when former WBO/WBA Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (27-1-0) steps up in weight in search of another world title. He will face Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-1-1) for the vacant WBO Junior Featherweight title as a heavy favorite.

Get your boxing odds for the Donaire vs. Vazquez Jr. matchup this weekend at Bovada.

Donaire has had some difficulty making the 118-pound limit of late and has decided that a move up in weight class is in order. His first fight at Junior Featherweight is expected to be a one-sided affair as most boxing experts believe that his power will be far too much for Vazquez Jr. to handle.

Donaire is on a 25-fight win streak that includes 17 stoppage wins. If there’s one area where Donaire could prove vulnerable it would be that the larger opponent could be a new test to his chin and stamina.

Vazquez Jr. was able to rebound from his WBO title loss to Jorge Arce with a win over Roberto Carlos Leyva in his last fight, but he will be in the ring against one of the hardest hitting Junior Featherweights to come along in a long time. Vazquez Jr. will need to stay away from Donaire’s power and attempt to out-box his way to a decision victory.

This bout is sure to be a crowd-pleaser as both fighters will come to fight. A slugfest is likely to ensue, and that makes the underdog option a little more tempting than usual as the chances of Vazquez Jr. landing a heavy shot increase in that type of fight. However, if Vazquez Jr. can’t land that big shot he’s likely in for a painful night.

Find odds for this weekend's boxing bouts today at Bovada.

This Saturday night top Middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Marco Antonio Rubio will battle for the WBC title and a potential big-dollar fight against a big name like Cotto or Canelo. Despite Chavez Jr. holding the title, and a record of 44-0-1, he’s better known for never having fought anyone of stature in his career. This weekend Rubio could prove to be a very tough opponent and could provide a potential upset payday.

Get your boxing odds for the Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio matchup this weekend at Bovada.

Chavez Jr. has kept the mystery alive in his boxing career and will be a heavy favorite to defend his title on February 4. A lot will be on the line for the WBC champion, who will surely step into the big-time over his next few fights if he can come out on top against Rubio. The line on Chavez Jr. at Bovada could get more expensive once boxing betting begins in earnest.

Rubio is on a current 10-fight win streak that includes nine KOs. The hard-hitting veteran will be looking to take out Chavez before the fight gets into the late-middle rounds, where Chavez will likely hold an edge. Expect the Bovada underdog line on Rubio to grow from its starting point.

Keys to victory for Rubio will be to land the big shot and not to over-commit as he’s trying to do so. If he takes the fight to Chavez he will have a puncher’s chance for a nice upset payday. Chavez will need to stay close to Rubio and apply the pressure from the first bell. If he can weather the storm for the first few rounds his improved cardio should give him an edge in the championship rounds.

Find your boxing odds at Bovada today.