The betting line for the New York Giants-New England Patriots Super Bowl has dropped to as low as New England -11.5 at some offshore sportsbooks, thought the Vegas odds are generally higher than the sharper offshore line. The total is pretty steady at 53.5, though Vegas has it posted at 54 and many casinos.
The 11.5 is a very significant drop from several sportsbooks that had the line as high as 14. Mike Godsey of GodsTips.com, anchor of OffshoreInsiders.com says while he has not made up his mind on the game, early Giants money is not necessarily based on sound logic.
“Truthfully, my sports service never makes picks based on hunches. We still have a lot of techniques to run, so honestly I can neither agree nor disagree with any bets.” But he has spoken to Giants bettors who have already invested a lot of money and Godsey says they are using convoluted logic.
An example is betting the Giants because they have won a record 10 straight road games. “It’s a common blunder the square player makes in handicapping March Madness or the college bowls. Neutral games are just that—neutral. A team’s road statistics are not more relevant than their home numbers.”
Also he says, gamblers develop a fear of betting on or against certain teams if they’ve been burnt recently. “It’s rare when in a Super Bowl one team is entering on a spread slump. But Joey Bagofdonuts is afraid to bet with the Patriots who are winless against the spread in the playoffs or against the Giants who are undefeated in the postseason.”
Godsey says bettors have the attitude that they’ve been burned betting against the Giants or on the Patriots, so they won’t make the same mistake again.¼br> ¼br> source: http://www.offshoreinsiders.com/index.php?Page=Articles&ArticleID=1173
After only opening at the end of May, the Virgin Bets sportsbetting portion of online casino VirginGames.com has closed for a revamp to a ‘new and improved product’.
‘We sadly regret that Virgin Bets is no longer available,” read a notice posted on the site.
“We would like to thank all those who have supported us in the past. Virgin Games have decided to shut down our sport betting website in the short-term. We are working on a new and improved betting product and we will let you all know as soon as it is ready to take bets.
“If you have an account enquiry or you’d like to ask us a question, please contact Virgin Games using the following e-mail address: betsresponse@virgingames.com.
‘If you’re looking for a punt in the meantime, why not try your hand at poker, casino or bingo? Whatever your game is, we’ve got it all at VirginGames.com. Thanks for betting with Virgin Bets, see you again soon.’
Virgin launched the site in association with betting exchange giant BetFair to capitalise on the growing public interest in entertainment and ‘novelty’ bets but also offered services on soccer, cricket, golf, greyhound and motor sports racing, rugby and tennis with horseracing to be added later.
‘Virgin Bets aims to offer a straightforward betting service for people looking for a bit of entertainment, whether they want a casual punt on the UEFA Champions League or a fun flutter on the winner of this year’s Big Brother,’ read a statement from Virgin.
According to The Washington Post newspaper, authorities in America have arrested eight people involved in a Costa Rica-based online sports gambling operation.
The arrests were made in the states of New York, Massachusetts and Maryland by the organised crime unit of the US Attorney’s Office on a warrant issued by the US Attorney for the Southern District Of New York. Prosecutors allege that the sportsbetting websites operated by the ring brought in millions of dollars every year from hundreds of bookies since at least 2005.
It is alleged that Carmen ‘Buddy’ Cicalese headed an operation based in Costa Rica that charged several hundred American bookies weekly fees of $15 to $30 for each gambler they registered. Also arrested were Patrick Cicalese and Francis ‘Butch’ Pugliese who have pleaded not guilty to charges that include gambling and conspiracy.
Also named in the indictment are Louis ‘Lou The Shoe’ Santos, Marc ‘Box’ Group and Carl ‘Sheepshead’ Muraco. Reports suggest that prosecutor have taped conversations of the men talking about payments of bets being made online in addition to claims that the ring used a Pakistan-based cash processor to transfer money between the United States and offshore accounts.
In total, twelve men are named in an indictment and face charges in Manhattan Federal Court including conspiracy and illegal gambling.
It is alleged that the men ran a call centre and sportsbetting websites that serviced US-based bookies. Bookmakers would contact the call centre to make bets or arrange them through websites including DataWager.com and BetWestSports.com.
While the operation set the odds for the bets, payouts were left to the bookies with US-based ‘runners’ collecting fees and transferring money to Costa Rica through couriers, credit cards and electronic bank transfers.
A new report says the state could collect about $22 million to $30 million a year by allowing sports betting at the state’s three slot machine casinos.The report was ordered by the General Assembly in June and was issued Friday by the Delaware Department of Finance, the Office of Management and Budget and the controller general’s office.
The report concluded limiting sports betting to the slots venues is a better option than authorizing betting parlors around the state. Deputy Secretary of Finance Thomas Cook says allowing sports betting at parlors statewide would dilute the overall financial impact.
The report, however, doesn’t take a position on whether sports betting should be legalized.
Sportsbooks like to put up high odds on underdog teams winning the Super Bowl when the playoffs start. They then watch as gamblers throw money away chasing the dream that one of those teams can actually win the big game.
This week, sports books have changed their tunes when it comes to odds on winning the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers will have to do their jobs and avoid upsets, or the sports books could be holding their breath in the championship game.
The Patriots have become even more of an overwhelming favorite to finish undefeated and with the Lombardi Trophy. Their current odds are minus 400 to win the Super Bowl. Yes, you are reading correctly. It means gamblers will have to lay $400 to win $100.
The Packers have seen their odds of winning drop to five to one. Not a bad payout if you believe the Brett Favre led Pack is a team of destiny.
The Chargers are now at seven to one to win it all. That number has dropped from what was last week, eighteen to one.
The Giants might be the wild card in all of these future odds. Last week, New York was thirty to one to win the Super Bowl. This week their odds have dropped to fourteen to one. It is last week’s number, however, that should scare the sports books. There are many Giant followers around the country, and that number last week surely enticed even the most disciplined of gamblers.
So this week, the sports books will sit back and for one of the few times, be rooting for the favorites. A win by both favorites will put them back on the side of the underdog in the Super Bowl, but an upset by the Giants this week, could make for a long two weeks for odds makers.
