Latest news with #DavidPurdum
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ESPN's reporter points out the key red flag that triggered the investigation into Malik Beasley: "When they move the odds and the bettors just keep betting it"
ESPN's reporter points out the key red flag that triggered the investigation into Malik Beasley: "When they move the odds and the bettors just keep betting it" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Malik Beasley is facing an investigation over claims he wagered on games he participated in. ESPN's David Purdum, who covers sports betting, explains what set off the alarm and how oddsmakers usually detect suspicious behavior. Advertisement "When bookmakers really are convinced that something untoward is going on," Purdum said on "The Dan Patrick Show," "When they move the odds. So, a prop bet may be over/under 2.5 for rebounds or whatever. Instead of moving, you know up to 4.5, they'll adjust the big on if you wanna bet the over, it may be -200." "When they adjust the odds and the bettors don't stop betting it, and just keep betting it even though these odds have moved against them, it is a major red flag," added Purdum. Beasley's suspicious activity As Purdum highlighted, as soon as bookmakers note this trend, they sometimes egregiously move the odds by design. If the bets still keep pouring in after moving the odds, it's usually a sign that somebody is trying to game the system. Advertisement Beasley's suspicious activity raised some eyebrows beginning in January 2024. He was still in the middle of a one-season stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he started 77 games and shot a 41 percent clip from deep. Last year, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter for his participation in a similar gambling scandal. Reports indicate that Porter revealed information about his health status in advance to other bettors. It was also disclosed that he placed bets in at least 13 games using a friend's account. Although none of these 13 games involved the Raptors, the NBA has a strict no-gambling policy for players, coaches and employees. Advertisement Beasley's contract negotiations stalled because of the ongoing investigation. After making 319 three-pointers last season, second in the league behind Anthony Edwards (320), he was supposed to return to the Detroit Pistons on a multi-year deal. Related: "I rather get away from the game a little bit" - Michael Jordan on why he never saw himself becoming an NBA head coach The Internet doesn't let you play games Following Beasley's predicament, former NBA veteran Matt Barnes weighed in on the situation in the latest episode of the "All the Smoke" podcast. As Barnes observed, the Internet checked the receipts as soon as news of Beasley's possible gambling involvement surfaced. "All these little videos are coming up. This MFer got a rebound and went Game 7 speed and dunked the ball when they were down nine," Barnes said, sounding puzzled by Beasley's alleged illegal activity. "He looked stressed out right before. The Internet doesn't let you play games." Advertisement "This gambling s***, I don't get it. You're getting too much money in this game to jeopardize that," he added. Gambling on relatively small bets for a player making millions feels like an unnecessary risk with outsized consequences. The risk-reward calculus doesn't make any sense. The NBA has already clarified that any proven involvement in betting, especially on one's own games, would be akin to a death sentence for one's career. Yet, there it goes again. Beasley's situation echoes that reality. After a strong shooting season and a likely eight-figure payday ahead, he now finds himself in limbo over wagers that pale in comparison to his potential earnings. It's a steep price to pay for something that never should have been worth the gamble. Related: "People don't know how strong that guy is" - Kevin McHale on Larry Bird's most underrated trait as a player This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC Sports
30-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Why Beasley's gambling allegations a 'red flag'
ESPN's David Purdum joins the Dan Patrick Show to dive into the federal investigation of Detroit Pistons' guard Malik Beasley for allegedly gambling on NBA games.
NBC Sports
22-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Bills are only team favored in all 17 games on their 2025 schedule
The 2025 NFL schedule shapes up nicely for the Bills to have a big year. After the schedule was released, point spreads were released for all 272 regular-season games, and only the Bills were favored in all 17 games on their schedule, according to David Purdum of ESPN. The Bills benefit from getting their two toughest games at home, with the Ravens coming to Buffalo in Week One and the Chiefs coming to Buffalo in Week Nine. The Bills also benefit from the Chiefs having a short work week in that Week nine game, as the Chiefs play on Monday night in Week Eight. The Chiefs and Ravens are each favored in 16 games, and underdogs only at Buffalo. The Bills have built a team that looks like it should be a Super Bowl contender any year that Josh Allen is healthy. This year, the schedule is favorable for them to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and perhaps for Allen to finally reach his first Super Bowl.
NBC Sports
19-02-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
U.S. sports betting industry sees record revenue in 2024 (which means bettors saw record losses)
The house always wins. Which means its visitors always lose. Not every single time. There are short-term wins. Over the long haul, however, the house is picking pockets like a six-fingered Artful Dodger. Via David Purdum of the American sports betting industry had a record $13.71 billion in 2024 revenue. It's a 24.18-percent increase over 2023. Last year, legal sports books took nearly $150 billion in bets, a 22.2-pecent bump over the prior year. Of the amount, 30 percent was wagered through digital technologies. That number was 13 percent only four years ago. The gains undoubtedly come from the ongoing proliferation of states that have legalized sports betting. And while most states now allow it, a couple of states with massive populations — California and Texas — still haven't embraced it. California has more than 10 percent of the nation's population, at nearly 39 million as of 2023. Texas, as of 2023, had 30.5 million residents. So there's still a lot more money to be made by the sports books. And lost by the betting public. Most bettors know the system is rigged against them. It doesn't stop them from betting. Many think they're the exception, the one who will crack the code and raid the vault and pocket a pile of easy money while losing, one bet at a time, their hard-earned money. That's their absolute privilege. Implicit in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the right to make bad decisions that will lead, sooner or later, to the opposite of one or more of those things.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania sports books lose $6.5 million on Super Bowl betting
Maybe the house doesn't always win. When they lose, it's usually driven by location. Nevada sports books won a record $22.1 million on Super Bowl LIX. Pennsylvania sports books did not. Via David Purdum of Pennsylvania sports books suffered a net loss of $6.5 million on Super Bowl LIX. With a record $101.5 million bet on the game — a 20.4 percent bump over the prior high from two years earlier — a high percentage were placed on the Eagles. For ESPN Bet's Pennsylvania operation, 73 percent of the bets and 79 percent of the handle landed on the Eagles. If running back Saquon Barkley had scored a touchdown in the game, it would have been worse. He was one of the top picks in the anytime-touchdown market. The problem for Pennsylvania is that plenty of gamblers bet with their hearts, and won. When my dad made book in the 1970s just an hour from Pittsburgh, the customers always loaded up on the Steelers. And so he hated the local team, especially since they developed a bad habit of covering the spread. In contrast, he loved the Cowboys. That was the team the locals loved to hate, and their bets reflected it. It's no surprise, then, that (per Purdum) New York sports books posted a record $62.8 million win for the Super Bowl. (The number includes futures bets on the NFL champion.) Most Giants fans surely couldn't bring themselves to bet the Eagles, and the house thrived for it when the Eagles won easily. That's the one thing I'll never forget about growing up in a bookie's household. The question was never, "Who are you rooting for?" The question always was, "Who do you need?"
