Latest news with #bettors
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Wall Street Journal
Baseball's ‘Spot-Fixing' Investigation Now Includes a Star Closer
When former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was caught 16 months ago conspiring with bettors to fix his performance in NBA games, it was easy to believe it was an isolated incident. But the steady drip of revelations since then has shined a spotlight on a frightening reality for the entire industry of professional sports: No caliber of athlete, no matter how rich, famous or talented, is immune to the threat of gambling.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 NFL betting: 3 over/unders to bet right now
It's that time of year again. The 2025-26 NFL season is approaching, and we can dive into some futures bets. I always look forward to betting NFL futures compared to other sports because the league is historically volatile. Since 1990, an average of 5.85 new teams make the playoffs each season, and win totals typically finish about 2.5 wins off their preseason lines. There is value to be found; it's just a matter of identifying it correctly. The market I always target first for futures betting is season win totals, and there are three main reasons why. First, without getting too deep into the gambling math, these bets take place in a low-hold market. 'Hold' refers to the rake rate the sportsbook makes on a given bet. Awards markets, for example, often have three times the hold of a season win-total market. The same betting angle can often be approached in multiple ways, so finding the lowest-hold option can maximize your edge. Second, there's the availability of 'outs.' The season win-total market is usually reopened weekly with updated odds. This allows bettors to double down, hedge, open a middle or time schedule wrinkles into their strategy. It creates more flexibility within the bet type throughout the season. Finally, these futures tend to pay out the fastest. For instance, if you bet a team over 8.5 wins and a team reaches nine wins by Week 12, the bet is graded, the funds are returned and your balance is freed up to jump on another actionable angle. After scouring the market for NFL win totals, evaluating where different books have priced their lines, where initial movement has occurred and how each team's schedule looks, three bets clearly stood out to me. Here are my three favorite NFL over/unders to bet right now (as always, shop around for the best price): New England Patriots over 8.5 wins (-115 at BetMGM) This was my first NFL futures bet placed this season. The Patriots have the second-easiest schedule in the league based on the combined projected win totals of their opponents. Using the lookahead lines available now, they are currently favored in 11 games. The Patriots bring in head coach Mike Vrabel, who has gone over his win total in four of six seasons as an NFL head coach and who previously helmed a Ryan Tannehill-led team to the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Vrabel is a culture-setter, and his teams play physical, high-IQ football and often exceed expectations. Some sportsbooks initially opened this line at 7.5 (-140 to the over, +120 to the under), but it was quickly bet up to 8.5. Since one win is worth approximately 45 cents of vig, the current line at some sportsbooks of 8.5 at +105 is very similar in value and still worth betting. The only truly difficult stretch in the Patriots' schedule begins in Week 12, when three of four games come against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Set a reminder for Nov. 14 to start evaluating your outs between their Week 11 matchup against the Jets and Week 12 against the Bengals, right before the tough part of the schedule kicks in. New Orleans Saints under 5.5 wins (-145) I think the Saints may be the worst team in the NFL this season and are a full fade. First-year head coach Kellen Moore takes over a team stuck in salary cap hell. The Saints will carry nearly $50 million in 'dead cap' money (funds they cannot use to improve the roster). That's the highest figure in the NFL this season and is typically a strong indicator of an impending rough year. Simply put, this team is bereft of talent and effectively operating with about 20% less spending power than most others. At quarterback, their options are either second-round rookie Tyler Shough or second-year fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler following Derek Carr's abrupt retirement this offseason. The division around them is also getting stronger: Atlanta should improve with Michael Penix Jr., Carolina appears more competent with Bryce Young entering Year 2, and Tampa Bay has proven to be a consistently competitive team. The betting market has already reacted, knocking this win total down a full game from 6.5 to 5.5, but the under is still worth playing for 1 unit. Los Angeles Chargers over 9.5 wins (-110) The Chargers have everything I look for when backing an NFL team on their preseason win total: a great coach and proven winner in Jim Harbaugh, a top-tier quarterback in Justin Herbert — whom film scouts still rank near the top five despite modest stats — and a strong offensive line paired with a reliable running game. The reason Herbert's numbers don't jump off the page is largely because the team has emphasized balance. The Chargers added Najee Harris this offseason, and he's never rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards in a season. He's durable and will now run behind the best offensive line of his career. On top of that, the division is due to regress. The Chiefs survived last season by winning an unsustainable number of one-score games, including both of their matchups against the Chargers. The Chiefs have beaten the Chargers seven straight times, and six of those have been one-score games. Now, looking at the Chargers' schedule, there's a slight wrinkle in the timing of when to bet this line. They open the season at home against Kansas City, where they're already 2.5-point underdogs. Their next three games are at the Raiders, vs. the Broncos, and at the Giants — all games where they'll be favored. I recommend placing a half-unit bet now, then revisiting after Week 1 regardless of the outcome. If the Chargers lose, the win total should remain at 9.5, possibly with plus-money odds. If they win, the number may move to 10.5 or become a heavily juiced over 9.5, both of which I'd still feel comfortable playing.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 NFL betting: Three over/unders to bet right now
It's that time of year again. The 2025-26 NFL season is approaching, and we can dive into some futures bets. I always look forward to betting NFL futures compared to other sports because the league is historically volatile. Since 1990, an average of 5.85 new teams make the playoffs each season, and win totals typically finish about 2.5 wins off their preseason lines. There is value to be found; it's just a matter of identifying it correctly. The market I always target first for futures betting is season win totals, and there are three main reasons why. First, without getting too deep into the gambling math, these bets take place in a low-hold market. 'Hold' refers to the rake rate the sportsbook makes on a given bet. Awards markets, for example, often have three times the hold of a season win-total market. The same betting angle can often be approached in multiple ways, so finding the lowest-hold option can maximize your edge. Second, there's the availability of 'outs.' The season win-total market is usually reopened weekly with updated odds. This allows bettors to double down, hedge, open a middle or time schedule wrinkles into their strategy. It creates more flexibility within the bet type throughout the season. Finally, these futures tend to pay out the fastest. For instance, if you bet a team over 8.5 wins and a team reaches nine wins by Week 12, the bet is graded, the funds are returned and your balance is freed up to jump on another actionable angle. After scouring the market for NFL win totals, evaluating where different books have priced their lines, where initial movement has occurred and how each team's schedule looks, three bets clearly stood out to me. Here are my three favorite NFL over/unders to bet right now (as always, shop around for the best price): New England Patriots over 8.5 wins (-115 at BetMGM) This was my first NFL futures bet placed this season. The Patriots have the second-easiest schedule in the league based on the combined projected win totals of their opponents. Using the lookahead lines available now, they are currently favored in 11 games. The Patriots bring in head coach Mike Vrabel, who has gone over his win total in four of six seasons as an NFL head coach and who previously helmed a Ryan Tannehill-led team to the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Vrabel is a culture-setter, and his teams play physical, high-IQ football and often exceed expectations. Some sportsbooks initially opened this line at 7.5 (-140 to the over, +120 to the under), but it was quickly bet up to 8.5. Since one win is worth approximately 45 cents of vig, the current line at some sportsbooks of 8.5 at +105 is very similar in value and still worth betting. The only truly difficult stretch in the Patriots' schedule begins in Week 12, when three of four games come against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Set a reminder for Nov. 14 to start evaluating your outs between their Week 11 matchup against the Jets and Week 12 against the Bengals, right before the tough part of the schedule kicks in. New Orleans Saints under 5.5 wins (-145) I think the Saints may be the worst team in the NFL this season and are a full fade. First-year head coach Kellen Moore takes over a team stuck in salary cap hell. The Saints will carry nearly $50 million in 'dead cap' money (funds they cannot use to improve the roster). That's the highest figure in the NFL this season and is typically a strong indicator of an impending rough year. Simply put, this team is bereft of talent and effectively operating with about 20% less spending power than most others. At quarterback, their options are either second-round rookie Tyler Shough or second-year fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler following Derek Carr's abrupt retirement this offseason. The division around them is also getting stronger: Atlanta should improve with Michael Penix Jr., Carolina appears more competent with Bryce Young entering Year 2, and Tampa Bay has proven to be a consistently competitive team. The betting market has already reacted, knocking this win total down a full game from 6.5 to 5.5, but the under is still worth playing for 1 unit. Los Angeles Chargers over 9.5 wins (-110) The Chargers have everything I look for when backing an NFL team on their preseason win total: a great coach and proven winner in Jim Harbaugh, a top-tier quarterback in Justin Herbert — whom film scouts still rank near the top five despite modest stats — and a strong offensive line paired with a reliable running game. The reason Herbert's numbers don't jump off the page is largely because the team has emphasized balance. The Chargers added Najee Harris this offseason, and he's never rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards in a season. He's durable and will now run behind the best offensive line of his career. On top of that, the division is due to regress. The Chiefs survived last season by winning an unsustainable number of one-score games, including both of their matchups against the Chargers. The Chiefs have beaten the Chargers seven straight times, and six of those have been one-score games. Now, looking at the Chargers' schedule, there's a slight wrinkle in the timing of when to bet this line. They open the season at home against Kansas City, where they're already 2.5-point underdogs. Their next three games are at the Raiders, vs. the Broncos, and at the Giants — all games where they'll be favored. I recommend placing a half-unit bet now, then revisiting after Week 1 regardless of the outcome. If the Chargers lose, the win total should remain at 9.5, possibly with plus-money odds. If they win, the number may move to 10.5 or become a heavily juiced over 9.5, both of which I'd still feel comfortable playing.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Glorious Goodwood odds: Latest betting odds for Glorious Goodwood 2025
Glorious Goodwood has been an integral part of the British horse racing calendar since 1802, being held in late July and/or early August since its inception. With 37 races spread across five days, it's a feast of flat racing for bettors and we've got all the best Goodwood odds from betting sites for each and every race of this unique festival. An unusual, quirky racecourse compared to many around the world, Goodwood does not have a complete circuit, with a series of loops helping to create the races longer than sprints. Races of six furlongs or less are contested on the straight course, which climbs for the first furlong or so before being mostly downhill from that point. The meeting has strong links to summer fashion and is set in the beautiful scenery of the Sussex Downs, with the south coast in view from the back of the main grandstand. There are three Group 1 races during the week, with the Sussex Stakes, contested over one mile, being the centrepiece. The Goodwood Cup and the Nassau Stakes complete the trio of top races, while there are numerous other Group races across the five days and the Stewards Cup, a prestigious six-furlong sprint handicap, contested annually on the final day. You'll find Goodwood racing odds for all those feature races and more from licensed and regulated horse racing betting sites on this page. Glorious Goodwood Odds Glorious Goodwood 2025 begins on Tuesday 29 July and runs until Saturday 2 August on the Sussex Downs. Bettors can find odds for each and every race at Glorious Goodwood using our live odds tracker, which pulls in odds from online bookmakers and displays the best prices for each runner. The Goodwood horse racing odds above are live and updated in real time, so make sure to bookmark this page to stay up to date with the latest prices. Glorious Goodwood Races Guide Glorious Goodwood Day 1 A fabulous five days of action begins on Tuesday, 29 July with the Group 2 Lennox Stakes. The feature on the opening day is the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes. Contested over two miles, this race has seen some of the best stayers ever to have raced involved, including recent favourites such as the four-time winner, Stradivarius. Glorious Goodwood Day 2 Day two takes place on Wednesday, 30 July and places an emphasis on speed. The traditional feature is the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, contested over one mile. First run in 1841, this race features the pick of the nation's milers aged three and upwards. In recent history, the brilliant Baaed won this race in 2022, while Frankel, who many believe to have been the greatest horse of them all, lifted the prize in both 2011 and 2012. There's also a chance to see some stars of the future with the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes open to two-year-old speedsters. Glorious Goodwood Day 3 Day three is Ladies Day. There'll be some fabulous fashions to enjoy and the pick of the action on the track is the featured Visit Qatar Nassau Stakes over a mile and two furlongs. This race was first run in 1840 and has been run over its current distance since 1911, while being promoted to Group 1 status in 1999. The magnificent Midday won this race three years in succession from 2009-2011 under jockey Tom Queally. The Richmond Stakes is another classy Group 2 sprint race for two-year-olds over six furlongs. We'll have all the Goodwood odds from online bookmakers and betting apps for the Nassau Stakes, the Richmond Stakes, plus all the other races on day three. Glorious Goodwood Day 4 Day four at Goodwood puts speed front and centre again. The feature race is the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes, worth over £170,000 to the winner. This five-furlong sprint has featured many of the fastest horses ever to have raced, including the wonderful Battaash, who won the race in four successive years from 2017 to 2020, under jockey Jim Crowley. The supporting cast on Friday isn't bad either, with bettors able to find Goodwood odds for the Coral Golden Mile and the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes. Glorious Goodwood Day 5 The curtain comes down on Glorious Goodwood on Saturday, when the feature race is the Stewards' Cup, a valuable big field sprint handicap over six furlongs. This cavalry charge has proved an incredibly difficult race to win but the Michael Dods-trained Commanche Falls holds the rare distinction of winning it two seasons in succession, in 2021 and 2022. Glorious Goodwood Odds Explained The odds on each horse at Glorious Goodwood, just like at any other horse race meeting, are determined based on market confidence and not on predictions. Bookies will set the initial odds on a horse based on what they think its chance is of winning the race. The better the chance, the shorter the odds. Those deemed less likely to win are priced accordingly, with bigger odds. Once the betting market has open, the odds then fluctuate according to market confidence, so if more people bet on a horse, its odds will shorten. If fewer people bet on a horse than the bookies expected, its odds can increase. Ante-post odds are odds that bookies offer in advance of the day of the race. Just like odds offered by bookmakers on the day of the race, ante-post odds can also change frequently. Responsible Gambling Sports betting can be enjoyable, but it's important to stay in control and gamble responsibly. Whether you are using the best online casino, slot sites, poker sites, or online bookmakers, responsible gambling should always be a priority. All licensed gambling sites in the UK are required to provide tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion, and self-assessment questionnaires. These are designed to help you manage your activity and protect your well-being. Many operators, including online bookmakers and new casino sites, will offer free bets or a casino bonus. While these can be tempting, it is vital to read the terms and conditions of any offer before taking part. If you are concerned about your gambling behaviour, support is available from:
Reuters
02-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Illinois sportsbook operators hit with per-bet tax of 25-50 cents
June 2 - Illinois sportsbooks are determining their next move after legislators passed a $55.2 billion budget on Saturday that included a bet fee of 25 to 50 cents per wager. The bill calls for sportsbooks to pay the tax on every bet, which could be passed on to public bettors. The stock market reacted by declining on Monday. Starting July 1, the first 20 million individual bets placed in the state each fiscal year carry a tax of 25 cents apiece and every bet placed after that brings a fee of 50 cents. Sports Betting Alliance, which represents interests of online and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, vowed, "This is not the end of this conversation. We will continue to fight this discriminatory tax alongside our customers -- both right now in Illinois and in any state that considers these harmful tax changes in the future." The bill is projected to yield more than $40 million for the state. According to documents presented in support of the tax hike before Saturday's vote, Illinois bettors wagered a state-record $14.017 billion in 2024. The astonishing figure represents an increase of more than 20 percent from 2023. Illinois sportsbooks generated a combined $1.233 billion total revenue in 2024. Only New York generated more revenue last year. Yet, Illinois is doubling down on taxing sports wagers following the adoption of a separate tax in the 2024 fiscal year budget. "With this change, lawmakers are essentially urging customers -- and especially these small-dollar bettors -- to switch to unsafe and unregulated sportsbooks who defy state consumer protections and generate zero taxes for state priorities," SBA said in a statement. "These illegal operators are the big winners from Saturday's vote." The newly approved legislation promises "$800 million in new taxes on tobacco products and sports betting" and also included approval of a 5 percent pay raise for lawmakers tied to inflation. --Field Level Media
