Golden Bet
Lionel Messi: The Most Influential Player in Sports Betting; Spring Training Games Begin; NC Stuff!
Former Argentine/former Barcelona/current Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is, as they say in footballing circles, a talisman when it comes to enticing Americans into making soccer bets.
Imagine if an only semi-old, semi-hungover Babe Ruth decided to glide down into retirement playing in Korea. Folks would have bet the over on his homer totals. They would have bet MBC Chungyong into undeserved favorite status.
So with Messi beginning his second campaign in Major League Soccer, and having been a massive betting draw last season, expect Miami and its 36-year-old superstar to be a frequent parlay-spicer at a mobile app near you.
And you don’t have to bet on the puppet master or his team.
Messi will also create value for MLS bettors not in it for the buzz.
At DraftKings, Inter Miami is the favorite to win the MLC Cup at +275. MLSSoccer.com has the club as the preseason fourth-best in the league, behind defending champion Columbus (+800), Cincinnati (+1200) and Seattle (+1600).
The odds at Hard Rock Bet - Floridians’ only legal choice - offer even better odds on non-Inter Cup futures.
From our friends and subscribers! at bet365:
“Looks like Inter Miami is picking up where they left off last season. For [Wednesday’s] match, 97% of Full Time result bets are on Inter Miami to win. Furthermore, 56% of all Anytime goalscorer bets are on Lionel Messi.
From bet365 Trading Leader, Aron Wattleworth:
· “Been in this business over 21 years, and I haven’t seen another example of a player going to a newer league that isn’t considered amongst the top leagues in the world, have such a seismic impact on the betting action, if not the league itself.
· Messi followed likes of Beckham (2nd most impactful player in MLS history for attention to League), Gerrard, Bale, Ibrahimovic, Villa. All saw upticks in action, and all very popular to varying degrees, i.e., Zlatan easier to back Anytime GS than, say, Gerrard. However, none have made an impact like Messi.
· Action on Inter Miami was exponentially massive compared to prior action often by thousand fold. Messi performance markets often took more than the whole game action for FT result and other match markets.
· Most Popular Anytime GS, To Score 2 or more, SOT Over 1.5/2.5 in the history of the league, and there aren’t enough hyperbolic metrics to say how huge his impact was on the betting action – compared to prior arrival, in any game he played in for the time that he was available and Inter were still in the hunt. Once injuries came and results didn’t keep up, the attention went away. But of the action taken, if Messi was playing or possibly playing, that was the most popular bet of the day.”
ABOVE: AP Photo; Brant James illustration
Spring Has Sprung
Baseball games.
They’re playing baseball games right now.
They don’t count.
But that’s still glorious.
You could bet on them.
But why?
Unless you’re one of those ultra-sharp guys that thinks they have or actually has some insight into when the 19-year-old prospect is going to act his age or the veteran DH had one too many at The Shipwreck, this seems like a fool’s folly.
Real baseball with real lineups will be here soon. Just wait, my friend.
The grind is coming.
Right now, just feel the sun on your face. (Unless you live in Florida year-round and have a ski mask on because it’s in the 50s.)
Your team is in first place.
This is an apt time, however, to discuss futures and tying up your money for months, even though you’re certain you’re right.
Look at those Orioles odds to win the AL East!
So, let’s have a random look at a random prop market. Here’s FanDuel on home run leader:
Alonso, in a contract year? All day.
FLORIDA UPDATE: Veteran Tribal Lawyer Thinks the Last-Ditch Challenge to Sports Betting Fails
West Flagler Associates’ petition asking the United States Supreme Court to take up its case for ending mobile sports betting in Florida undercuts its primary arguments. It fails to prove federal intervention is needed.
So says Derril B. Jordan, a former Associate Solicitor for the US Division of Indian Affairs, now serving as a senior Indian law attorney and partner with mctlaw. Jordan told Gaming Today that not only does the text of West Flagler’s writ of certiorari suggest that the case should be settled in Florida – where there is a challenge underway in that state’s high court – but it fails to prove that the 2021 compact the Seminole Tribe of Florida signed with the state will change the national model for how native gambling companies are regulated.
Those critical of or opposed to the compact contend that it will mark a paradigm change. For the first time, a tribe can accept state-wide mobile bets via a compact without legalizing the activity beyond tribal lands.
Still, Jordan doesn’t think the case rises to the level of something the US Supreme Court will hear. It has until June to decide. That the Seminole Tribe resumed its sports betting operation in Florida in November after a series of federal appeals court victories will probably impact whether four justices can be convinced to take up the case, he said. But he doubts any will admit it.
“Let’s put it this way: I don’t think it’s an issue that the Supreme Court is going to take up,” he said. “Every justice has their own things. One could see Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh voting to accept cert. It’s possible that four of them might agree to do so.
“Do I think they should? No, I don’t think so. It’s possible.
“But I don’t think that this measures up.”
BREAKING: Ohio Bans College Player Props
Yes, college props got the Archie Griffin-style Heisman. There’s a lot to debate on this issue.
Many of these student-athletes are apprentice professionals increasingly paid like such.
But they’re also kids we need to safeguard, whether you still believe in the purity of college athletics (and unicorns) or not.
Live reaction from Columbus:
North Carolina Update: 17 Days
Legal sports betting launches in North Carolina on March 11. Pardon us as we express a little extra hospitality for the good folks of Tobacco Road.
DraftKings’ Johnny Avello on the college basketball scene in NC.
The who/what/when/where/why of North Carolina sports betting
... with someone in North Carolina (or anywhere). Thanks, as always.
How to Bet Responsibly in NC
From Cole Rush:
North Carolina online sports betting is just around the corner.
Whether you’re new to sports betting, have dabbled before, or are a seasoned bettor, it’s a good idea to brush up on responsible gambling practices ahead of North Carolina’s highly anticipated launch.
Here is how to bet safely and responsibly when North Carolina sportsbooks launch.
Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem. 21+: All content herein is intended for audiences 21+.
Odds …
…. and ends
Detroit’s Getting an ESPN BET Retail Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino in Greektown
Fanatics launched online casino and sports betting in Michigan on Feb. 22
By Brant James, Gaming Today Senior Writer