I'm Excited; Are You Excited?

Sports betting news and information for bettors by bettors ...

Jul 28, 2022

The long wait is almost over — there's an NFL game next week (the Hall of Fame Game)! It's just a preseason game, and we probably will not see Trevor Lawrence, Derek Carr, or any of either team's star players for long (if at all). But it's football, so I am excited.

And, of course, you can bet on it! The Raiders are between 1.5- and 2-point favorites vs. the Jaguars a week ahead of the game).

Explore BetMGM: $1,000 Sign-up Bonus and More

If the notion of betting on a preseason game seems crazy to you, you are not alone. However, there is no better time than the present to put some money down on an NFL futures market (more on those in a minute).

But if football is not your thing, or you want a bet that can pay off this weekend, you've got options. There's a busy slate of MLB action on deck, UFC 277 is in Dallas on Saturday night, and both the PGA and LIV tours have tournaments taking place this weekend.

Yes, my friends, it looks like we have another great weekend in the wide world of sports betting.

There is plenty to get excited about. Right, Kyler Murray?

Today's MLB lines

Football! Football! Football!

Next week, I'll discuss the Hall of Fame game and betting on the preseason. This week, let's talk about futures. There are so many markets in the NFL that it can be hard to figure out which one to bet. Do you want to stick with the Super Bowl or NFL MVP? Or should you try to pick a division winner, a season win total, or maybe a player prop or two?

Our team here at GamingToday.com has been hard at work previewing various markets. Here's a list of the some of articles posted to our website (or updated) in the last week:

As the preseason rolls on, we'll cover more and update as needed.

Oh, and we'll also have you ready to bet on the college football season, too (more on that in the weeks ahead).

Time To Tee It Up

The LIV Tour is back this weekend as its third event gets underway Friday in New Jersey. As for the PGA Tour, the Rocket Mortgage Classic got rolling this morning at the Detroit Golf Club. The drama between the two tours has seemed to simmer.

Does that mean PGA Tour golfers and fans are starting to accept their new reality? It certainly seems like the LIV Tour is here to stay. It announced this week it would have 14 events next year (up from eight) with upwards of $405 million in total purse money.

Anyway, from a bettor's perspective, the LIV Tour means there will be some weeks when golf bettors have options – like this week:

The Rocket Mortgage Classic will have started by the time y'all see this, but there’s plenty of live betting for your enjoyment.

Elsewhere In The Wide World Of Sports Betting…

We do what we can here at Gaming Today to keep you up to date with the latest and greatest information involving the wide world of sports betting. Here’s some of what went down this week.

Did you hear about the drama surrounding that NASCAR race last weekend? Let Brent James tell you all about it.
Brant was busy this week; check out this article on a new betting exchange called WagerWire.
Also, check out our list of the Best Sports TV Shows.
Time is running out for Massachusetts to legalize sports betting this year, and it sounds like it may go down to the wire.

And here’s what happening around the betting markets:

Sportsbook Promotions: July 28, 2022

Since Kris Johnson wrote a great article examining the sustainability of large welcome bonuses sportsbooks offer as enticements to sign up, it’s a good time to review what sportsbooks are offering:

DraftKings: $50 free bet & 20% deposit bonus up to $1,000
FanDuel: No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000
Caesars: Up to $1,500 risk-free bet
BetMGM: Up to $1,000 risk-free bet
BetRivers: 100% deposit match up to $250
PointsBet: 2 risk free bets up to $2,000

Along with the two mentioned above, DraftKings is giving new users another option this weekend: Bet $5 on UFC 277 and get $100 in free bets whether you win or lose your bet. But you can only claim one new user bonus, so choose wisely.

FanDuel also has a second option; bet $5 and get $150 in free bets, guaranteed. But like DraftKings, you can only choose one new user bonus.

Does anyone know what this guy is doing?

Beginners Beat: Don’t Rely Too Heavily On The Best Teams

Banking on one of the top teams to continue winning may seem like you are just trying to take advantage of a recent trend. But, instead, you are falling victim to that trend. For example, let's look at the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been one of the best teams in the NFL in recent years and were coming off a Super Bowl season (albeit a loss) heading into 2021. But there was little doubt that the Chiefs would bounce back and return to their winning ways. We're talking about a team that went 14-2 in the 2020 regular season and had not lost in September since Patrick Mahomes became QB1.

So, it sounds like a bet on the Chiefs in September is a sure-fire winner — right? Wrong (and there is no such thing as a 'sure-fire' winner).

The Chiefs went 1-2 in September last season and 0-3 against the spread. They ended up going 2-7 ATS to start the season.

Don't bank on a team winning just because they are on a streak or fit a trend. After all, any team can win on any given Sunday.

The newsletter is done, Kyler. How does that make you feel?

That's it for this edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to get covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.

Today, rather than conclude this edition of the GTP with a quote, I want to leave you with an image everyone should see at least once – Green Bay Packers QB Cameron Poe:

SportsCenter @SportsCenter

Aaron Rodgers really showed up to training camp as Nick Cage from Con Air 🤣 (via @packers)

Bet wisely, my friends, and have a great weekend!

Until Next Week,

Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer