The Online Sportsbooks Are Coming!
Sports betting news and information for bettors by bettors ...
It doesn't have quite the same ring to it as the phrase shouted by Bostonian Paul Revere during his midnight ride. But much like the Redcoats in 1775, online sportsbooks are coming to Massachusetts!
Retail sportsbooks launched in Massachusetts in January, but bettors have had to wait until tomorrow to place their bets on the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics online.
So, for bettors in the Commonwealth, it is a great time to start your sports betting journey. Conference tournaments are underway, and the launch comes just in time for March Madness!
The various conference tournaments dominate the sports betting landscape this week, Selection Sunday is days away, and the real Madness begins next week, with the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But college hoops is not the only show in town.
The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship event, is taking place at Sawgrass, and the NBA and NHL regular seasons are heating up, with the postseasons to follow. There’s also the World Baseball Classic, Spring Training, the XFL, and more.
So, you've got options, and we've covered many of them this week. So, let's get right to it and talk about the latest and greatest in sports betting!
Online Sports Betting Set To Launch In Massachusetts
It's a great time to be a sports bettor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Come 10 a.m. ET tomorrow, gamblers in Mass can place their bets on the Celtics, Bruins, or whoever their favorite team is from the comfort of their own homes.
No more day trips across the Connecticut, Rhode Island, or New York borders to use one of the online sportsbooks active in those states, because online sportsbooks will be live in Mass!
Six sportsbook apps are set to open in the state Friday – DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, WynnBET, and Barstool. More will launch in the months ahead. So, there are plenty of options and lots of bonuses to grab.
For more on what to expect in Massachusetts, check out our dedicated state page:
March Madness is Here!
The NCAA Tournament gets rolling next week, but college basketball fans have been enjoying the many conference tournaments as they play out across the country. There are 32 of them, and we didn't cover them all, but we have covered a number of them for you.
ACC Tournament Odds, Betting Lines & Predictions 2023: Best Bets to Make
SEC Tournament Odds, Betting Lines & Predictions 2023: Alabama Favored but Roll With Texas A&M
Big Ten Tournament Odds, Betting Lines & Predictions 2023: Purdue, Indiana Among Favorites
Pac-12 Tournament Odds, Betting Lines, Predictions 2023: UCLA, Arizona Stand Alone
Big 12 Tournament Odds, Betting Lines & Predictions 2023: Kansas Favored To Repeat
AAC Tournament Odds, Betting Lines & Predictions 2023: Houston Looks Beatable
Also, check current March Madness odds here and tonight’s college basketball lines here.
Elsewhere In The Wide World Of Sports Betting …
The wide world of sports betting has plenty more to offer beyond college hoops.
Soccer fans can find Champions League and EPL previews at GamingToday.com during the week, and golf previews are posted prior to the start of each tournament.
Here are some of the things we've covered this week:
2023 World Baseball Classic Odds: Dominican Republic, Japan, USA Top Betting Board
XFL Odds & Picks: Week 4 Best Bets for All Games & Championship Futures
Super Bowl Odds 2024: Quarterback News Leads To Odds Changing For Two Teams
If you are interested in the odds for your team's game tonight or how the championship odds are shaping up, check out these pages:
This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…
Massachusetts has been dominating the coverage with online sports betting launching Friday, but there has been news elsewhere in the industry.
The hopes of sports bettors in Georgia took a hit this week when the proposed constitutional amendment to put the question of legalization on the next ballot fell short in the Senate. There is a still a glimmer of hope for legalization to happen during this legislative session.
Rebecca Hanchett reports:
“There is a possibility that sports betting legislation that didn't survive Monday's crossover deadline – the last chance for legislation to make a first pass from one Georgia legislative chamber to the other – could get tacked onto a bill that did make it through to the other chamber by the deadline.
“Should lawmakers choose that route, sports betting provisions would likely get tacked onto another gambling or lottery bill. Both houses would have to approve the proposal, as they would with any sports betting bill.”
Best of luck to our friends in Georgia.
In Kentucky, the outlook is a little sunnier. Legislation has advanced to the House, but getting the necessary votes will be a bit tougher this year.
Here’s Rebecca:
“The big challenge is the number of votes needed to pass a bill raising revenue in odd-numbered session years…. In even-numbered year regular sessions, a revenue bill takes only a simple majority to pass. In odd-numbered years like this one, it takes three-fifths approval of each chamber.”
Sportsbook Promotions: March 9, 2023
The following promotions could come in handy this weekend:
BetRivers: NCAAB Saturday Parlay Insurance. Place a 4+ leg NCAAB parlay and get your stake back, up to $25, if exactly 1 leg loses!
FanDuel: New Customers, get 10x the amount of your first bet up to $200 in bonus bets (regardless if your bet wins or loses)
DraftKings: New Customers, bet $5+ on any pre-game moneyline and win $150!
Caesars: The Augusta Giveaway: Thursday 3/2 – Sunday 3/26. Opt-In and bet on golf for your chance to win a trip to Augusta!
Terms and conditions apply with every sportsbook promotion. Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer.
Beginner's Beat: Homework
Week 2 of the XFL season reminded me of an important lesson no one should ever forget when placing bets. Week 3 reminded me of another one — do not underestimate the value and importance of doing your homework. When deciding how to bet on a particular market, you want to gather as much information as you can to help you make a decision.
Last week, I needed to do more homework before making my XFL picks. If I had, I would have known that the Arlington Renegades had benched quarterback Drew Plitt for Kyle Sloter. Armed with that knowledge, there is no way I would have recommended taking the Renegades minus the points.
With a new quarterback under center, the offense was bound to take a step back — and it did. While I still would have said the Renegades would win, there is no way I would have said play Arlington -7.5.
So, do your homework. Make sure you know what you're doing before you do it. Few things are as frustrating as finding out you lost a bet you could have won had you just done a simple internet search.
This is just awesome and needed to go somewhere:
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.
To close out the GTP this week, there are many things I'd love to share with you guys. But I have to go with this clip of a spot that was not part of the broadcast when Travis Kelce hosted SNL last week:
Bet wisely, my friends.
Until Next Week,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer