'Twas The Playbook Before Christmas ...
Why don't we guide your parlays tonight?
NORTH POLE — South Florida sportscaster Andy Slater (not pictured above) humble-bragged his way through Week 15 of the NFL season as each leg of a $600, six-leg “anytime TD scorer” parlay hit at +9658 odds.
There was Joe Mixon. Check.
And Jahmyr Gibbs. Check.
And Raheem Mostert. Check.
Then Deebo Samuel. Check.
And Cooper Kupp. Check.
It all came down to a DK Metcalf score against the Eagles’ iffy, Darius Slay-less secondary on Monday Night Football.
By Monday morning, Slater was sharing his interactions with Hard Rock Bet’s trading team on X.
Slater invited folks to come down to the Guitar Hotel sportsbook to help celebrate a Metcalf touchdown that didn’t come despite a Seattle upset of Philadelphia.
Slater seemed unfazed.
As an aside, in trying to prove a point to someone last weekend that huge parlays were just a direct deposit system for the sportsbooks, I bet a 15-legger picking as many massive favorites as I could in the few minutes I was willing to invest in the project. I bet $1 as it was absolutely going to lose.
All of them hit, and the only close one was Kansas over Indiana in men’s college basketball.
I absolutely would have taken the $21,651.51.
Sit Still, Kids!
Opt-outs and transfers complicate college bowl season
Caleb Williams won’t huddle with his Southern Cal teammates in San Diego for the DirecTV Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 against Louisville.
Drake Maye won’t pull on the powder blue for North Carolina to face West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl that same day in Charlotte.
Maye (left) is officially preparing for a lucrative and fast-approaching NFL career by not getting injured in a meaningless postseason game named after a condiment. Williams (right) hasn’t officially declared, but he’s expected to go first overall and has already been ruled out by head coach Lincoln Riley.
Fellow quarterback Bo Nix (center) will don whatever dandy ensemble No. 8 Oregon brings to Glendale, Ariz., for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against No. 23 Liberty on Jan. 1. But no one knew that until his announcement on Instagram a few days ago.
And that was a relatively modern problem for oddsmakers like DraftKings Director of Race and Sportsbook Johnny Avello and sports bettors who scramble for information in the era of the opt-out, transfer portal, and transitory head coach. It’s not just a bowl season phenomenon.
“It’s really difficult this year,” Avello told Gaming Today, “probably the most difficult time that we’ve had so far with this.”
(Brant James illustration/AP Photos)
America’s Best Pro Sports City of 2023: Milwaukee
The worst? You’ll have to read the story. OK, it was San Antonio.
From Gaming Today Senior Writer Christopher Gerlacher:
By the numbers, it’s been a great year to be a Brewers or Bucks fan. Not so much for Spurs fans — or all Charlotte sports fans, for that matter.
Milwaukee had the best 2023 of all the North American cities with professional sports teams, according to a Gaming Today statistical deep dive of the traditional “four major sports.”
What are the biggest surprises on this list?
Discuss.
Week 15 NFL Review
The Buffalo Bills are reborn, the Cleveland Browns have become the NFL’s Houdini, and the Dallas Cowboys have fallen to earth.
Week 16 NFL Clinch Scenarios
“To Make Playoffs” futures with strong chances of cashing this weekend:
CHIEFS: Win over Raiders
OR
Chiefs tie + Broncos loss
DOLPHINS: Win over Cowboys
OR
Tie + Jaguars loss
OR
Tie + Colts loss + Texans loss
OR
Tie + Colts loss or tie + Browns loss
OR
Tie + Texans loss or tie + Bengals loss or tie
OR
Tie + Bengals loss or tie + Colts loss or tie
Merry Fricken’ Christmas
Looking-really-likely Super Bowl preview Ravens-Niners as the late Christmas Day Monday Night Football game.
Quoth a FanDuel trader:
“The game of the week will be Christmas night in San Francisco as the Ravens take on the 49ers. Despite the current narrative surrounding the 49ers, we have actually seen more money come in on Baltimore so far. The trading team is also hoping points come at a premium on Monday Night as most of the bets have come in on the Over.”
(Brant James illustration/AP Photo)
Deck the halls
Line movements at Tipico after Golden State’s Draymond Green made a fist and got himself suspended indefinitely:
From Dec. 13 (date of altercation) to Dec. 15 (date of suspension), the Warriors championship odds grew from +2000 to +2500.
From the start of the season, they grew from +1200.
ESPN BET is a Thing
It appears bettors are buying into the World Wide Leader’s sports betting excursion.
Bank of America Global Research analyst Shaun Kelley said recently in a note to investors that the new app could be responsible for national handle increasing by 15% in November after increasing just 2% in October.
Wrote Kelly:
“It’s our sense ESPN Bet could be growing the market through more casual and female bettors compared to other sportsbooks. In November, ESPN’s share came from DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars, while FanDuel gained one point of share, which we think is driven by NBA seasonality and increased marketing.”
Kelley said ESPN BET had secured 6% of the national sports betting handle in less than a month.
Odds …
… and Enders
The NHL extended its official sports betting partnership with BetMGM
DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel are approved to launch in Vermont on Jan. 11
By Brant James, Gaming Today Senior Writer
To those who celebrate, Tilly says “Merry” or “Happy” whatever.
Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to everyone at GT. Thanks for all the hard work you do each and every week! May all your tickets be winners! Cheers🍻