Category Archives: Gambling

In this episode of theGolf Gambling Podcaston the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, Boston Capper (@boston_capper) and Steve Schirmer start the show with a bit of touting! Boston Capper gave out Kevin Kisner pre-tournament and cashed in big. Steve also followed through on saving bullets to live bet, and used one of them on Kisner on Thursday evening. They recap Kisners big win along with other notes from the Wyndham Championship. They also give an update on the Ryder Cup standings and give their takes on who should and shouldnt make the team.

Then they move on to preview The Northern Trust from Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, New Jersey. Steve and Boston Capper have a quick funeral for some big names who didnt make the cut for the playoffs. Steve then goes in depth into the history and design of Liberty National Golf Course. They end the show with a recap of the 2019 tournament at Liberty National, and any preview that may have to this years Northern Trust.

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The Northern Trust Preview and Betting Strategies

Wyndham Championship DFS Picks & Best Bets | Golf Gambling Podcast (Ep. 80)

Wyndham Championship Picks and Props

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The Northern Trust Preview | Golf Gambling Podcast (Ep. 81) - The Sports Gambling Podcast

(This story is one of six serialized highlights from the Ken Mink book Big Blue Blues: The Inside Story of Kentuckys Involvement in the Point-Shaving Scandal of the 1940s-50s. The complete book is on sale on the Internet through Amazon Books, Smashwords Books and Barnes and Noble. Mink is a former Herald-Leader sportswriter who spent many hours with the late UK basketball Coach Adolph Rupp and other coaches and journalists researching data for the book. He is a native of Vicco, near Hazard, in Perry County.)

Following Kentuckys college basketball domination of the 1945-46, 1946-47 and 1947-48 era Coach Rupp found himself with several thousand dollars left over from the Olympics exhibition games with the Phillips Oilers and UK fan donations to help pay for the team sending extra players to the Olympics.

Coach Rupp met with Coach Lancaster to talk about what to do with the leftover funds.

Harry, the fans sent this in for the boys, and I think it should go to the boys, Rupp said.

I agree, Coach, but I dont know how we can do it legally, within the rules, I mean, said Lancaster.

Why dont we just dole it out throughout the season, giving the boys $20 here and there, and maybe $50 if they had played well? said Rupp.

Well, a lot of the guys like Beak and Beard could sure use the dough, with their family situations and all, said Lancaster.

Lets do it that way, then, said Rupp. But I will check with (UK) President (Herman) Donovan to make sure its legal before we do it.

Donovan gave Rupp and Lancaster the OK to distribute the money to the players. Donovan compared UKs trip to the Sugar Bowl hoops tournament in New Orleans like a football trip to a bowl game, where football players were given extra spending money. UK basketball players received up to $50 each spending money a decision that would come back to haunt UK.

As the season progressed several players, including Beard and Groza, found themselves handed $20 bills by Rupp and Lancaster from the leftover Olympics cash. As the 1948-49 season progressed, college basketball betting became a million dollar business, with UK games regularly featured.

UK did not have strong security for its players and gamblers managed to make their way into the locker room, often approaching UK players.

After a home game against Arkansas, Beard found himself shaking hands with Nick (the Greek) Englisis, a New York guy who came to UK to play football but soon found Coach Bryant had upgraded the football talent and he had lost his scholarship and became a UK assistant basketball team

Great game, Ralph, said Englisis, handing Beard a $20 bill.

What the hell is this all about? said a puzzled Beard.

Just a little token of gratitude from Ed Curd and the boys downtown, said Englisis.

Gratitide for w-w-what? said Beard.

Well, you guys more than upheld the point spread and Ed and his friends made quite a few bucks on the game, said Englisis.

Beard was still puzzled. Thanks, I guess, b-b-but I still dont understand.

Just relax and enjoy it. Buy yourself sumpn nice, said Englisis, moving away to Grozas locker, shaking his hand and giving him a 20-dollar bill.

Hey, thanks, Greek, said Groza. You hit a winner at the race track?

Englisis game Groza the same spiel and moved over to Barnstables locker, where he did the same thing.

After Englisis left Beard, Groza and Barnstable huddled quietly near Beards locker.

Looks like we made some people happy, huh, guys, said Groza.

Yeah, without even trying, said Barnstable. Guess theres nothing wrong if somebody wants to give us money for no reason. And Coach Rupp and Coach Lancaster have rewarded us with a little money from time to time, so I guess we ought to just relax and enjoy it.

Still, I dont think w-w-we ought to be talking about this with the other fellows, since we dont k-k-know if Greek gave them some money, too, said Beard.

Yeah, youre right, Ralph, no point in getting things stirred up, said Groza.

After handing out $20 and $50 bills to Beard, Groza and Barnstable as the 1948-49 season progressed, Curd and Englisis approached the trio about making even more money.

The gamblers met with the trio in the dining room of the Phoenix Hotel in downtown Lexington in January of 1949.

You boys have been real good at beating the point spread, said Curd. Dinner is on me. . . dessert, too.

The players took advantage as they all ordered steak.

Curd got down to business.

Boys, you may not know, but I work with some big-time gamblers out of New York City, including Frankie Costello. These guys use me to make basketball bets for them. You guys have been good at winning games over the point spread. Now, we are asking that you not beat the point spread but win for what the point spread calls for. For example, if you are favored to win by 12, you win by 11 or less.

So, you are asking that we dont run away from teams said Groza.

Exactly. We stand to win more money by you winning under the point spread than by going over the spread, said Englisis.

We are not asking you to throw games, said Curd. I know you guys would never do that. We are just asking that you control the winning margin.

B-b-but wouldnt that hurt some of our fans who bet on us to beat t-t-teams more than the point spread, said Beard.

Maybe a few, said Curd. But the big-time betting is done in the larger cities, particularly New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. I dont think we have many big betters in Lexington, Louisville or the rest of the state. Besides, we dont want you to hold down the score for every game just a few here and there. Im a friend of Coach Rupp . . . I wouldnt want anything bad to happen to him or you guys.

So, what kind of money are we talking about I mean for us, said Groza.

Anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand each,

Are you talking to any other UK players, Wah Wah in particular, said Groza.

No, said Curd. I think you three are enough to control things. And we feel Wah Wah would just not be cooperative.

I think we n-n-need to talk about this among ourselves, said Beard.

I agree, said Groza. Give us a day or two and we will let you know what we decide.

The next day the trio met at their dorm.

I dont know what you guys think, said Beard. But I d-d-dont want to do anything that would hurt UK fans. They have been very loyal to us and I dont want to do anything that would cost them m-m-money. I dont mind so much getting money for winning games over the point spread. That is just getting paid to play good ball. But its a d-d-different deal trying to hold the score under the point spread. That means that sometimes we would have to deliberately play bad and I dont l-l-like that at all. I have too much pride to deliberately screw up.

I agree, said Groza. But its like Mr, Curd said, we are talking about a small amount of betting money by UK fans and it would involve only a few games. Its not like we were actually throwing games. We would still win and thats the main thing.

No real harm the way I see it, said Barnstable. Its not like were doing something illegal. People who bet are the ones breaking the law. The only ones who stand a chance of getting hurt are the gamblers.

And I guess its not so bad, said Groza. Coach Rupp has been giving us some money, too, for playing good.

The trio agreed to hold the score under the spread in some games and on Feb. 8, 1949, the players agreed to hold the final score under the point spread against Tennessee. UK was favored to win by 18 points, but won 71-56, three points under the point spread. Groza scored 34 in that game.

After one home game, Coach Rupp saw Curd in the UK dressing room, talking to some of his players.

Whats that guy doing in here? Rupp said to Lancaster. Get him outta here I dont want bookies in our locker room!

I let him in when Beak told me that Curd told him he was a friend of yours, said Lancaster.

Hes no friend of mine, said Rupp. I have seen him a few times at parties, and he made a donation to our Shriners Foundation fund drive, but you know how I feel about gamblers. Make sure he does not get in here again.

Rupp had been adamantly opposed to the idea of gambling on sports events and had criticized newspapers for printing point spread information.

The players had each received about $700 from Curd as the 1948-49 season progressed.

Beard kept visiting his mother often and kept giving her all the money he received from the point-shaving.

His mother became suspicious on one of Ralphs visits.

I dont understand how you can get this much money, Ralph. You are not stealing it, are you? You know I would never stand for that! I would rather starve to death than steal from another person!

No, m-m-mom I am not stealing it. I am earning it.

How are you earning it . . . do you have a job at school?

Yeah, sort of. I help manage the basketball team yknow, just help take care of little things.

Well, just make sure you stay out of trouble. I raised you to be an honest boy and I want you to stay that way.

Beard swallowed hard when confronted by his moms statement.

He, too, detested the idea of helping gamblers make money by using the players, but times were hard and he felt being able to help his mother overrode his concerns.

The teams only loss heading into the NIT was a 42-40 upset loss to St. Louis, a game the players felt they could win 99 of 100 times. But there was no point-shaving in that game, just an improbable loss.

Before leaving for New York to face Loyola of Chicago in the NIT Curd met with the UK trio at the Phoenix Hotel in Lexington.

Boys, since this game is going to be played in New York City, Costello is going to be laying down some big money, said Curd. We need your help. You are 11-point favorites. We are going to give each of you $2,000 if you hold the game down to no more than 10 points. We are laying a lot of dough on you winning by 10 or less.

Groza whistled. Wow, two grand. Thats our biggest payday ever!

Yeah, but we dont want to make it look too obvious, said Barnstable. The best way to keep the score down is to play poor defense.

Damn! I really hate doing this, said Beard. I dont think I can force myself to deliberately screw up. Its just not in my nature. If we get too far ahead you guys will just have to bring the score back down.

Well, if we only have a few minutes left and we need to cut the score back down, you just kinda stay out of the offense, Ralph, and kinda ease up on defense, said Barnstable.

But Loyola was not a top 20 team, the tournaments lowest seed (16th) and the Cats were very much overconfident.

The game got underway the afternoon of March 14 before 12,592 fans at Madison Square Garden.

The teams played evenly for the first 32 minutes.

But the game was tightly called by the refs and UK had three starters (Groza, Jones and Hirsh on the bench with five fouls. UK played the final four-plus minutes shorthanded and Loyola scored the last 9 points and pulled away to win a big upset 67-56.

Rupp brought the team back to Lexington right after the game to get ready for their NCAA Tournament opener at Madison Square Garden against 14th-ranked Villanova.

NEXT: Wildcats Turn Down Lucrative Gambling Offer

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Big Blue Blues: Here Come the Gamblers - A Sea Of Blue

//= do_shortcode('[in-content-square]')?> Picture: Craig Hatfield. (CC BY 2.0)

Emily Gill, local democracy reporter

More than 200 objections and a 419-strong petition have been submitted to Monmouthshire council over plans for an adult gambling centre.

Residents have hit out over plans for an amusement arcade and gambling centre on Monnow Street, in Monmouth, but a gaming licence has been approved by the county council for the property formerly occupied by DS Music.

The application has been submitted by Barry Island Pleasure Park owner, Henry Danter, who has previously vowed to make the venture a great success and said it could help boost the town centre.

However, the council has received more than 200 objections to the planning application, with many raising concerns about the impact of gambling on young people and mental health.

One objection reads: The addition of a gambling premise will be a blight on the town.

It will encourage poor behaviour and enable those with gambling issues to have an easy outlet.

Another says: This is not good for the town, it is not Newport, and will cause major financial problems to people who are already struggling due to the pandemic.

It could trigger mental health problems as they get in debt.

Another described it as a wholly inappropriate use of a prominent town centre building.

Many raised concerns about the character of Monmouth town centre and the location of the building, which faces onto Agincourt Square.

The plans also face objections from the principal of Haberdashers Monmouth Schools James Murphy-OConnor and the head teacher of Monmouth Comprehensive School Hugo Hutchison.

Major safeguarding threat

Mr Murphy-OConnor and Mr Hutchison submitted a joint objection, which reads: We feel very strongly that an adult gaming centre would represent a major safeguarding threat and would have a negative impact on our pupils wellbeing.

We would not like slot-machine gambling to be normalised and highly visible in our High Street, just as we are encouraging more pupils to walk or cycle to school as part of our sustainability objectives which we have been discussing in tandem with Monmouthshire County Council.

Many of our parent body has raised similar concerns on behalf of their children and would like to add their weight to reject this planning application.

We do not want to see any potential increase in gambling issues locally amongst young people who are particularly susceptible and impressionable.

The petition, which has 419 signatures raises similar concerns to the formal objections.

It says an adult gaming centre has the potential to be harmful to what Monmouth is and how Monmouth delivers for its people.

It reads: Our concern is that not only could an adult gaming centre severely damage Monmouth as a tourist or shopping and eating destination but it could seriously damage the fabric of the Monmouth community.

However, some people have submitted comments to the council in support of the application.

One said it would be using the empty building and adults should have the choice to use this service or not.

Another described at as something fun for the town, which is desperately needs for young adults.

Mr Danter, who has been operating amusement arcades since 1960, has previously said the gaming centre would be well run and that nobody under 21 would be allowed entry.

The planning application is yet to be decided by the council.

See more here:

'Blight on the town': Residents revolt against plan for gambling centre - Nation.Cymru

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL Brazil is the biggest country in Latin America, with a population of over 207 million. While Brazil ranked sixth in 2011 on the list of countries with the biggest economies, in the following years it started declining and is currently the ninth-largest economy in the world.

Having such a large population, it is inevitable for Brazilian people to show interest in gambling activities. Unfortunately, only a few forms of gambling are currently legal in the country, with some lawmakers pushing for a change but others refusing to do that.

Despite not all gambling activities being legal in Brazil, there are many residents of the county playing online at offshore casinos. If you are interested to find how the gambling market in Brazil is regulated and the activities that are legal in the country, we have provided a full review of the regulations.

GAMES OF CHANCE VS. GAMES OF SKILL

In 1941, all games of chance were banned, allowing Brazilian people to bet only on the state-owned lottery or horse races. Meanwhile, poker is also legal in the country as it is considered a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Gambling is currently regulated under the General Tourism Law but the government predicts changes to the law, regulating other forms of gambling and boosting the economy of the country.

Following the ban of games of chance, the gambling sector in Brazil remained unregulated for over 70 years. Even though slot machines were regulated in 1993, they were banned again in the mid-2000s, leaving the gambling industry in its current unregulated state.

Most of the confusion on the matter of the legality of games comes from the way the law in Brazil is structured, and this report provides more clarity on this topic. Even though the word game can be found in the Civil Code of Brazil, there is no clear definition of what qualifies as a game. According to scholars, the results of a game depend on the actions of its participants, while the outcome of a bet is not determined by those participating in the action. This is also the definition that is applied by many when it comes to determining the legality of gambling activities.

Games of chances are defined as cases in which the win or loss depends solely on luck. While horse race betting is legal, if it is conducted by unauthorized operators, this is also deemed a game of chance and is considered illegal. Those participating in games of chance are punished with a minor penalty of up to but not over 2 years.

Games of skill, however, are legal under the law in Brazil as their outcome strictly depends on the actions of players. Meanwhile, the lottery is also legal as it is described as a game that awards prizes thanks to a draw of tickets, vouchers, or other types of lottery games. Horse race betting is also among the few gambling forms allowed in Brazil and is regulated under the law amendment passed in 1984.

A big part of the population has a negative view of gambling as it is often associated with money laundering and other criminal activities. In the meantime, there are quite a few illegal bingo halls, slots and Jogo do Bicho games offered across Brazil, contributing to the negative reputation of the gambling sector.

As games of chance are deemed illegal, online gambling is also unregulated in Brazil. This being said, many offshore operators take advantage of a legal loophole and welcome players based in Brazil. As long as the operator is licensed by another jurisdiction, the gaming website can accept Brazilian players. This is due to the fact their activities will be regulated by the authority that has licensed the operator.

PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT COULD CHANGE GAMBLING IN BRAZIL

The government has made some efforts to change the gambling legal frame in Brazil, helping the countrys economy to improve. Despite that, the current gambling scene in the country still remains mainly unregulated.

Senate Bill 186 of 2014, House Bill 442 of 1991, House Bill 530 of 2019, and Senate Bill 2,648 of 2019 are a few pieces of legislation that were introduced by lawmakers who strive to change the gambling industry in Brazil. Senate Bill 186 and House Bill 442 are providing better definitions of common terms, defining the rights of users, determining regulatory bodies, providing conditions to obtain a license, and providing penalties and sanctions for illegal gambling.

While the global pandemic put most proposals for amendments to the law, in August 2020, President Jair Bolsano signed a decree that privatized sports betting in Brazil, meaning that sports betting will be included in the countrys Investment Partnership Program (PPI). Many believe this will attract quite a few investors from the private sector, helping the newly introduced fixed-odds betting to generate generous income. The Ministry of Economy and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) is the regulatory body that will oversee the privatization of the sports betting sector.

Continued here:

Gambling rules and regulations in Brazil - sponsored - The Rio Times

CBC Editorial: Friday, Aug. 13, 2021; Editorial #8693The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company.

It is more a question of when, not if, the North Carolina General Assembly opens the entire state to legalized sports wagering beyond casinos operated by Native American tribes. Were fine with that.

Legislation in the state Senate was introduced four months ago and remained dormant. Suddenly theres been a burst of action by the three committees assigned to review it. In just four legislative workdays since last week the bill was approved by the Senate Finance, Judiciary and Commerce committees. It now awaits a vote by the full Senate.

But it is far from ready for primetime when it comes to where the revenues will be directed. It would be wise for the House of Representatives, after it likely passes the Senate, to give it much-needed PUBLIC scrutiny.

State revenue estimates have varied wildly from as much as $360 million to as little as $8 million. We doubt legislators would be going to this effort for a mere $8 million loose walking around change to folks who do their budget calculations in the billions.

In 2005, when the state took its leap into gambling with the creation of the state lottery, it also made an important statement that money raised from gambling would be dedicated to education the most critical investment in North Carolinas future. Even more significantly, it would be dedicated to funding those things beyond the basic obligations of operating public schools. Gambling profits would be used to reduce class size, fund college scholarships, expand prekindergarten, serve more students with special needs, support neglected areas such as school nurses, psychologists, counselors and more.

Back 16 years ago Senate Leader Phil Berger was among the most vocal in opposing lottery gambling. He warned the money, instead of going to enhance and expand education, would be quickly diverted into basic operational spending. He was right. But he and the many Republicans who, mostly for what was obviously partisan reasons, issued warnings are the most responsible for fulfilling the prediction.

Today more than half -- $407.3 million worth of the lotterys profits are being spent on routine day-to-day school operations including busing kids to school (see chart below). That is money that DOES NOT go to help more kids get into Pre-K classes, provide more funds for much-needed school construction or other school and student needs.

Education appears only twice in this latest gambling bill and only in reference to athletic events that may, or may not, be eligible for wagers. The same is true for school.

So where will the money mostly the 8% tax on the revenues of the sports wagering operator -- go? To support and create more events including those people can bet on.

The bill creates the North Carolina Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund to foster job creation and investment in the economy of this State. The money in the fund would be doled out to attract or retain a major annual event in the state.

The neglect of North Carolinas education is a judicially documented fact. The determination to use state gambling revenues to support and enhance public education was clearly established with the creation of the states Education lottery. That focus should remain with any new gambling revenues.

This legislation should not be rushed through or buried amid the mountains of technical language in a massive budget bill.

The House should review it in detail, get an informed notion of what revenues the state might collect and make sure those funds are directed to their highest and best use support for education as intended when the state got into the gambling business.

Capitol Broadcasting Company's Opinion Section seeks a broad range of comments and letters to the editor. Our Comments beside each opinion column offer the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about this article.

In addition, we invite you to write a letter to the editor about this or any other opinion articles. Here are some tips on submissions >> SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Continued here:

Editorial: Will sports gambling revenues help education? Don't bet on it - WRAL.com

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VICI Properties is making a big bet on the Las Vegas Strip, confident that the world-famous destination will continue to help pay and boost the dividends it has been paying since 2018the year after it went public.

VICI (ticker: VICI) is a real estate investment trust, meaning that it is required to distribute at least 90% of its taxable income to shareholders. The stock was recently yielding 4.8%, versus about 2.8% for the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index.

The REIT sectors enticing yields make it a popular destination for income investors. In this column last week, Barrons highlighted Prologis (PLD), which owns and invests in warehouses around the world.

On Aug. 4, VICI made a splash when it announced that it planned to acquire another gambling REIT, MGM Growth Properties (MGP), in a deal valued at $17.2 billion. MGPs real estate portfolio includes well-known Las Vegas Strip properties such as New York-New York and Mandalay Bay and a string of regional properties in other markets such as Atlantic City, N.J.

I cannot think of a more economically productive street in America than the Las Vegas Strip, VICI CEO Ed Pitoniak told Barrons this past week.

VICI is a triple-net lease REIT. That means that the costs of maintaining and operating the properties are the responsibility of the tenant.

The triple-net lease structure is an attractive business model as long as the tenants are making their rent payments and keeping the properties in good shape. As is typical for the sector, VICI gets 2% annual rent increases or, in some instances when applicable, an even higher bump thats tied to the consumer-price index.

Pitoniak says that during the pandemic, all of VICIs tenants have paid their rent 100% cash, 100% on time.

The MGP deal, expected to close in the first half of 2022 and be accretive to earnings right away, will broaden VICIs tenant base and give it more scale. Spenser Allaway, a senior analyst at Green Street, calls it extremely attractively priced real estate.

It includes nearly 33,000 hotel rooms and about 3.6 million square feet of convention space, most of it in Las Vegas. But while leisure traffic there has been strong this year, business travel has lagged behind, hurting conventions and conferences.

Ptoniak is confident the segment will come back strongly. Conferences, conventions, and trade shows are vital in terms of sustaining and growing market share for companies, he says.

For VICI, this marks the second big Las Vegas deal it has announced this year. In March, the company said it planned to buy the Strip assets owned by Las Vegas Sands (LVS), including the Venetian Resort, for $4 billion.

One thing investors need to keep in mind is that VICIs leverage will increase as part of the deal. That includes the $5.7 billion of MGPs debt that VICI will assume.

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S&P Global Ratings has VICIs issuer rating at BB, which is considered junk, but it put the company on credit-watch positive. The firm said it could upgrade its rating to investment grade if debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or Ebitda, is about six times or below in roughly one year following the close of the acquisition. That ratio was about five times as of June 30.

Another, longer-term issue for VICI is that as it gets bigger, its harder to move the needle in terms of growth, partly owing to the limited number of casino assets it could acquire.

They are going to have to look outside of gaming, says Allaway.

VICI is starting to do that.

In June, the company said it would fund a portion of the construction and development of Great Wolf Lodge Maryland, part of a network of indoor water parks operated by Great Wolf Resorts.

Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at lawrence.strauss@barrons.com

Originally posted here:

Gambling REIT VICI Properties Offers a Generous Payoutand Plenty of Growth Potential - Barron's

At this weeks Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, whom do the journalists and betting analysts like? Or the caddie? Or the old-school gambler? Gimme the facts, storylines and trends. Gimme that inside-the-ropes look. Gimme your gut feeling.

You bet, bettor.

Welcome to GOLF.coms gambling advice column, where weve assembled a panel of those aforementioned experts to make three best bets. A real-life professional bettor here will then heed that advice, add his acumen and wager his own cash. Its not unlike what you do through texts and Google searches except now its all in one place.

Now, on to information on where to bet, some facts, the expert picks and the bettors best bets.

Looking to make a (legal!) wager yourself? We teamed with BetMGM, and the online sportsbook is offering a Bet $20 Win $100 promotion regardless of your wagers outcome, as well as a Risk-Free First Bet up to $1,000.

This weeks tournament: Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.

TV (all times Eastern): Thursday, 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Friday, 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Saturday, 1-3 p.m., Golf Channel, 3-6 p.m., CBS; Sunday, 1-3 p.m., Golf Channel, 3-6 p.m., CBS

Weather (weather.com): Thursday, partly cloudy, 93 degrees, 7 mph WSW wind; Friday, partly cloudy, 93 degrees, 7 mph SW wind; Saturday, PM thunderstorms, 91 degrees, 6 mph SW wind; Sunday, scattered thunderstorms, 83 degrees, 6 mph ENE wind

Defending champion: Jim Herman

Top 10 in odds (via BetMGM): Hideki Matsuyama, +1,200; Webb Simpson, +1,200; Louis Oosthuizen, +1,400; Patrick Reed, +2,200; Jason Kokrak, +2,500; Brian Harman, +2,800; Will Zalatoris, +2,800; Sungjae Im, +3,000; Russell Henley, +3,300; Gary Woodland, +4,000; Si Woo Kim, +4,000; Kevin Na, +4,000; Kevin Streelman, +4,000; Shane Power, +4,000.

Nick Piastowski, GOLF.com, @nickpia

Bet 1: Kevin Kisner, to-win, +4,000. Finished tied for third here last year, and the course fit is great.

Bet 2: Hank Lebioda, to-win, +6,600. One of the hottest players in golf this summer returns after having to withdraw from the 3M Open due to a family emergency.

Bet 3: Rickie Fowler, to-win, +5,000. Im going with three to-wins bets this week. Rickie makes a push to get into the playoffs.

Jessica Marksbury, GOLF.com, @jess_marksbury

Bet 1: Will Zalatoris, to-win, +2500. Zalatoris needs to win to get into the FedEx Cup playoffs, where, based on what his standing would be, he stands to have a great start toward making the Tour Championship and a ton of bonus money. Hows that for incentive?!

Bet 2: Webb Simpson, top 5, +225. I love betting on players who get to tee it up near their hometowns, and Simpson is North Carolina through and through. Plus, hes generally a top-10 machine and was T3 last year. I think hell be even closer this week.

Bet 3: Hideki Matsuyama, top 10, +110. Matusyama is on a good run: T4 at the Olympics, T2 last week. I think hell keep the momentum going.

Brady Kannon, host, Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), @lasvegasgolfer

Bet 1: Webb Simpson, to-win, +1,000. 10-12 to 1 is what I am seeing in the market now, but I was able to get 14-1. I think 12-1 or better is a good bet. Webb had been in shaky form ever since withdrawing from the Wells Fargo, but hes had back-to-back top 20 finishes, and there is no better course in the world for him to find his game, as he is a former winner and a top 5 Finish machine at Sedgefield CC. The course is perfect for his game, and I expect hell be in the mix once again come Sunday.

Bet 2: Russell Henley, top 20, +120. Henley has been playing really well and even had a real shot to win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines a couple of months ago. He also finished top 10 at Harbour Town earlier this season, which I feel is a course that can indicate success at Sedgefield. He drives it straight, is good on approaches, and he can putt. One of the best on Tour in those categories, and thats what you need here this week.

Bet 3: Ryan Armour, top 20, +400. Armour has three top 10 finishes in the past two months. He is one of the most accurate drivers on Tour, ranks 20th in par-4 scoring and is 36th in SG: Putting. Everything you need to flourish at this course.

Wes Reynolds, host, Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), @WesReynolds1

Bet 1: Charl Schwartzel, to-win, +5,000. Schwartzel should come to Greensboro refreshed from three weeks off, which followed him posting his best finish of 2021: a tie for second at the 3M Open. While not a regular participant at the Wyndham, Schwartzel has finished third and 14th over his past two appearances at Sedgefield. The South African ranks seventh in this field in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast bermuda grass greens in his past 24 rounds.

Bet 2: Russell Henley, top 10, +275. Henley rates third on the PGA Tour this season for SG: Approach and is eighth in this field over the past 24 rounds. He has a good record at Sedgefield, making three of four cuts, with a best of ninth last year. Henley also has been in good form of late, with finishes of 13-19-11 before a missed cut at the Open Championship last time out.

Bet 3: Brendon Todd, top 20, +225. Todd has had a down season and likely just hangs on inside the top 125. However, he has posted his best season performances tee-to-green in two of his past three PGA Tour starts. The best club in Todds bag is always the putter, and he rates No. 4 in the field for SG: putting on bermuda grass over the past 24 rounds.

John Rathouz, PGA Tour caddie and Caddie Network contributor, @rathouz

Bet 1: Russell Henley and Will Zalatoris, both top 10, +1,100. Sedgefield is a perfect course for Henley, an ultra-reliable ball striker who can putt, and who makes his home in the South. He had his best finish here last year a top 10. We all know the story on Zalatoris, and I love that he has a new putter in the bag after switching last week. Hes got a great demeanor and so many great memories this season to manage the moment.

Bet 2: Webb Simpson, top 10, -125. This is a major for Webb Simpson. Though he hasnt won the thing in 10 years, in his 12 tries, hes finished in the top 10 eight times third, second, second and third the past four years. Thats quite often, so its pretty clear that not only is the course a good fit for him, but he and caddie Paul Tesori have a playbook that they execute very well. His final-round 64 in Memphis is icing on the cake.

Bet 3: Zach Johnson, top 20: +260. Johnson, 45, has plummeted to 107 on the FedEx list and 125th in the world rankings. Many people would find that understandable, but not Zach Johnson. To move up the points list, hell play with his hair on fire, on a course that will feature his strong suits. In his four career starts here, he has two top 10s, including last year.

The old-school gambler, an old-school gambler, @notthefakeW

Bet 1: Si Woo Kim, top 10, +750. A win and three top 10s in the event. And youre giving me these odds?

Bet 2: Hideki Matsuyama, top 10, +110. My man Matsuyama is prolly gonna win this. But Ill give him a little leeway and guarantee myself a modest payday.

Bet 3: Kevin Na, to-win, +4,000. Na is at a place in his career where he can pick his spots. This is a spot where I happen to like him, against a less-than-A-list field, on a gettable course.

Erick Lindgren. Lindgren, the 2008 World Series of Poker Player of the Year, has won more than $10.5 million in poker tournament earnings and is an avid sports bettor. @EdogPoker

Bet 1: Hideki Matsuyama, to-win, +1,200. Two near-misses in a row for Hideki. This third time is gonna be the charm.

Bet 2: Rickie Fowler, to-win, +5,000. Rickies just outside the FedEx playoff bubble. He needs this. Hes also rested and rounding into form.

Bet 3: Si Woo Kim, to-win, +5,000. Never mind the 13 he made on a par-3 last week. Kim has a killer track record here. Horses for courses and all that.

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Wyndham Championship picks to win: Who the experts and a gambler are betting on - Golf.com

Betting on America: Revenue in the second quarter of 2021 hit a record of $13.6 billion. Table games and slot machines saw a 12% jump in revenue over the same quarter in 2019.

Americans are gambling their way through the pandemic.

U.S. gambling revenue hit $13.6 billion in the second quarter of 2021, a new industry record, according to data from the American Gaming Association. The revenue from states that allow gambling is up 22 percent from the previous record of $11.1 billion in the third quarter of 2019, months before the Covid-19 pandemic plunged the industry into a recession.

In 2019, gambling revenue hit a record of $43.6 billion but as the industry rolls towards a faster recovery than previously expected, 2021 is on track to surpass $44 billion in gambling revenue and become the highest-grossing year in the history of legal gambling. Year to date, states have collected nearly $25 billion.

The gaming industry is on its way back, says Bill Miller, the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.

Nearly every state with casinos saw its gambling revenue surpass pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter. According to the AGA, 22 out of 25 states that have casinos recorded greater revenue in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the same time period in 2019. And 19 out 25 states collected more money in the first half of 2021 compared with the first half of 2019.

Nevada brought in the most money of any state with $3.46 billion in gambling revenue during the second quarter, up 17% compared with 2019. Pennsylvania is in second with $1.21 billion, up 44.6% and New Jersey collected $1.11 billion, up 35.5% compared with the same time in 2019.

Nevadas gambling industry has been on fire this year as it has beat all revenue records over the last four months. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the state collected $1.2 billion in gambling revenue in June, which was thefourthconsecutivebillion-dollar monthand a 14.6% increase over June 2019. The Silver States $3.46 billion in casino revenue during the second quarter marks the largest quarterly gaming win in the states history.

While the Las Vegas Strip still needs convention business and international travel for a full recovery, American gamblers are spending enough money in Sin City to keep things afloat. Revenue from casinos on the Strip for second quarter of 2021 is the third highest of all time at $1.79 billion. According to Nevadas gaming authority. The quarter is up 8.3% compared with the same quarter in 2019. But year to date, the Strip is down 11% compared to the same time in June 2019, which means the tourist-dependent Strip still needs time to recover.

According to a report published by Fitch Ratings in early July, the Las Vegas Strip will fully recover in 2023, a full year earlier than the firm had previously anticipated.

Mobile sports betting and iGamingdigital poker, slots and other online gameshave helped keep the industry afloat, but in-person gambling at casinos are contributing to the industrys record-breaking quarter and faster recovery. Revenue from brick-and-mortar casinos are up nearly 10 percent from its previous high in the third quarter of 2019. Traditional casino games have seen a 12% jump in revenue from two years ago. Revenue from slot machines alone jumped 16% over the second quarter of 2019.

Revenue from iGaming, which is only legal in six states, also set a record with $901 million in revenue during the quarter, which is a 15% increase from the first quarter of 2021. For the first half of 2021, iGaming brought in $1.66 billion in revenue, which already surpassed the $1.55 billion in revenue collected in the entire year of 2020.

Sports betting, which is legal across 22 states and Washington, D.C., has continued its expansion across the U.S. Americans bet $889 million with legal sportsbooks in the second quarter, which is down from the first quarter. (March Madness helped buoy the first quarter.) Thanks to 10 more states launching legal sports wagering since the second quarter of 2019, revenue is up nearly 650%.

Big Score: Americans wagered $889 million with legal sportsbooks in the second quarter of 2021, which is up nearly 650% compared with the same quarter of 2019.

The growth has set off a frenzy of deals in the sports betting world. Last week, Penn National Gamingannounced an acquisitionof Canadian company Score Media, which owns the mobile sports betting app theScore, for $2 billion, and the real estate investment trust Vici Properties acquired MGMs real estate portfolio company for$17.2 billion. On Monday, DraftKingsannounced that it will acquire Golden Nugget Online Gaming in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $1.56 billion.

But Covid-19 and its variants are threatening the industry. Nevada just reinstated its mask mandate for all employees and guests, regardless of vaccination status. The industry also needs international travel and business conferences for a full rebound.

In any other environment, these quarterly numbers would be a victory lap, says Miller. But there are still a few missing pieces to the puzzle. A full recovery requires the meaningful return of meetings and events, as well as the revival of international travel. It requires everyone working together to move beyond the realities of the past year, and the Delta variant has reminded us that were not there yet.

When asked if the record-breaking numbers are sustainable, Miller says hes betting on football season.

As we eagerly await the return of football, I anticipate the numbers were seeing today will pale in comparison with whats to come, he says.

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U.S. Gambling Revenue To Break $44 Billion Record In 2021 - Forbes

Whats changed in the three years since the Supreme Court granted all 50 states the right to legalize sports betting? Everything. By the end of 2021, online or in-person wagering will be sanctioned in more than half the country. Revenue is skyrocketing. Leagues are evangelizing. And booming business means big changes for anyone who operates, plays, coversor bets onthe games we love. Welcome to the Gambling Issue.

When Jim Missiris opened Linwood Pizza in Fort Lee, N.J., 43 years ago, he thought he was merely running a restaurant that would churn out pies, Buffalo wings and trays of penne oozing with vodka sauce. In recent years, though, Missiris has seen his pizzeria take on an additional purpose, especially during weekend mornings in the fall.

Missiriss enterprise benefits immensely from its location; the George Washington Bridgeconnecting Jersey to New York Cityis less than a mile away. And over the past three years, that placement has proved particularly advantageous due to the neighboring states differing laws regulating online sports betting. InAugust 2018, New Jersey became the first state outside Nevada to accept legal sports wagers online, while New York will not sanction any online action until the upcoming football season at the earliest. So in recent years, family-owned Linwood Pizza, nestled between a Starbucks and an outdoor gear store in the nondescript Fort Lee Plaza, has become a hub for New York sports bettors eager to try their luck on NCAA or NFL games. I love it, Missiris says. Its almost like a party, being in here.

During football season Missiris, 64, leaves his home in Rockland County, N.Y., around 9 a.m. After a 25-minute drive hell fire up his ovens and start prepping for the early-morning rush. On a normal weekday he initially whips up 12 specialty pies. During football season, to account for his hungry wagerers, that number goes up by 50%.

When the pizza parlor opens its doors at 11, groups of customers file into the mirror-plastered dining room, which seats 32. Patrons order food as they pull tip sheets out of their pockets and backpacks. Conversations turn to how the afternoons games will go and which teams to bet on. Cellphones essentially replace the sportsbook window. Until three years ago, Missiris says, We wouldnt get busy till 2 or 3 oclock, but now, with this betting phenomenon, its busy from the start.

Traveling over state lines to wager on sports is not a new conceptor one unique to New York and New Jersey. Before the Supreme Courts 2018 decision to strike down a law that prohibited sports betting outside Nevada, customerstraveled to the Silver State to place legal wagers.

But as states adopt legislation permitting online sports bettingas of July 1, 14 other states and Washington, D.C., had joined Nevada and New Jersey with some form of legalized online sports wageringthat paradigm is shifting. People were always willing to go to great lengths to [bet on sports], says Jeff Hoose, FanDuels regional manager for the Midwest. Now, its just becoming much more convenient.

Yet nowhere has the phenomenon of borderhopping to bet online been more prevalent than in New York and New Jersey. Says Chris Grove, a partner at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a gambling research and consulting firm. There really just arent a lot of other situations where you have that kind of population, a major mass that close to another states borders.

Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. is a lifelong resident of Queens. He played hockey, football and baseball growing up and fell in love with the Mets around the time that Tom Seaver was becoming one of the all-time greats. As hes aged, Addabbo has lived with the seemingly annual suffering fans of his favorite team endure. While watching baseball, hes also grown accustomed to experiencing another frustration.

If Im watching the Mets game and I see commercials come on for Jersey and mobile sports betting, and its geared to the New Yorker but its about betting in Jersey, I want to throw my shoe at the TV, Addabbo says.

Addabbo has been a member of the New York state Senate since 2009, where he currently chairs the committee on racing, gaming and wagering. He has long wanted New York to legalize online sports betting. For years, his pleas were largely dismissed.

A recent study conducted by Eilers & Krejcik found that in 2019, New York residents wagered $837 million in New Jersey on sports bets, amounting to around 20% of the $4.6 billion handle in New Jersey. Bettors merely need to be within New Jersey boundaries when their wager is placed, which is why 44% of all mobile bets in the state were made within two miles of the border, according to GeoComply, a leading geolocation tracking company.

Bettors will travel in from anywhere and everywhere around the 108-mile New YorkNew Jersey border, by car, bus and even bicycle. A PATH train from Christopher Street in lower Manhattan takes less than 10 minutes to get into Hoboken, N.J., making rail an especially popular mode of transportation to place a quick wager.

For instance, on Super Bowl Sunday in 2020, data recorded by GeoComply found that the volumes both before and during the Chiefs-49ers game were highest in and around Hoboken. Numbers there were disproportionately inflated by commuting New York City bettors, Eilers & Krejcik wrote in a report analyzing the phenomenon, and vastly exceeded the total bets placed in Jersey City, which has five times Hobokens population. Even in June, one could find a DraftKings advertisement with the tagline Settle Into the Land of Anything Can Happen up a flight of stairs from the PATH train platform, marking just one of the many DraftKings ads in the popular transportation hub.

Thats our money leaving our state, Addabbo says. New York is the major capital of sports in the world, and here we are playing catch-up in mobile sports betting. Its kind of a hard position for New York to be in.

In recent years other states have also watched from the sidelines as their neighbors generate additional revenue from sports betting. Hoose recalls that when FanDuel opened an in-person sportsbook in Northwood, Iowa, in August 2019, hundreds of Minnesotans flocked to witness Vikings great John Randle place the first bet. And gamblers have continued to come from Minnesota for the betting windows just inside the border.

At a hearing in June, Massachusetts legislators cited a DraftKings statistic saying that 30% of the companys sports bettors in New Hampshire over the last year had Massachusetts addresses.

This is really one of the underlying themes of gambling expansion in the U.S., Grove says, which is how do [states] pull revenue from neighboring states in order to shore up [their own] budget?

Since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in the spring of 2018, 31 states have approved laws legalizing sports betting, either online or at physical sportsbooks (laws in nine of those states have not yet gone into effect). In April, Addabbo finally got his wish as New York passed language in its budget allowing for mobile sports wagers, doing so amid an economic deficit largely caused by COVID-19. He says that the additional tax revenue generated from online betting will be allocated, in part, to educational funding, gambling awareness programs and creating jobs.

Missiris sees an uptick in bridge business on game day.

LEBRECHTMEDIA/Sports Illustrated

I think it changed the trajectory of gaming, especially online gaming, maybe forever, Addabbo says of the pandemic. Were usually out front, but here we have been that wobbly carin the right lane and all these other fast cars, like Jersey and Pennsylvania, are whizzing right by us.

The state is hoping to have its first online sports bet placed this coming football season. But Super Bowl LVI in February remains the key date, in Addabbos words, in evaluating how the state is faring.

Addabbo recognizes that the mere act of passing legislation wont definitively end the border-hopping phenomenon. Questions still remain about what New Yorks online gambling product will look like, what the tax rate will be and what the states philosophy will be on pricing and promotions.

Then, there is also a question that ties back to the bettors who frequent Linwood Pizza or show up at the Starbucks next door to Missiriss shop: Even with legislation passed, will bettors still visit such establishments as a means to socialize?

It gets them out of the house on a Sunday morning, Missiris says. They take a ride over the bridge and hang out with each other. They talk, they laugh. Everybody makes their bets. They get their slices and then they go.

If thats the case, maybe, out of habit, Missiriss weekend morning customers will still come out because they enjoy the food, company, atmosphere and betting convenience. Says Grove, If you describe the pizza parlor in agnostic terms of whats happening there on Sundaypeople are watching sports, eating food and betting. It would be indistinguishable from how you describe the sportsbook.

And while Missiris loves engaging with his customers, he also knows to maintain some distance. In recent years he has grown so close with a number of them that they have even asked for advice on who to bet on. But I never get involved, Missiris says. Because if I give you a loser youll know where to find me.

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The Place to Place Your Bets - Sports Illustrated

If youre going to be a serious casino gambler or sports bettor, it pays to have a colorful nickname. Back when Americas true national pastime was in its nascency, this advice was taken a bit too literally, as gamblers nicknames were too often rooted in ethnicity, to borderline or over-the-line offensive ends.

Thankfully, there are plenty of playful if not entirely politically correct gambling nicknames worth celebrating. US Bets consulted several sources, online and off, to come up with the following, very subjective list of the 10 greatest gambling nicknames of all time (presented in descending order, for maximum suspense), many of which come from the wild world of poker:

10 (tie). Jimmy The Greek Snyder & Nick The Greek Dandolos. These two Greeks harken back to the aforementioned ethnic-rooted monikers, although calling a Greek person The Greek is relatively benign. What wasnt benign were the racially incendiary comments Snyder made that led to his firing from his role as a CBS Sports commentator. As for Dandalos, he was a high-rolling horse bettor and poker player who claims to have chaperoned Albert Einstein on a journey through Las Vegas, introducing him to his cronies as Little Al from Jersey.

9. Wild Bill Hickok. An Old West folk hero known mainly for gunfighting, Hickok was also an avid gambler who was shot to death in 1876 while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, S.D.At the time of his demise, he was holding two pair black aces and eights or what would come to be known as the dead mans hand. In life and in death and in his nickname Hickok was a true wild card.

8. Amarillo Slim. Everythings bigger in Texas, though not necessarily better. But its cities tend to have some pretty righteous names, and Thomas Austin Preston Jr. a.k.a. poker great Amarillo Slim is nicknamed after one of them. Born in Arkansas, Slims parents moved the family to Turkey, Texas, before settling in Amarillo, making one wonder where Turkey Tom would rank on this list.

7. Parlay Patz. Parlay Putz might be a better nickname for Ben Patz, who rose to gambling fame and then infamy by cashing in a string of monster parlay bets and then threatening to kill members of the Tampa Bay Rays after they screwed up one of his wagers. Patz was recently sentenced to 36 months probation for sending these threatening Instagram messages, but, hey, a great nicknames a great nickname, regardless of whom it belongs to.

6. Bobby The Owl Baldwin. A World Series of Poker champ, top-rated billiards player, and former casino executive, The Owl is still knocking around Las Vegas nowadays. The origins of his nickname remain as mysterious as the bird itself, which makes him that much cooler.

5. Texas Dolly. The 87-year-old poker icon better known to some as Doyle Brunson just announced that hes coming out of retirement to play in a few tournaments this year. As for his gender-bending nickname, its rooted in his old pal Jimmy the Greek referring to him alternately as Texas Doyle and Texas Doylee in his gambling column in The Las Vegas Sun. The Associated Press then misprinted Brunsons nickname as Texas Dolly and that version stuck.

4. Minnesota Fats. Minnesota Fats (real name: Rudolf Walter Wanderone) isnt actually from Minnesota. The pool hustler hailed from New York and was originally called New York Fats. But then Jackie Gleason appeared in The Hustler as a pool-hustling character called Minnesota Fats, which was rumored to have been influenced by New York Fats. So New York Fats re-nicknamed himself Minnesota Fats, in a case of life-imitating-art-that-had-imitated-life.

3. Clyde Puggy Pearson. It is always admirable when someone turns something thats seemingly a flaw into a positive attribute or in this former WSOP champs case, a nickname. Pearson, a pal of Dandolos and Brunsons who helped get the WSOP off the ground and honed his gambling skills while serving in the U.S. Navy, suffered a disfigured nose in a childhood accident. Hence, Puggy.

2. Titanic Thompson. Golf legend Sam Snead called Thompson (given name: Alvin Clarence Thomas), an ace gambler and golf hustler whose traveling exploits predated Vegas rise, the greatest hustler ever, while Minnesota Fats dubbed him the greatest action man of all-time. His nickname is directly derived from historys most famous shipwreck: After a young Thompson hustled a Missouri shark out of $500 by diving headfirst over a pool table without touching it, the shark said he must be the Titanic, the way he sinks everybody. He also married five women and killed five men before dying at the age of 80 in 1974. What a life.

1. Gadoon Spanky Kyrollos. A well-known, high-rolling professional sports bettor whos based in New Jersey and loathes the limitations of Las Vegas, Kyrollos tops this list because he pairs a great nickname with an even better real name. That combo is tough no, impossible to beat.

Honorable mention: Diamond Jim Brady, Loud Mouth Dave, Wally Monday (he always paid on Monday), Patty Snaps, The Protractor (he had every angle), Carlos El Matador Mortensen, Chad Downtown Brown, Crandell Dandy Addington, David Devilfish Ulliott, The Orient Express Johnny Chan, Michael The Grinder Mizrachi, Daniel Kid Poker Negreanu, Antonio The Magician Esfandiari, Phil The Unabomber Laak, Mike The Mouth Matusow, Joey Tunes, Matty Simo, Teddy Covers, Donnie Rightside, Blackjack Fletcher, Tommy Two Times, Montana Mel, Herbie Hoops, Vegas Dave (just kidding).

Photo of Minnesota Fats and a pool-playing priest by Rick Musacchio/The Tennessean

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Spanky, Titanic, And The Greeks: The 10 Best Gambling Nicknames Of All Time - US Bets