Tag: Sportsbook

Drew Brees jokes about promo stunt: ‘The lightning must’ve thought I was wearing a Falcons jersey’

Drew Brees jokes ‘The lightning must’ve thought I was wearing a Falcons jersey’ after fake viral video stunt

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Take a lap, Drew Brees. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback sent fans into an uproar after a video hoax went viral appearing to show him being struck by lightning while filming a promotional ad in Venezuela. He circled back after the social media buzz erupted, saying on Instagram that he’s fine and joking that “the lightning must’ve thought I was wearing a Falcons jersey.”

Look, as zingers go, that’s a good one. It doesn’t make up for a dumb marketing stunt that upset a lot of people, but Brees deserves a hat tip for it. The sponsor in question, PointsBet Sportsbook, later shared a follow-up video of Brees roughed up in an ambulance to promote their services. The reaction so far hasn’t exactly been positive, but they must feel any exposure is good exposure.

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No, Drew Brees wasn’t struck by lightning in Venezuela

No, Drew Brees wasn’t struck by lightning in Venezuela. He was just filming an incredibly poorly-conceived marketing stunt:

Drew Brees drew a lot of concern from many New Orleans Saints fans Friday morning after a very poorly-conceived marketing stunt. The fan-favorite quarterback traveled to Venezuela this week to film a promotional video for PointsBet sportsbook, in which he was apparently struck by lightning in a video that quickly went viral on social media. Messages of concern for Brees’ wellbeing were quick to follow.

But NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill defused the situation by reporting “He’s fine” and that the video was a “spoof,” which was confirmed by Nola.com’s Luke Johnson and ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. So there’s nothing to worry about here beyond Brees having made a horrible decision in how he’s allowing his public image to be used by sponsors.

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The absurd and wild changes in Jabari Smith’s odds to go No. 1 in the NBA Draft, explained

NBA bettors are on edge watching the odds shift in real time

Draft season—both in the NBA and NFL—remains a perplexing time for sportsbooks. Information flows in so many directions. Fans can find out news before the house can and whispers are sometimes meant to be overheard.

There isn’t an odds-making algorithm for smokescreens which is why its common to see sportsbooks take a loss on these events. Some states with legal sports betting, like New York, don’t even allow wagers on the draft because it’s not an actual sporting event.

The last 48 hours of NBA news speaks to that line of thinking, and it all has to do with Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren—the presumptive top three picks on Thursday.

Smith and Banchero, in particular, have seen wild fluctuations in their draft odds. We’ll get into the potential reasons for this in a moment. What you need to know first is that bettors everywhere are trying to gain even more of an edge than they already have.

Even after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Smith, Holmgren and Banchero are expected to be selected in that order, sportsbooks like FanDuel continue to see significant movement in odds for those players that would otherwise suggest Woj’s report isn’t rock solid (which seems like a bold strategy).

 

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott given best odds to win Comeback Player of Year

The Dallas signal-caller received high praise from Alex Smith, the former Washington QB who won in 2020 after his own return from injury.

Cowboys fans are primed for a big-time comeback from quarterback Dak Prescott. So is at least one of the major sportsbooks in the betting world.

FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Dallas signal-caller as the leading candidate to take home the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award for 2021, with +200 odds. Prescott was on an early pace to break the league’s season passing yards record in 2020 when he went down in Week 5 with a total dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle.

A healthy Prescott took part in the Cowboys’ OTAs and minicamp and is expected by the team to be a full participant in training camp next month.

If Prescott does go on to land the honor, he’ll follow in the footsteps of former Washington quarterback Alex Smith, 2020’s winner. Smith underwent an epic rehabilitation of his own tibia and fibula fractures- as well as a life-threatening infection- to return to the field after a two-year absence on October 11.

It was the same day Prescott suffered his injury.

Prescott has acknowledged that having watched Smith’s recovery helped him navigate his own rehab and prepare him both physically and mentally for a return to action.

Smith, who retired in April after 16 seasons as a pro, says he sees in Prescott the qualities necessary to not just come back, but come back better than before.

“Dak is, I think, one of the most unique athletes in the NFL — and I really think that from, like, a freakish perspective,” Smith told Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports recently over Zoom. “He is such a strong, powerful, such a good athlete. So I really expect him to come back and be rolling. Then you add that on to his fortitude and mental perspective? I think he’s going to have a huge, huge year.”

The oddsmakers at FanDuel agree. Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey, Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow, and New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley- all coming off injury-plagued seasons- are tied for second-best odds at +700.

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Best and worst bets for Washington Redskins 2020 NFL season

Sportsbooks across the nation have released many of their betting odds for the 2020 NFL season, and most seem to think Washington will suck.

Now that the 2020 NFL Draft is behind us, and we have all had our intense thirst for a live sporting event quenched, the next few months without football may seem bleak. However, if you’re looking to ride that wave of adrenaline after the draft and keep your mind on the NFL, our friends over at BetMGM have released a slew of prop bets for the 2020 NFL season that let you put your money where your mouth is.

Whether it’s odds on the eventual Super Bowl Winner, MVP, Rookie of the Year, or Coach of the Year, BetMGM has it. They even have fun bets that are specific to the Redskins, such as win totals, chances to make the playoffs, and which QB is likely to take the first snap in Week 1. From what we can glean from this all, it’s clear that bookies don’t have much faith in Washington to be very good this year. Nonetheless, here are all of the bets and odds you can lay down on the Redskins now.

Redskins to Win Super Bowl LV:

  • +15000 (Tied for last with Jacksonville Jaguars)

Redskins to Win NFC Conference:

  • +8000 (Last)

Redskins to Win NFC East

  • +1100 (Last)

Most Valuable Player:

  • Dwayne Haskins: +15000
  • Chase Young: +20000
  • Adrian Peterson: +25000
  • Derrius Guice: +25000
  • Terry McLaurin: +25000

Defensive Player of the Year:

  • Chase Young: +5000

Defensive Rookie of the Year:

  • Chase Young: +350 (First)

Coach of the Year:

  • Ron Rivera: +4000

Win Total Over/Under: 5 Games

  • Over: -125
  • Under: +105

Redskins to Make Playoffs:

  • Yes: +900
  • No: -1667

Redskins to Have Most Losses in 2020:

  • +450 (2nd)

Quarterback to Take First Snap in Washington:

  • Dwayne Haskins: -176
  • Kyle Allen: +150
  • Cam Newton: +1400
  • Andy Dalton: +4000

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Tre’Davious White, Ed Oliver land Defensive Player of Year odds

Buffalo Bills CB Tre’Davious White & DT Ed Oliver given Defensive Player of the Year odds.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White could be a sneaky good bet to win the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year Award.

According to BetOnline, White has a 33/1 shot to win the honor. That’s a tie for the 11th best odds handed out.

That number was also given to several others, including Bobby Wagner, Darius Leonard, Jalen Ramsey, Jamal Adams, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shaquil Barrett, and Tyrann Mathieu.

The current favorite is Aaron Donald at 7/1 odds. Nick Bosa (9/1) and the Watt brothers, JJ and TJ, follow (11/1).

If you’re looking for a bit more of a longshot, Buffalo’s Ed Oliver also landed on the list at 150/1 odds. Those were the second-longest handed out (200/1).

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Celtics expected to finish with 4th-most wins in NBA

The Boston Celtics are projected to finish with the fourth-best regular season record according to a popular online sportsbook, up seven wins from preseason estimates.

The Boston Celtics have been upending expectations almost from the start of the 2019-20 NBA season, and are now expected to finish with the league’s fourth-best record according to at least one popular online sportsbook.

Internet-based bookmaker BetOnline projects the Celtics to finish with 55.5 wins at the end of the regular season, up seven wins from the preseason estimate of 48.5 wins.

This is of course due to the outstanding play and unexpected chemistry contrasted against what was known at the time — namely that the team was young, had lost two top-50 talents, and had struggled to play consistently against even lower-tier opponents.

Fast forward four months with the synergistic play between All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and three wings in Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward all playing All-Star-level basketball, and the heft in this season’s win column speaks for itself.

Those 55.5 wins should be good for a fourth-place finish in the NBA if BetOnline’s predictions pan out the way they think they will, with Boston trailing the Milwaukee Bucks (67.5 wins) and Toronto Raptors (56.5 wins) in the East, and Los Angeles Lakers (61.5 wins) in the West.

All in all, it’s refreshing to be outpacing expectations after a year of repeatedly failing to even sniff the lofty expectations at the start of the 2018-19 NBA season that went so disastrously for the Celtics.

With a fresh slate and a bevy of budding stars, the future for this storied franchise is as bright as it was before that detour took the team off its pursuit of Boston’s next banner, and it may not be the last time in before the end of the season the Celtics defy the odds yet again.

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Celtics teaming up with DraftKings for multi-year partnership

The Boston Celtics are teaming up with online fantasy sports and online bookmaking site DraftKings for a sponsorship deal that will provide fans with watch parties and more.

The Boston Celtics are signing a multi-year partnership with online fantasy and sportsbook provider DraftKings, reports Sporttechie.com’s Andrew Cohen.

As the NBA gets more involved with sports betting as a source of revenue, individual teams have been securing their own partnerships as well. Boston is one of three teams inking long-term agreements with Draftkings, the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers being the other two franchises.

Boston’s deal will be solely for fantasy sports-related promotions, unlike that signed with the Pacers and 76ers. This is due to the fact that while sports betting is legal in Indiana and Pennsylvania, it is still illegal in Massachusetts.

DraftKings will host watch parties for Celtics games, and sponsor social media posts as well as part of the promotion.

The fantasy sports and online bookmaking site has already established relationships with the NBA as the league’s authorized betting operator, as well as having an arena-based partnership with Madison Square Garden.

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Dan Snyder could help lead Redskins, NFL into a bright sports gambling future

Snyder is intent on having a sportsbook in new stadium, which makes him one of the few NFL owners who openlys support NFL gambling shift.

A report made waves in the Washington D.C. area on Wednesday morning when it came out that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has been pushing for a new stadium to be built with the ability for sports gambling to be present.

According to the report from The Washington Post, Snyder went as far as to condition his intent on rebuilding a new stadium in Landover, MD, on his ability to include sports betting as a staple feature. For some who were present in the meeting with Snyder, this came as a shock.

One senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss one of the private meetings, said he was slightly caught off guard by Snyder’s proposal to include sports betting at the stadium facility, especially since the NFL has been slow to embrace sports gambling.

“It was the first time it crossed my mind that the stadiums would have any interest,” the senator said. “I was surprised to think, given the history of professional sports and gambling, they would do it within the same venue.”

For some, this plan from Snyder may seem like a pipe-dream, and it could very well give him an easy excuse to move the team out of Landover, and back to Washington where he’s reportedly wanted to relocate recently. However, we see it as something else; this feels like Snyder is ahead of the curve, and it could be a major win for the Redskins in the future.

The hard truth of it all is that sports betting is a legitimate part of sports now. For years, those who frequent Las Vegas, as well as the many ‘degenerates’ who are proficient with navigating the internet, have been able to put some money down on games and experience the benefits of sports gambling. Most have also experienced the downsides of it as well. Now that some progressive states are leading the way in legalizing sports betting nationwide, it’s only right that the NFL starts to follow, and Snyder is one of the few owners who has expressed open support of it. ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt discussed this shift on SportsCenter Tuesday night.

Aside from the wild spectacle that the 2020 NFL Draft will end up being, it’s location is the real storyline. The NFL is starting to accept the fact that sports betting is going to be a part of its future, and their willingness to move a franchise to the city only cements their intent on growing with the shifting culture.

Now, it feels like Snyder’s intent on opening a sportsbook in his new stadium is a signal that he’s jumping on board. He may have a long past of being the last to the party, but he might be one of the few owners leading the charge into a new future in the NFL, and it could mean big things for the Redskins.

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