Tag: sportsbooks

After opt-outs, are Bills favored over Patriots again in AFC East?

Who is the current favorite in the AFC East? The Buffalo Bills or New England Patriots?

Who is the favorite in the AFC East? Well that’s an answer that’s been up, down, and all around so far this offseason.

The debate has been between two dogs: the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

Tom Brady skipped town after the 2019 season and the scale all of a sudden started to even out between the two rivals (Sorry, not sorry, Jets and Dolphins). But at various points of the summer, things have tipped the way of the Bills like after Brady’s departure, but then they’ve also gone back toward the Pats’ direction, like when Cam Newton was signed.

But things are pointing back to the Bills now.

The most recent news between these two have been COVID-19 related. The NFL and NFLPA came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In that, players are given the opportunity to opt-out of playing next season. No team has been more stung by players deciding to not play than the Patriots.

The Bills have had two players do so, Star Lotulelei and EJ Gaines. The Patriots have had a total of eight, including some important starters and pieces, such as defensive back Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower and wide receiver Marquise Lee.

The decision to opt out is not an easy one. It’s also very understandable. But that doesn’t mean it won’t catch the eyes of the oddsmakers. Unless the Bills have multiple players opt-out ahead of Thursday’s deadline to do so, one would imagine sportsbooks would remain the same as they stand now.

And how things current look, the Bills are once again the AFC East favorite, according to BetOnline. At +100, the Bills have the best odds to take the title in 2020. It’d be the first time in 11 seasons a team other than the Patriots did so, and the first time in 1995 that Buffalo won it. Having said that, the Patriots are not a longshot by any means. At +160, the Pats have the second-best odds in the division.

But if you’re looking for that dark horse candidate, look at the Dolphins at +700. Or if you’re feeling very bold, the Jets at +900.

We want to say things will stay this way until the season opener in September, but with the way this offseason has gone, you never really know.

 

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Sean McDermott has fourth-best Coach of the Year odds

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and his odds for 2020 NFL Coach of the Year.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is in good standing amongst sportsbooks ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

McDermott was a finalist for the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award last season. It eventually went to Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

Looking ahead, McDermott is in the early discussion again. According to BetMGM, McDermott has the fourth-best odds among all coaches to take home the hardware next season at +1800.

The opening favorite is the Patriots’ Bill Belichick at +1000. He’ll have some big mountains to climb with in order to win the award, but with quarterback Tom Brady skipping town, any successes the Pats have next season will now be directly linked to Belichick.

Behind him is a two-way tie for second and a three-way tie for third. McDermott slides in as the lone coach at +1800.

Here’s part of BetMGM’s current odds for Coach of the Year:

Bill Belichick +1000
Mike Vrabel +1400
Mike McCarthy _1400
Kyle Shanahan +1600
Frank Reich +1600
Kliff Kingsbury +1600
Sean McDermott +1800
Bruce Arians +2000
Andy Reid +2000
Sean Payton +2000
Brian Flores +2000
Mike Tomlin +2000
Jim Harbaugh +2000
Sean McVay +2200
Pete Carroll +2500
Doug Pederson +2500
Matt Lafleur +2500
Mike Zimmer +2500
Dan Quinn +2500
Zac Taylor +2500

 

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Zack Moss, Jake Fromm, Gabriel Davis land Rookie of Year odds

Buffalo Bills trio of rookies given odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

There’s a couple of players on the Buffalo Bills that were given odds to land the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2020. One of which is pretty surprising.

Per BetOnline, third-round running back Zack Moss leads the Bills’ pack at 20/1 odds. That’s the eighth-best odds handed out among any player, and tied with Rams running back Cam Akers.

The best odds were given to Bengals’ No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Joe Burrow, at 5/2. The Dolphins’ new QB Tua Tagovailoa trails at 8/1 while Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has the best odds among all running backs and the third-best overall at 9/1, in a tie with another running back, Colts rusher Jonathan Taylor.

Moss could be a good bet, but if you’re looking for a longshot, the next listed Bills player is among the longest, one would assume.

Fifth-round quarterback selection Jake Fromm appears on the list, the only player with 66/1 odds. A bit surprising considering he won’t be taking over for Josh Allen, pending injury. But there’s a similar circumstance listed. Jordan Love was picked by the Packers in Round 1 in a bit of a shock. He also won’t be starting, all things Aaron Rodgers considered. But Love still landed 33/1 odds.

In another twist, Fromm actually does edge out the final Bill listed, Gabriel Davis. The receiver has 80/1 odds. While he won’t surpass Stefon Diggs or John Brown anytime soon, one could imagine him seeing the field much more than Fromm as a rookie.

 

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Oddsmakers: Bills betting favorite to win AFC East

The Buffalo Bills have the best betting odds to win the AFC, according to Caesar Sportsbook.

The Buffalo Bills have the best betting odds to win the AFC, according to Caesar Sportsbook. The betting organization named Buffalo +100 favorites to win the division.

New England is listed just behind Buffalo at +140. The Jets are slotting in third at this point, at +700, while the Miami Dolphins, even with their upgrades in free agency and the prospects of improving due to three first-round picks in this upcoming draft, are saddled in fourth at +1000.

Interestingly enough, the Bills do not have better odds to be crowned the AFC Champion ahead of the Patriots. Buffalo’s line is +1200, while the Patriots are listed at +900. This places the Bills with the fifth-highest odds to win the conference.

Buffalo has not won the AFC East division since 1995, while they have not won the conference since 1993.

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In-Stadium sportsbooks are coming to an NFL venue near you

I am old enough to remember when the NFL didn’t want anything to do with gambling. In fact, the league was at the forefront of the argument to keep PASPA – the law that only allowed legalized sports gambling in specific states – in place. The league …

I am old enough to remember when the NFL didn’t want anything to do with gambling. In fact, the league was at the forefront of the argument to keep PASPA — the law that only allowed legalized sports gambling in specific states — in place. The league and its partner leagues failed at keeping PASPA in place and now it seems like the NFL is all-in on gambling. It’s no wonder since sports-related gambling is the newest frontier for the league to make a ton of money and reach its $25 billion revenue goal. Well, the NFL did a complete 180 when it comes to gambling now as the new CBA allows for sportsbooks to be located in NFL stadiums. Talk about changing their tune.

This is commonplace in Europe. There are in-person sportsbook locations that are easily accessible just like getting some concessions. There are betting kiosks for the people who don’t want to interact with a human. There is access to gambling websites and apps where fans can bet from their seats. This is the natural order of things in Europe and the same thing will be happening in the United States in short order.

Per the ESPN report, NFL players will get a higher percentage cut of gambling net-profits when it comes to people voting on football-related wagers and will get a lower percentage of the profit when it comes to wagers place on non-football related activity. In-stadium sportsbooks may also stay open outside of the season. This could mean that stadiums will need refurbs or new-stadiums will make sure they build a large section for sportsbooks. It’s a smart decision by owners who want to draw people to the venue when there is nothing going on at the stadium. It also will give people access to place bets when they are at the venue for non-sports related events like concerts.

People who wanted to gamble were placing bets anyway. With the legalization of sports wagering continuing to grow from state to state, it makes sense to provide access to books in-stadium. The NFL wasn’t going to miss out on that money. They are extremely talented when it comes to the business of sports.

New Jersey sports betting hurt by loss of NCAA Tournament, Masters, NBA, MLB, NHL

As sports leagues continue to cancel and suspend events, the sports betting world is one of many areas being hurt

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The dominos fell with stunning speed over a 48-hour period this week as fear of spread of the coronavirus forced the suspension of the NBA, NHL and MLB seasons, while while the NCAA Tournament, one of gambling’s Holy Grails, was canceled altogether.

The 2020 Masters golf tournament has also been postponed, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced Friday.

So while there’s bitter disappointment among players and fans, it’s also  crushing blow to New Jersey’s sports betting industry at a time when revenue records could have been shattered.

In what would have been one of the two busiest times of the year – some $540 million was wagered in the state in January in the buildup to Super Bowl LIV – the industry is on hold indefinitely during the COVID-19 outbreak around the country.

In the 21 months sports betting has been legal, the additional revenue stream has provided a much-needed lifeline to New Jersey’s horse racing industry at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, with their respective sports books and online operations generating over $277 million in gross revenues during that time.

The Meadowlands has also canceled live harness racing through the weekend, with no decision made of the immediate future of racing.

“The ripple effect to sports betting will be profound because this extends so far beyond the sports wagering bubble,” said Daniel Wallach, a South Florida-based attorney who specializes in the sports betting industry. “This is just one subset of a broader impact across every segments of American life, and that is going to have a continued impact.

“These are unprecedented times and the gambling industry will take a huge hit. As will so many industries. So there will be an immediate impact and a trickle-down impact over time.”

HELLO FRIENDS: Augusta National postpones the Masters

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How significant will the impact be?

Last March, the first time New Jersey gamblers were able to legally wager on the NCAA Tournament, some $372 million was bet during the month around the state, producing gross revenues of $31.7 million. The Meadowlands, which partners with FanDuel on sports betting, accounted for $17.5 million of that revenue, including $13.3 online. Monmouth Park, which has William Hill as its partner, did $2.7 million.

But the market has expanded dramatically in the state over the past 12 months as New Jersey challenges Nevada for leadership in the industry.

In January, the $53.6 million in gross revenues for the state represented a 185.2 percent increase year-over-year. And with the market continuing to mature, the handle could have topped the record handle of $562.7 million set last December, when $32.9 million in revenue was generated.

A closer look at the numbers New Jersey sports books produced in February show a 54.4 percent increase from a year earlier, with $494.8 million wagered, compared with $320.4 million in 2019.

“New Jersey’s year-over-year gains remained impressive in February, but we are in uncharted territory now,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the website PlayNJ.com. “Obviously there are bigger concerns with coronavirus, but the NBA is a major revenue driver for New Jersey’s sportsbooks. So the suspension of the season, in addition to suspensions of other sports, will undoubtedly have a significant effect.”

It’s not just New Jersey, with legal sports betting sweeping across the country after the 2018 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that the law that banned it in all but a few jurisdictions was unconstitutional.

The No. 1 sports betting state is Nevada. Sixteen states have legalized sports betting. All other states have imminent or long-range plays to make sports betting legal, except Idaho, Wisconsin and Utah.

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Indiana sports betting: BetMGM launches sports betting app in Indiana

BetMGM launches sports betting platforms in Indiana, joining growing list of legal sports betting operators within the state.

BetMGM sportsbook, a leading mobile sports betting app, launched throughout the state of Indiana Thursday, according to a release by Roar Digital, LLC, which is the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings.

Through a market access agreement with Boyd Gaming, BetMGM enters the Indiana market with their sports betting app, which was previously available in New Jersey and West Virginia markets.

BetMGM, per a release provided to SportsbookWire, offers unique product features, including in-app, live-stream sports events.

Sports betting became legal in the state of Indiana last year when 13 locations (off-track facilities and casinos) were given authorization to take sports bets as of Sept. 1, 2019, which is when mobile sports betting in Indiana was also legalized. Indiana saw $170.8 wagered in January across casinos and mobile betting applications, which set a new state record according to data released by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

“Introducing BetMGM in Indiana is a significant development for Roar Digital and MGM Resorts,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive Gaming for MGM Resorts in a released statement. “Indiana has a rich history in professional and amateur sports and a strong fan base. We are certain that the sports betting opportunities offered by BetMGM, and access to MGM’s world-class entertainment offerings and resorts, will be well-received.”

Indiana sports bettors will be able to place legal sports wagers on professional and collegiate sports through a variety of pre- and in-game wagers as well as player props. The app is available for download on iOS and Android Sports bettors can also access BetMGM‘s platform via desktop.

“We’re excited to launch BetMGM in a state as passionate about sports as Indiana is and look forward to seeing fans in the state take advantage of our unique in-app offers,” said Adam Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer, Roar Digital in a statement. “Indiana marks an incredibly important expansion for us as we look to solidify our presence in the Midwest and continue to bring BetMGM to new states in the U.S.”

If you or someone you know has a problem with sports betting, help is just a phone call away. Get a confidential referral for help by calling the Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-9-WITH-IT (1-800-994-8448).

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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