Monthly Archives: December 2020

NFL Enters Week 16 on Historic Scoring Pace, According to TheLines

Davante Adams (credit: Kyle Engmann)

The NFL will offer plenty of offense this Christmas, with two of the top offenses in the league set to square off and four games with an over/under set at 51.5 points or more in Week 16. So many high point totals shouldn’t be a surprise, according to analysts from TheLines, which tracks odds in U.S. regulated sports betting markets. In fact, the NFL is on a historic scoring pace.

Sunday night’s game between the Tennessee Titans, which leads the NFL with 31.1 points per game, and Green Bay Packers, which is third at 31 points per game, promises two of the most prolific scoring teams in the NFL. Total points for the game as of Monday morning is 56, according to a consensus of the nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks — including DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, PlaySugarHouse, BetMGM, Unibet, and William Hill. No game has offered more points this season.

But games offered at 50 total points or more have not been uncommon this year. In fact, there were five such games in Week 15 alone. Points have been up significantly all year. Through the first 15 weeks, NFL teams are averaging 24.8 points per game, up dramatically from 22.8 points per game in 2019. Barring a points outage over the season’s final games, it should break the scoring average record of 23.6 points per team per game, set in 1948.

“In a season of anomalies, we may never see so many high point totals again,” said Brett Collson, lead analyst for TheLines.com. “There are so many reasons why scoring is up, and many of them are related to the pandemic, from fewer distractions with teams being in relative isolation to quiet stadiums helping road teams stay in sync. Regardless, oddsmakers continue to do well in making adjustments.”

The consensus point spreads for Week 16 and remaining Week 15 games, as of Monday, Dec. 21:

  • Pittsburgh Steelers (-14.5) at Cincinnati Bengals; over/under 40.5
  • Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (-7); over/under 51.5
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-9) at Detroit Lions; over/under 53.5
  • San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (-3.5); over/under 49.5
  • Miami Dolphins (-2.5) at Las Vegas Raiders; over/under 47.5
  • Carolina Panthers at Washington Football Team (-1.5); over/under 44.5
  • Chicago Bears (-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars; over/under 47
  • Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (-8.5); over/under 45
  • Cleveland Browns (-10) at New York Jets; over/under 44.5
  • Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3); over/under N/A
  • New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens (-10); over/under N/A
  • Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-3); over/under 48.5
  • Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs (-10.5); over/under 53
  • Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-1.5); over/under 46.5
  • Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Dallas Cowboys; over/under 49.5
  • Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers (-4); over/under 56
  • Buffalo Bills (-6.5) at New England Patriots; over/under 45

To access the updated futures lines for every NFL team, and for more analysis, visit TheLines.com/odds/super-bowl. To access Week 16 odds, visit www.thelines.com/nfl-week-16-lines-2020.

Partypoker Won’t Gamble: 2021 Irish Poker Open to Take Place Online

The Irish Poker Open was one of Europe’s first live events hit by COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and, one year on, it’s still being affected.

The 2021 Irish Poker Open won’t be taking place in Dublin’s Citywest Hotel due to continued COVID-19 uncertainty. (Image: Twitter/Citywest Hotel)

Although there is hope COVID vaccines will get life back to normal in the first half of 2021, the organizers of the Irish Poker Open aren’t taking any chances.

With the prospects of hosting a live tournament over the Easter holiday slim, the action will take place online for the second time.

SportPesa asks court to jail Kenya gambling regulators

Sports betting operator SportPesa wants to put Kenya’s gambling regulators behind bars for continuing to take action against the company despite a court order. 

This weekend, Kenyan media reported that Milestone Games Ltd had filed legal papers seeking the six-month imprisonment of seven members of the Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB). The seven are accused of violating a Nairobi High Court order requiring the regulator to temporarily cease enforcement actions against Milestone. 

The seven individuals targeted in the court filing include BCLB chair Cyrus Maina and board members Peter Kanaiya, Sabrina Kanini, Daniel Koech, Joy Masinde, Peter Mbugi and Paul Njaga. Milestone claims the seven are displaying “utter disdain for court orders and the judicial process” and seeks to bar all seven from holding public office until the matter is resolved. 

Milestone received a BCLB license in October, after which it launched an online betting site bearing the SportPesa brand. The site was shut down the same day it launched after the BCLB raised questions over ownership of the SportPesa brand.

FSV Makes Major Push In Hispanic Engagement With Acquisition of Alianza de Futbol and JUGOtv

JUGOtv

For Soccer Ventures (FSV), an organization focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Alianza de Futbol and JUGOtv, groundbreaking Hispanic soccer companies engaging with and offering opportunities for the underserved Hispanic soccer community in the U.S.

For nearly two decades, Alianza de Futbol implements identification programs, coaching clinics, and tournaments in Hispanic communities throughout the U.S. that have historically existed outside of the traditional structure of American soccer. These programs have offered the opportunity for participation to male and female players, and led to the identification of dozens of future professional players such as Mexico’s National Team player Jonathan González. JUGOtv has operated as the content studio and social media arm of Alianza de Futbol, featuring one of the premier American Hispanic social channels.

“As we set about our mission to transform soccer in America, we began identifying the entities and the stakeholders who’d been doing it successfully for years. Alianza de Futbol and JUGOtv are the benchmarks for creating a more inclusive American soccer community,” FSV founder and Philadelphia Union investor Richie Graham said. “As part of FSV, we hope to bring these organizations closer to the fold with our partners, offering even greater opportunities for Hispanic soccer players in the U.S. and establishing a richer and more robust soccer community for everyone.”

Founded in 2004 by Richard Copeland and Brad Rothenberg, the son of former US Soccer Federation President and 1994 FIFA World Cup organizer Alan Rothenberg, Alianza de Futbol has been a one-of-a-kind opportunity for male and female soccer players outside of the traditional club system in the U.S. Since the program’s launch, players have come from 46 states and more than one thousand U.S. cities, connecting over 3.2 million hispanic families to the Alianza de Futbol community. Additionally, over seventy seven alumni have gone on to play professionally and twenty three have received youth national team invitations.

Working with commercial partners, Alianza de Futbol hosts weekend long activations in Hispanic communities throughout the country that feature tournaments for youth and adults and identification programs for players hoping to take the next step in their career, all at little to no cost. Guest appearances from legends of the game such as Carlos ‘Pibe” Valderrama and Jorge Campos, brand activations, and more round out an experience that often draws more than a quarter of a million attendees per year.

As part of the FSV portfolio, Alianza de Futbol and JUGOtv will leverage relationships with organizations such as Major League Soccer and US Soccer Federation to expand opportunities for its participants.

“We’re beyond excited to join the FSV team,” said Joaquin Escoto, Managing Director of Alianza de Futbol. “The future of soccer in America is so bright, and we’re thrilled to be joining FSV on their mission to ensure all communities are part of that future. FSV are the perfect partners to help amplify our impact in bringing the Hispanic community closer to the most important organizations in American soccer.”

Additionally, FSV’s unrivaled creative, American soccer storytelling and strategic capabilities will provide Alianza de Futbol a greater platform to evangelize their transformative work in grassroots soccer, while also connecting them to new brands and advertising agencies.

New initiatives that expand upon Alianza de Futbol, both on-and-off the field, will be announced by FSV in the forthcoming months.

BetConstruct to deliver an app for well-organized Betshop experience

BetWallet, the special application for collecting and managing the bet tickets and vouchers, was recently released to the market and introduced to the land-based operators.  

Pointing out the value of the land-based solutions in the industry, BetConstruct provides its operators owning a land business with a solution that can improve players experience in betshops and make it more safe and structured. 

Though the main purpose of the app is to give the players an opportunity to collect and manage the bet tickets, it also stands out for more intricate functionalities and advantages that a betshop bettor can appreciate. BetWallet allows the users to scan the ticket’s QR codes, check the bet’s state while simultaneously receiving notifications on status changes and have access to early cashouts. For an added comfort, bet history statistics can be viewed via the app too. 

The developers did their best to make the app very convenient and user-friendly. In addition, the app is compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems.

Christmas is Cancelled for Betting Stores in England

Betting stores in parts of England, including London, have been forced to close again just days before Christmas.

Betting shops in London and its surrounding areas have been forced to close due to another COVID-19 lockdown order. (Image: Burnham-on-Sea.com)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his latest “stay-at-home alert” on Saturday, three days after vowing not to cancel Christmas.

The mandate means all non-essential businesses in London its surrounding areas closed on Sunday. Residents have also been told that they’ll no longer be able to spend Christmas with anyone from outside their home.

CoinGeek VII Live From Zurich, Switzerland, April 2021

Zurich is the heartland of the European banking world and will be the latest venue for the seventh CoinGeek Conference next April. Just south of Zurich, known as ‘Crypto Valley’, Zug, Switzerland is the home of the Bitcoin Association whose Founding President, Jimmy Nguyen, will once again host the conference. As a result, Switzerland will now further enhance its reputation, as not only a banking and financial hub, but also, the European HQ of the digital asset space by playing host to CoinGeek VII [https://coingeekconference.com/].

In October this year, despite the global pandemic, CoinGeek managed to broadcast over 90 speakers – all of which were delivered live, not pre-recorded – over three days from studios in London and New York for a unique hybrid live & virtual event experience. Earlier in 2020 CoinGeek London saw over 1,000 attendees with a live stream seen by over 30,000 viewers.

Previous CoinGeek Conferences have also appeared – highlighting the true power of a blockchain that scales to enterprise level coupled with tiny transaction fees – via Bitcoin SV, in Seoul, Hong Kong and Toronto.

Professionals from leading blockchain start-ups, global enterprises, crypto mining groups, investors, and others in the financial community are coming to learn about exciting developments for Bitcoin SV (BSV), as well as the unique benefits of a blockchain that can massively scale enabling data processing capabilities no other public blockchain is capable of.

Which streaming music service is right for you?

Plato is quoted as once having said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” While the format for listening to music has changed significantly over the 2,400 years, the reason behind the melodies and harmonies hasn’t. Today, streaming music services are the preferred option, giving the listener the ability to pick and choose from tens of millions of songs in a matter of seconds. There are a number of choices available when it comes to selecting the right streaming platform, and the decision ultimately falls on a number of criteria.

When reviewing different streaming music platforms like Amazon Music or Spotify, or any of the hundreds of others available, it helps to consider a couple of factors. Price isn’t too much of a game-changer since most of the services cost about the same. What’s important is the amount of content, playlist configurability, quality of the audio and platform support – if the service is available to be used on anything from smart devices to vehicle media systems.

Playlist configurability is straightforward; if the platform allows you to create a personal library that is accessible from all of your devices, then it has an advantage. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are some limitations to content not controlled by the platform. Some artists refuse to license certain content, while others don’t want any of their songs available on streaming services. Taylor Swift is known for this, having forced Spotify to remove all of her songs in 2014 before she allowed them to be put back on two years later.

When considering audio quality, the higher the bitrate, the better the quality. Songs on Amazon Music and Spotify have bitrates that put the songs in the category of “high definition,” but Spotify’s premium service goes higher with some of the content. However, getting high-definition audio doesn’t matter if your output device – the tablet, smartphone, etc., – doesn’t support it. If all you ever use to listen to streamed music are standard headphones, you will never hear the difference between standard definition and HD formats of the same song.

Premier League Review – Gameweek #14

A thrilling collection of games saw clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Leicester all get three points as some of the cream of last season’s crop started to rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Let’s start our detailed look at the drama at Goodison Park as Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta enjoyed vastly different work anniversaries.

Everton 2-1 Arsenal

Carlo Ancelotti saw his side march into the top four after dogged display of both attack and defence at home to a desperate looking Arsenal side. A year ago, Arsenal plumped for the inexperienced former Gunners midfielder Mikel Arteta as their new manager after the disastrous spell under Unai Emery.

2nd Test Australia vs India: Preview & match tips

Australia head into the Second Test in Melbourne, as favourites to go 2-0 up in the four Test series. India will struggle to recover from their loss in Adelaide and their captain Virat Kohli is set to return home for the remainder of the series.

After being in control of the match, India were woeful in their second innings to be bowled out for a record low of 36; their lowest total in 60 years of Test cricket, surpassing the 42 they made against England at Lords in 1974.

India are expected to make several changes to their side for the Second Test in Melbourne. Mohammad Shami will miss the remainder of the series, after fracturing his arm in Adelaide. KL Rahul is expected to replace Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order, with Rohit Sharma not available until the 3rd Test.

Shubman Gill is expected to get the nod for Kohli’s number four slot, while Mohammed Siraj is tipped to come in for Shami. Siraj had an excellent warm-up game in the lead-up to the First Test, and his pace and bounce suit the MCG wicket.

CalvinAyre.com’s most read Sports stories of 2020

2020 might not have had the usual quantity of sports, leading to interest in things like Belarussian football, table tennis, and the U.S. elections. Here are the five sports stories that interested you the most in 2020.

AOC leads odds for 2024 Presidential Candidates

Even before Biden beat Trump, some punters’ attention was already turned to 2024. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Occasion-Cortez (AOC) emerged as the bookmakers favourite to challenge for the White House in 2024. The New York congresswoman has the name recognition to challenge for the top job, according to bookmakers.

The Top 7 goalscorers in soccer history

Calvin Ayre holiday message: Expect big data, enterprise gains for Bitcoin SV

https://youtu.be/Vz_O73qxLagVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Calvin Ayre Yearend Message (https://youtu.be/Vz_O73qxLag)

2021 will be the year Bitcoin SV (BSV) proves itself at the enterprise level, showing it can handle big data applications better than anything that’s come before. That’s the message in a video holiday greeting from Ayre Group & CoinGeek founder Calvin Ayre as the curtains close on one of modern history’s most pivotal years.

As Ayre put it:

“2020 was a crazy year. But it actually wasn’t all that bad for a project that I hold near and dear. That is, educating the world on the massive data powers of the original Bitcoin protocol, now trading only as Bitcoin BSV.”

Will Kassouf Makes Winning Comeback in Irish Poker Masters Main Event for €215,163

It’s been a long time since Will Kassouf was making happy headlines in poker, especially in terms of winning a major tournament, but this weekend he is doing exactly that by taking down the Irish Poker Master Main Event, winning €215,163 in the process.

It feels like about 20 years since Kassouf was courting controversy in the 2016 WSOP Main Event (yes it really was only four years ago). Back then, it was arguments with Griffin Benger, stand-offs with tournament director Jack Effel and of course, the infamous “Nine High Like a Boss” hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THA5LjEyW9UVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Nine-High, Like a Boss | 2016 WSOP Main Event: Day 5 | PokerGO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THA5LjEyW9U)

Flash forward 50 months and it is a very different story. There has, of course, been an awful lot of water under several bridges since then. Kassouf, who became a Grosvenor Poker pro, was a one-man poker brand in the year that followed his utterance of that nine-high hand. He was everywhere, and for everywhere was lost in the ‘Black Mirror’ of technological celebrity.

Who Will the Poker Hall of Fame Select as its 2020 Inductee?

The 2020 Poker Hall of Fame inductee will be announced Dec. 30 in Las Vegas. And the winner will be …. you didn’t you think I was going to give it away that quickly, did you?

Don’t worry, it won’t be this guy. We say that confidently. (Image: YouTube)

The WSOP recently announced the 10 finalists for the class of 2020. That list is based on the fan nominations, which took place earlier this month. Voting is now up to the 32 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame. The voters can only choose the winner based on those who made the finalists list.

2020 Poker Hall of Fame Finalists

Polk vs. Negreanu Match Update: Crucial Sessions on the Horizon

Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu are heading into what just might be the most important phase of the heads-up match as the 12,500-hand mark approaches. The poker pros took a break last week, but have two sessions planned before Christmas.

Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu have two sessions planned this week. (Image: Poker Central)

Negreanu booked a huge win in the most recent match — more than $140,000. But he’s still deep in the hole as the heads-up battle nears its midway point. And that midway point is important because the player who trails at the time has the option to call it quits without penalty. If that individual opts to continue on, the no-limit hold’em competition will last another 12,500 hands.

Polk leads the match by $814,290 over 10,784 hands, 1,716 shy of the halfway mark. Negreanu has made it clear in his post-match interviews on the GGPoker YouTube channel that he intends to continue on. We all know at this point he will trail at the 12,500-hand mark. It’s just a matter of by how much.