Category Archives: NFL

Report: Nearly 40 Million Americans to Wager on the NFL

Thirty-eight million American adults—15 percent of the U.S. adult population—are planning to bet on National Football League (NFL) games this season, according to a new survey by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

The rapid expansion of legal sports betting has provided increased opportunity for millions of Americans to bet safely with a licensed, regulated sportsbook. This year, 7 million Americans say they will bet legally at a casino sportsbook, 1.2 million more than last year, and tens of millions of others will place bets with friends, participate in pools or squares contests or place their bets online.

“During this centennial NFL season, more Americans than ever before can wager on football in safe, well-regulated environments,” said Bill Miller, AGA’s president and chief executive officer. “It is clear that as jurisdictions enact policies to provide a legal alternative to the dangerous illegal market, consumers follow suit and seek the protections they deserve.”

The survey, conducted by Morning Consult, also found that nearly one-in-four (24%) American adults say they would place a bet on the NFL if it was legal in their state. As legal sports betting continues to expand, fan engagement with NFL games will see an impact:

  • 39 percent of avid NFL fans plan to place a bet on the NFL this season.
  • 75 percent of NFL bettors say they are more likely to watch a game they bet on.
  • 28 percent are more likely to attend a game they have bet on.
  • 51 percent are more likely to watch pregame shows and commentary.
  • 63 percent are more likely to gather with friends or family to watch a game.

“Sports betting clearly impacts fans’ enthusiasm for engaging with the NFL. As the legal market grows, it is imperative for gaming and adjacent industries to focus on implementing and promoting legal sports betting responsibly to protect consumers and ensure the viability of legal markets to the continued detriment of illegal operators,” Miller added.

Among NFL fans, the New England Patriots are the favorite to win the Super Bowl (23 percent), followed by the Kansas City Chiefs (8 percent), Dallas Cowboys (7 percent) and New Orleans Saints (6 percent).

Background

  • Since the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act—the failed federal ban on sports betting—in May 2018, more than $10 billion has been legally wagered on sports.
  • Thirteen states now offer legal, regulated sports betting, with five more states and the District of Columbia poised to open legal markets in the coming months.
  • Last September, an AGA study showed that the NFL stands to gain $2.3 billion annually from legalized sports betting, largely due to increased fan engagement.
  • AGA’s Sports Betting Consumer Study found sports bettors are more interested in the NFL than any other professional sports league (93 percent interested).

Investors Bank and New York Giants Expand Strategic Alliance

Flickr/Mike Lizzi

 Investors Bank and the New York Giants are expanding their strategic alliance during the 2019 football season. They began a 10-year partnership last year and are marking the second year by publicly introducing the New York Giants-branded debit card and checking account.

The New York Giants Checking Account was designed to engage and excite the football franchise’s enthusiastic fans. Investors Bank is prominently featuring the New York Giants logo on each account holder’s debit card and checks. Everyone who joins the Big Blue Checking Crew will have access to many premium features and amenities.   

Today, Investors Bank, the Official Consumer and Business Bank of the New York Giants, is publicly launching the New York Giants Checking Account during a “Signing Day” event at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. New York Giants CEO John Mara will open one of the first Giants checking accounts. Investors Bank CEO Kevin Cummings and President Domenick Cama will present Mr. Mara with a personalized New York Giants debit card. Mr. Mara and the franchise’s senior management team will present official New York Giants game jerseys to Mr. Cummings, Mr. Cama and EVP Chief Marketing & Product Officer Dorian Hansen.

In discussing the partnership, Mr. Mara said, “The Giants and Investors Bank share the belief that our fans and their clients deserve an exceptional level of service, and we are both dedicated to achieving that goal. This expanded partnership will allow both the Giants and Investors Bank to continue to serve our communities in an innovative and transformative way.”

Investors Bank and the New York Giants are also announcing a joint corporate social responsibility program. Each time Big Blue scores either a touchdown, field goal or safety this season, Investors Bank will donate $250 to the non-for-profit CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) of New Jersey. Dedicated, compassionate and highly trained CASA volunteers assist and serve some of the most vulnerable children in the region.

Reviewing the alliance, Mr. Cummings said, “Our bank continually strives to develop new and exceptional ways to serve our consumer and business clients, which is why Investors Bank is linked to the New York Giants. We are solidifying the relationship with the fabled Big Blue team by launching our checking account, which enhances the legacy of each organization. We are also grateful to be one of the only regional banks in America to partner with an internationally-known, professional football franchise.”  

New York Giants Checking Offers Many Premium Features and Amenities

Fans are invited to show their team pride by opening their New York Giants Checking Account at one of Investors Bank’s 147 branches. Fans will receive a 20 percent discount each time they use their Giants debit card to buy merchandise at www.shop.giants.com. The Giants Checking also comes with premium features such as free identify theft protection and cellphone insurance for three smartphones.

Banking with Giants Checking is convenient and rewarding. The dedicated client services team at Investors will help fans switch their account and join theBig Blue Checking Crew. Fans also have an opportunity to score big, and they may receive a cash reward by opening an account and referring their friends. For people who bank on the go, Giants Checking has a mobile wallet feature that is supported by the three major payment services, and they have access to exclusive New York Giants weekly postgame content that is presented in a mini-podcast format.

For more details about opening the New York Giants Checking Account, visit one of the Investors Bank’s local branches or visit https://www.myinvestorsbank.com/Giants.

Source Communications is the advertising agency of record for Investors Bank. Source’s President Larry Rothstein and his team played a key role in creating the marketing campaign to launch and build positive awareness about the New York Giants Checking Account.

Zebra Technologies Extends NFL Analytics Contract

Tom Brady (Keith Allison)

Zebra Technologies Corporation, an innovator at the edge of the enterprise with solutions and partners that enable businesses to gain a performance edge, today announced the renewal of its partnership with the NFL, extending Zebra’s role as the League’s Official On-Field Player-Tracking Provider through the 2021 season. This extension builds on the past five seasons during which Zebra has worked with the NFL to successfully implement a best-in-class player and ball tracking system, helping to launch a new era of football data and analytics known as Next Gen Stats.

Zebra captures data for the NFL by attaching RFID tags in player equipment and the football, transmitting real-time location data to receivers positioned around the stadium. The Zebra MotionWorks™ Sport tracking system captures metrics such as player speed, distance traveled, orientation and proximity, and acceleration/deceleration. This information is then utilized by the NFL to calculate vast amounts of information about every player for every play.

The Next Gen Stats data is used to enhance the fan experience both at home as well as in-stadium. The data helps to convey unique, engaging details about individual and team performances, as well as season-long trends, allowing fans to understand the game in a whole new way. Used by everyone from the casual viewer to the fantasy football fanatic, these insights provide fans, media, and teams with helpful and interesting information for every game, every week, throughout the entire season.

“We are pleased to extend our relationship with Zebra to further develop and share cutting-edge insights into the game of football,” said Matt Swensson, Vice President of Emerging Products & Technology, National Football League. “We’re excited to build on our partnership, and collectively advance the League’s commitment to innovation. In the coming seasons, we plan to further develop the Next Gen Stats platform, allowing coaches, players, and fans to understand the game in ways never possible before.”

NFL Club personnel use Next Gen Stats data to inform a variety of decisions, from play design to player workload, and to formulate specific practice plans.

“We are very excited to continue our work with the NFL, and we are committed to ongoing innovation to provide the League, teams and fans with real-time tracking data and insights for years to come,” said John Pollard, Vice President of Zebra Sports Business Development, Zebra Technologies. “Based on our collaborative approach, this extension validates the value of our real-time locationing technology in football to give those on the front line a performance edge.”

Earlier this year, Gartner, Inc. recognized Zebra as a Visionary in the Magic Quadrant for Indoor Location Services, Global for the second consecutive year. Part of Zebra’s market leading locationing portfolio, the MotionWorks Sport solution is powered by Zebra’s Savanna data platform which transforms information into insights to help teams make the best possible decisions.

Pro sports teams speak out against New York’s sports gambling efforts

Several NFL football teams have signed a letter written by the NFL that was sent to New York gambling regulators over the state’s sports gambling efforts. The teams are concerned about the future of the industry and wanted to make sure that their opinions were heard. However, only one of the teams is actually from the state – the others are in New Jersey.

The New York Giants, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills may be linked to New York, but the Jets and the Giants play in New Jersey. Their field is MetLife Stadium, which happens to be a part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, home to the FanDuel Sportsbook. Given that the sportsbook is the most successful in the state, it seems a little strange that the teams would come out against sports gambling.

The letter is designed to, once again, try to show why the sports leagues deserve an integrity fee on sports wagers. This, despite the fact that “integrity” has always been a main component of all sports leagues’ policies. The letter reads, in part, “There is no greater priority for the NFL than protecting the integrity of our sport and the welfare of our players. Fans, players, coaches and personnel deserve to know that we are doing everything possible to ensure no improper influences affect how our games are played and that we are taking all appropriate steps to ensure that their participation in our games is not subjected to unfair and unwarranted allegations relating to sports betting.”

The NFL wants to try to convince New York to add “four core standards” to its sports gambling legislation. The first, stronger consumer protection, is understandable, as is the desire to eliminate “the illegal sports betting marketplace.” However, the other two will certainly cause some critics to surface.

NFL’s ‘Great Dane’ and Better Collective ambassador Morten Andersen to speak at Betting on Sports America

Morten Andersen, who holds the all-time record for most games played in the NFL, will be delivering a keynote speech at this month’s Betting on Sports America conference, held from 23-25 April at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey.

Andersen is attending #bosamerica as an ambassador for the Denmark-based igaming affiliate Better Collective – a key sponsor of the event whose US-facing brands include Betoclock.com, the us-bookies.com hub and a fast-growing bet-state network already featuring bet-nj.com, bet-wv.com and bet-pa.com.

The ‘Great Dane’ will be talking about the NFL’s unique ability to connect with its fan base – and particularly those with an affinity for sports betting – as part of the ‘Sports and Betting’ track on Thursday 25 April, the second full day of the conference.

At the age of 17, Andersen did an exchange in the USA from his native Denmark. As there was no European football available at his school, he applied his skills to American football.

Alliance of America Football doesn’t make it half a season

The Alliance of American Football (AAF) has set a record. After less than one season and only eight weeks of games, the league has already been dismantled. What was meant to give football fans something to do in the NFL off-season has fallen flatter than 40-year-old pigskin.

The owner of the league, Tom Dundon, has suspended all operations, according to a statement by the AAF’s co-founder, Bill Polian. In confirming the suspension with ESPN, he explained, “I am extremely disappointed to learn Tom Dundon has decided to suspend all football operations of the Alliance of American Football. When Mr. Dundon took over, it was the belief of my co-founder, Charlie Ebersol, and myself that we would finish the season, pay our creditors, and make the necessary adjustments to move forward in a manner that made economic sense for all.

“The momentum generated by our players, coaches and football staff had us well positioned for future success. Regrettably, we will not have that opportunity.”

From even before the first kickoff, there had been rumblings of issues behind the scenes, including rumors of contractors and employees not being paid. Dundon, who is also the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL, promised to make an investment of $250 million in the AAF to help straighten out the issues, but it later surfaced that he may have had ulterior motives.

Bet Construct Announces Relationship with Pro Football Hall of Fame

Credit:
Coemgenus of English Wikipedia

Bet Construct, in partnership with Atlantis Gaming Corporation, has entered into a relationship with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The three entities have agreed in concept on the launch of a premium fantasy sports experience in the United Statesmarket.

Bet Construct, through a deep understanding of the players’ needs, developed a fully customizable fantasy sports software with reliable fantasy data and marketing guidance to 40-plus partners around the world.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, as one of the most recognized organizations in sports, is examining how the use of its brand can bring an instant fan base to jumpstart the new Fantasy Sports Platform.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame is pleased to be exploring how a partnership in the gaming industry can support its important mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE,” commented Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker.

“We are thrilled to provide our fantasy sports technology for this exciting venture with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Tribal Gaming Network. Through Bet Construct’s world-class fantasy sports platform, the leverage of the Tribal Gaming Network, and the trusted brand of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this partnership will deliver a truly exceptional fantasy sports experience to players,” saidBet Construct Head of US Operations, Jonathan Aiwazian.

“Atlantis Gaming is proud to introduce this exciting Daily Fantasy Sports product nationwide in states that offer legal Daily Fantasy Sports via our Tribal Gaming Network,” states Atlantis Gaming Corporation, President & CEO, Donald L. Bailey 

A formal announcement is expected soon by the Hall of Fame with Bet Construct and Atlantis Gaming.

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

Nevada crushes New Jersey in Super Bowl betting

Betting on the 2019 Super Bowl was nearly as anti-climactic as the game itself, at least in terms of betting volume.

The NFL’s marquee contest was an absolute stinker on the field, but it marked the first time that legal wagering on the outcome was available outside Nevada, so we guess we have to talk about it.

Starting in Nevada, early numbers show the day’s total betting handle hitting just under $146m, around $12.6m below last year’s record. However, this year’s net win came in around $10.8m, a significant improvement over last year’s paltry $1.1m.

One lucky bettor at Nevada’s South Point casino sportsbook turned a $250 wager into $100k by taking a 400-1 flutter on the Rams scoring exactly three points. So if you want to blame someone for Sunday’s snorefest, there’s your guy.

Super Bowl Props: Tony Romo, Mark Wahlberg, combined score

Now that the Super Bowl’s “bye” week is in the rearview mirror, the props for Sunday’s LIII from Atlanta between the AFC champion New England Patriots and NFC champion Los Angeles Rams are really rolling out.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

This year’s Super Bowl is televised by CBS, and that means the biggest stage for second-year analyst Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who never got to the big game as a player.

Romo has been nothing short of brilliant as an analyst, continually accurately predicting a play an offense is going to run based on formations. He did it numerous times in the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. You can bet on how many plays Romo predicts ahead of time in Super Bowl LIII with an over/under of 7.5.

Super Bowl LIII special props: Let’s get nuts!

If you’re looking for variety in your sports betting, there’s no better time of year than the Super Bowl. There’s your typical football wagers like moneyline, totals or spread. There’s the props you hear about on the local news, when Billy McWeatherton says, “Oh my, did you know you could bet on the coin toss? Ha ha ha!”

For the real gambler though, this time of year is unique because of the special props. Thanks to Bodog, we’ve got the most special props for you to take a look at.

We’ve got three wagers for U.S. President Donald Trump. Will he tweet over or under 6 times total on February 3? Odds are favoring the over right now. You can also bet on if he’ll attend the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Brady is a Trump supporter, but Bodog’s favoring a “no.” Finally, will the Super Bowl champions be treated to a feast of McDonalds, Burger King and KFC, or something else? It could depend on a U.S. shutdown, but fast food will be the long shot.

Netflix has the hot new documentary “Fyre,” and you can bet if the festival conman Billy McFarland will be  selling “tickets” to the big game.

Super Bowl Props: Coin toss, anthem odds on board

For most sports bets, you aren’t going to get 50/50 odds of being right. However, that’s the case with one of the most popular Super Bowl bets every year: the coin toss. Both options are -105 because, obviously, there’s a 50 percent chance of it landing heads and 50 percent tails. It’s important to note that the prop is on where it lands, not what is called.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The New England Patriots are the visiting team and will call the toss before Super Bowl LIII this Sunday in Atlanta against the Los Angeles Rams, and it’s well-known that usual Patriots caller Matthew Slater calls heads always. The coin toss result has been oddly streaky over the years. Last year it came up heads but the previous four years it was tails. The five Super Bowls before that all came up heads. For one impossible 14-year stretch (Super Bowl 32 through 45), the NFC team won the coin toss every single time.

Another popular pre-game prop is the length of the national anthem, which this year will be sung by R&B legend Gladys Knight. She is given an over/under of one minute, 47 seconds. Take this with a grain of salt, but an alleged recording of Knight signing the national anthem has surfaced from 1991 and she finished in one minute, 45 seconds. That Knight forgets or omits a word during the anthem is +300 with no at -500.  Will any player take a knee during the anthem? Yes is +300 and no -500. That type of protest has largely died down in the NFL, but there are still a few players around the league who did so during the regular season.

First lawsuit over blown call at Saints-Rams game filed

The Action Network’s Darren Roven called it – sort of. After referees blew a blatantly obvious pass interference (not to mention helmet-to-helmet contact) penalty during the Saints-Rams game this past Sunday, Roven said that he expected the NFL to face a class-action lawsuit within 24 hours. He has now followed up on that prediction, pointing out that a lawsuit (the first of possibly many) has now been filed.

In a Twitter post from yesterday, the sports gambling expert stated, “BREAKING: Attorney Frank D’Amico says he has filed a civil suit in New Orleans on behalf of Saints season ticket holders to make the right call and bring both teams back to replay the end of the game. First reported by @TraversWDSU. More to come.”

According to an accompanying story prepared by Action Network, the lawsuit was filed against the NFL, NFL Properties and the man who steers the ship, Commissioner Roger Goodell. It seeks to convince a judge to force the league to reverse the no-call after Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman obviously interfered with a pass attempt between Saints quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. If the judge agrees to the terms of the lawsuit, the game could be replayed from the point of the foul to its conclusion – less than two minutes – in accordance with NFL Rule 17, Section 2.

According to the lawyer, in speaking with The Action Network, “The law says that a judge can compel an organization who does business in the state to follow its own bylaws in customers in that state are damaged. There’s no doubt people have been damaged.”