The World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Global Poker Index (GPI) will work together this summer and for at least the next three to find out which player is the best overall performer of the Series. Highlighted during the recent WSOP media conference call but confirmed via a press release last night, the new […]
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Several newcomers were on the year’s third edition of the Longines World Best Racehorse Rankings released May 14, including Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner American Pharoah and runner-up Firing Line.
The STARS lottery launched Thursday at the $1.5 million grand prize home. The other grand prize is a home in Saskatoon, valued at the same amount.
Imagine you own an 18-acre plot of land right in the center of the Las Vegas Strip. Would you consider selling? The owners of a lot across from City Center reportedly are open to offers.
Three veteran racing officials accredited by the Racing Officials Accreditation program have been approved by the Minnesota Racing Commission to serve as stewards at Canterbury Park.
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) participants Frosted and Keen Ice were sent out their first recorded works since the Run for the Roses May 15 at Belmont Park and Churchill Downs, respectively.
Miss Temple City ran to her 6-5 favoritism May 15, taking the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes presented by Rams Head Group at Pimlico Race Course to notch her first stakes score.
By Frank Scandale @FScandale @TheDailyPayoff
If the Road to the Triple Crown is paved with obstacles, those betting on favorite American Pharoah don’t see them as of the second leg of the quest.
The winner of the Kentucky Derby is sitting as the solid favorite today, with odds ranging from 4-5 today to 10-13, for instance, despite his rail position. His Derby runner-up pals are sitting just behind him with various bookmakers and racing columnists.
Racing observers and odds make
Yet, not everyone is going with the prevailing thinking based on the Derby’s outcome. More on that later.
Racing observers and odds makers alike are fairly consistent in their choices of Pharoah, Firing Line and Dortmund in some order of Win, Place and Show.
“I think the top three Derby horses repeat in the Preakness,” said Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operation at Westgate Casino in Las Vegas. “The order of finish might be different.”
VegasInsider.com lists Bob Baffert’s two colts, American Pharoah and Dortmund at 4-5 and 7-2, respectively. While Firing Line is listed at 4-1. http://www.vegasinsider.com/horse-racing/odds/preakness/
It has Diving Rod the next closest at 12-1.
OddsShark puts Pharoah at 10-13, Dortmund and Firing Line both at 17-4. http://www.oddsshark.com/horse-racing/preakness-stakes-odds
New York Times writers Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert also produced their picks and analysis of the race with Drape bucking the prevailing thinking by picking Firing Line, and Hoppert going with Dortmund http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/sports/handicapping-preakness-stakes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid%3D=tw-nytsports&_r=0
Then there is Joe Kristufek. He’s seeing it a little differently.
One of America’s Best Racing ambassadors and the racing analyst for Churchill Downs, Kristufek is picking Divining Rod to break into the top three and even threaten for the win.
“As far as loooking at it from the perception of the Derby, it seems obvious those horses could run 1-2-3 again,” Kristufek admitted. “But I’m interested in Divining Rod. That horse has a tremendous pedigree.”
He said Divining Rod’s mother is Precious Kitten, who has earned $2 million, and his uncle is Kitten Joy, one of the best sires ever.
“The family lineage all around on Divining Rod is impressive,” he said. “Being the contrarian, and looking for value potential…you can look at this race two ways. Lots of fans want American Pharoah to win and compete for the Triple Crown. Or you can look at it from a wagering perspective and look for value.
“And I think this horse is going to run a huge race,” he said.
Kristufek also noted that Diving Rod has had five weeks off, unlike most others who have had just two weeks off. He’s also in the 7th post positon of a possible eight that plays to his natural speed that will keep him close with little chance for interference on the outside.
He said the morning line was 12-1 on Diving Rod, but said you might get 8-1, which would be fair.
“He’s going to have to take another big step forward in the Preakness,’ Kristufek said.
The race, held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD, is shorter than the Derby, so some think Dortmund has a better chance this time of upsetting American Pharoah.
Post time is 6:18 ET and the race can be seen on NBC.
UK-listed online gambling operator GVC Holdings has made a takeover bid for struggling rival Bwin.party Digital Entertainment.
In a statement released on Friday, GVC confirmed it had submitted a proposal to acquire Bwin.party’s “entire issued and to be issued share capital.” Given that Bwin.party’s market cap is more than twice the size of GVC’s, the deal would be treated as a reverse takeover and would require the approval of GVC shareholders.
Bwin.party released its own statement, saying it was “continuing its discussions with a number of third parties and has received revised proposals (including from GVC Holdings PLC) regarding a variety of possible business combinations.” While both parties stressed that there was no guarantee a deal would be made, the news sent Bwin.party’s shares up over 11% to 99.45p, its highest close since mid-February. Tellingly, GVC’s shares rose less than 1% to 461.93p.
In March, GVC CEO Kenneth Alexander publicly mused about acquiring “something like” Bwin.party as his company looked to make a transformative acquisition similar to its 2013 purchase of Sportingbet’s grey market operations.
Bwin.party could be set for a change of ownership if the green light is given by the company’s senior executives. GVC Holdings PLC, a sports betting and gaming company that controls Sportingbet, Casino Club and Betboo, has submitted a takeover bid for bwin.party Digital Entertainment PLC. Despite being a smaller company than bwin.party, GVC has […]
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THE DAILY PAYOFF sat down with Joey Levy CEO & Founder of Draftpot, an innovative daily fantasy platform that offers restricitonless gaming, for a conversation on student entrepreneurs, big data, and of course how Draftpot’s unique approach is disrupting the fantasy space. You can find Levy on twitter @Draftpot where he welcomes interactions
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The Daily Payoff [TDP]: You’re getting a lot of attention – and its well deserved – you have a proprietary game mode without salary cap restrictions.
Joey Levy [JL]: Yes for sure, but we do have a traditional GM mode which caters to people who want the strategy involved with the salary cap – but our most popular setting is fan mode which does not have restrictions. This allows us to tap into wider demographics and acquire users with little to no fantasy experience and the feedback has been tremendously positive.
TDP: How can we sign up?
JL: The site is https://Draftpot.com the great thing is that you can play instantly without cumbersome signups and logins. We don’t want any restriction from our users being able to enjoy Draftpot. Of course we welcome registrations but at your convenience.
TDP: Did Draftpot come from pure innovation or necessity? A bit of both?
JL: I think its been a combination, I knew there was a need for an alternative platform to offer restriction-free games. I started doing more research into the nature of DFS. I was always a player but when I heavily got into the business I realized how big of an opportunity it could be. It really is the instant gratification of the games that drive the revenue. The space is in its infancy but nevertheless moving. The industry provided its viability but at the same time was early enough to develop a product to differentiate itself. That’s where Draftpot fills the gap.
TDP: data is very closely linked to the fantasy game. Are you working with any data providers or analytics companies?
JL: We work with Sportsdata LLC (subsidiary of Sports Radar). They provide the API calls for all the sports we’re involved in. That’s how we get the data. As far as the web development itself – that’s done in house by the cofounders
TDP: Tell us about the endeavor – founding the company, developing the platform, raising capital – all as a Columbia student.
JL: Its been a challenge dealing with classes while trying to build a business., especially one that requires so much time and effort. That being said we have been able to manage our classes, develop the website, administer it, and improve it constantly. My partner (fellow Columbia University student) directly oversees the web development. We currently have over 2,000 users and have amassed 20K in entry fees. My job is to continue that trajectory. We are constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to market this
TDP: So Draftpot was founded by a fantasy player/college student the result filled a void and introduced fantasy sports to a much larger demographic — given this perspective any other “first of its kind” claims that Draftpot can make?
JL: Sure thing. We have the first user driven chat area where you can talk trash during competitions. This is an element of the game that was taking place offline for years but Draftpot allows that user interaction online. If you go to Fanduel or Draftkings or any other site when you are tracking your contests in real time it really just a list of whose participating and the order – while we provide that information because its necessary – we also have a chat box on that same page where you communicate with those same participants. It can get quite fun – we’ve had tournaments where there has been over 600 people all interacting and talking smack.
TDP: What sports do you currently offer and what’s next?
JL: Of course we offer the major domestic leagues. We will be adding college football and college basketball when those seasons start. We will have PGA up before the US Open, MMA is coming very soon, we are also exploring adding Esports to our platform – we would be the first site to offer both traditional and Esports.
TDP: Any advice for the student entrepreneur?
JL: Defiantly going to require full time commitment. To do it right you can’t do it on the side. To be successfully your venture simply has to be full time. Pursue what you want to pursue but understand what you are getting into and commit accordingly.
TDP: Okay, time to plug Draftpot
JL:We always want more users, so please go to https://Draftpot.com to sign up for an account with promo code “TheDailyPayoff” and get a free $4 coupon to start. To any interested investors: we are raising capital and are wrapping up our seed round now, for more information please reach out to me [email protected]
Keeneland and this year’s other inductees will be introduced at a press conference May 19 and honored at a dinner June 17 at the Crowne Plaza Louisville.
Mr. Z is the troubled one of the bunch. He’s the kid who is found throwing baseballs through windows instead of pitching toward home plate, whose focus often seems to wander, the wild-card player.
You won millions of dollars AND found true love. Everything is perfect and then…you find out it’s all a scam.
Real estate experts Drew Scott, left, and Jonathan Scott, center, stars of the HGTV show “Property Brothers” and solar enthusiasts, help install Sunrun solar panels Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, on their “smart home” in Las Vegas. In response to a bevy of controversial energy issues emerging in the state, a coalition of gaming, tech and energy companies will align to promote more consumer choice in what’s shaping up to be a long battle against the state’s dominant power company, NV Energy.
As he prepares his longshot Bodhisattva for the May 16 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Race Course, trainer Jose Corrales makes no apologies for the unusual name that is a tongue-twister.
Mr. Z is the troubled one of the bunch. He’s the kid who is found throwing baseballs through windows instead of pitching toward home plate, whose focus often seems to wander, the wild-card player.
NASCAR Officially Along For The Pay Fantasy Ride
There have been fantasy games set up around NASCAR for years with little to no success. The thought was always that with such passionate and engaged fans, a regular schedule and tons of data that the sport was a natural fit for fantasy. However individual sports were slow to gain traction in traditional fantasy, but all that has changed since the pay model has come into vogue.
Golf officials see pay fantasy as a way to engage a younger audience, and while tennis officials still worry about “gambling” and the fact that their game is more global, where fantasy has not yet caught on, there remains more interest there as well. Now it looks like NASCAR is in whole hog, announcing an official deal with DraftKings on Thursday.
Through the three-year agreement, DraftKings will have an exclusive license to develop NASCAR-branded games across the daily fantasy sports category. According to the release, DraftKings will have access to a direct data feed from NASCAR Digital Media that contains real-time statistics which will create all kinds of gaming opportunities for fans watching live on any device, and perhaps most importantly, at the track.
“Pursuing ways to connect with our fans on a daily basis while enhancing their viewing experience has been paramount to NASCAR, and fantasy sports is a core tenet of that strategy,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing officer in a release. “We are committed to growing our fan base, increasing engagement and diversifying our audience and partnering with DraftKings will strongly support all of these efforts.”
It will work this way. In each game, participants are assigned a fixed salary cap they can use to draft their entire roster, comprised of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Scoring categories in DraftKings NASCAR daily fantasy sports games will include finishing position, fastest laps, laps led, position differential and passing differential. NASCAR games on DraftKings will provide fans the opportunity to win one-of-a-kind NASCAR prizes and VIP experiences. DraftKings will offer two different types of NASCAR-themed games – a free game for casual players and paid games for avid followers of the sport.
The success of pay fantasy in NASCAR will not be overnight, as like every sport adapting to the culture will be key. There is no certain way to know how much illegal gambling goes on in and around races, although casual bets are known to take place around every track. What is certain is that NASCAR has a very engaged fan base which is very brand loyal, and if that translates into pay fantasy, DraftKings may be racing towards the checkered flag in yet another sport.
By Frank Scandale @Fscandale @TheDailyPayoff
Las Vegas odds makers say the four-game suspension meted out to Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady triggered adjustments in their outlook on the Super Bowl champs repeating, but all bets are off on final lines until an appeal is heard.
For those who put the season opener against Pittsburgh back on the board, their point spread against Pittsburgh also got much tighter.
All of this might have been expected given untested, back-up quarterback Jimmy Garappolo is the likely on-deck replacement. But what is still uncertain for odds makers is how many games ultimately Brady will be suspended on appeal, which was filed by Brady Thursday and agreed to be heard personally by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
That decision by Goodell is in itself a controversy, as the players’ union had urged the commission to appoint a neutral party.
All this drama is being played out in public while sports books such as Johnny Avello, executive director of race and sports operations at Wynn Las Vegas, are busy adjusting lines and watching this like a Shakespearean play. Avello said after the news came out on the lengthy suspension, he made adjustments to who wins Super Bowl, dropping the odds for the Patriots from 7-1 to 9-1.
“I was giving the odds at 5-2 to win the AFC conference and now it’s 4-1,” Avello added. “The reason is if they miss him for four games, the other teams could get possible jumps. Miami, Jets, Buffalo all have been lowered a bit…if it is two games, I’ll back off a little bit, maybe go to 8-1.”
The opening game is Pittsburgh and without Brady Avello says its a pick ’em game. The second game at Buffalo will be “difficult.” Jacksonville is up next and at home and he gives the Pats a win there, but the fourth game (after the bye week) is a tough game with Dallas.
“They could be 2-2 after four games if he’s not around, Avello said. “The Super Bowl champs get a tougher schedule.”
He also believes the Pats will not look for another quarterback.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Vaccaro, head of South Point Casino’s Race and Sports Marketing division, said the point spread for the Patriots-Steelers opener dropped to 1.5 from six points once the suspension was announced.
“Brady can move a game about six points. But with lots of time to prepare, and you adjust for the Superbowl win, we move it up a tick, Vaccaro said. “As for the rest of the division…the Jets, Bills and Miami, they are all about even. So now if you put the four games without Brady, the division up for grabs. We are just waiting an seeing how many games this suspension will be.”
Jimmy Vaccaro
Bookmakers in general had the Patriots to win 10.5 games prior to the suspension but now lowered to 10 games on the over/under.
”You have to remember that Tom Brady is the top quarterback in the league, but you can’t throw away the rest of the team. It is still a Superbowl winning team.”
Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino, said originally there was not much of an adjustment planned as nothing in the investigation suggested a four-game suspension was likely.
Jay Kornegay
“We were thinking a fine and a one-game suspension,” said Kornegay, a lifelong Broncos fan and Colorado self-professed “homer.” “And a one-game suspension would make minor adjustments.”
Once The Wells report came out, Kornegay took the opening game against the Steelers off the board, where the Pats had been a six-point favorite.
“Once they announced four games, it was chaos for day and we had to make adjustments,” he said.
Additional fallout included raising the Super Bowl champs’ odds for a repeat to 8-1 from 7-1 after the suspension was announced. They also simultaneously changed the Denver Broncos line to 12-1 from 14-1 on the news.
The odds of the Pats winning the AFC conference was raised to 7-2 from 3-1, as well.
Oddsmakers explained the reason for the relatively minor adjustments was because they knew Brady would appeal and there’s a good chance the suspension would be reduced.
“These numbers are based on a two-game reduction already factored into this line,” Kornegay said, adding the line would be adjusted again if the four games are upheld.
Though initially Westgate took the Patriots-Steelers game off the board, it is now back on with the Patriots a two-point favorite. Why?
“They’ve done this before with Matt Cassel (2008 season when Brady got injured in the opener and was out all season) and won about 10 or 11 games (11 actually). They’ll be at home and they’ll be a lot of emotion there.”
He also thinks Coach Bill Belichick will come out blazing with something to prove.
Now, let’s see what the line is on that bet.
A MUSIC therapy project that helps people cope with mental illnesses in Bradford on Avon has been awarded nearly half a million pounds by the Big Lottery Fund to go towards its new outreach programme. The Soundwell Music Therapy Trust, based at Wiltshire Music Centre, was just one of 12 organisations in the region to be awarded grants which totalled nearly A 4m.