Category Archives: NBA

GiGse 2015 Day 2 Recap

The second day of GiGse started off strong, with a number of delegates showing up bright and early to attend the sportsbetting panel featuring Dan Spillane, VP and Assistant General Council for the NBA, Adam Krejcik of Ellers Research, Senator Lesniak on pre-recorded video and moderated by popular gaming lawyer Jeff Ifrah.

Spillane started off by telling the audience the NBA does not support the way New Jersey is pursuing sportsbetting in the state and the NBA thinks the fight for sports betting should be happening in congress, not in the courts.

In response to the NBA’s opinion, Lesniak agreed its not the best way to go about it, but nothing is happening in congress- “the NFL has a lockdown on Congress” he says- and unregulated sportsbetting is happening now in New Jersey, run by organized crime or offshore operations.  The only other option New Jersians have at the moment is to fly to Vegas to place a bet and its simply not fair, he said.

“I don’t disagree with what Senator Lesniak has to say”, said Spillane.  “Its largely in line with our view, where we disagree with him is how you get there”.  Spillane understands the Senator is under pressure to make sportsbetting happen now, but says the current process is a shortcut- the NBA thinks its better to take it to Congress even thought the process will take longer.

NHL Playoffs: No clear-cut favorite to win Stanley Cup

The start of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begins in few days and for the first time in quite some time, no team has emerged as the clear favorite to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup in June. It’s come to the point that if you ask 10 people who they think would win the Stanley Cup, you’re probably going to get 10 different answers.

Parity reigns supreme in the NHL this season and picking a team to go all the way once the playoff seedings are set is going to be a lot more difficult than in past seasons. but somebody has to be considered a favorite, right? Loose a term as it may apply in this occasion, there has to be a team listed as the odds-on favorite.

For now, that distinction belongs to the New York Rangers, which currently has 6/1 odds to win what I think is the most prestigious trophy in all of professional sports. 6/1 odds! For a favorite! By contrast, the Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the NBA title and they’re odds right now are at 2/1. Go down a little further and you have the Cleveland Cavaliers priced at 21/10 while the San Antonio Spurs are at 3/1. In other words, three teams in the NBA have shorter odds to win the NBA title than the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Parity, I tell you!

The lack of a clear-cut fave is even more indicative with the odds offered to the next two teams on the list: the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild. Currently, the Hawks and the Wild are both getting 8/1 odds, just above the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues, both of which are priced at 9/1 odds.

IS NFL EYEING LEGALIZED GAMBLING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC?

 

Is the NFL inching closer to joining the NBA in the push for legalized sports wagering? Depends on whom you talk to.

Late last week commissioner Roger Goodell announced that teams will be allowed to do one-year pay fantasy deals for the 2015 season, all of which will be subject to review after the season. While not a huge value proposition for the long-term yet, it does open a door that had been closed for a much-needed new revenue stream for teams.

Only a few teams have inked deals so far of some sort with fantasy outfits. The Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, each inked deals last fall with Draft Kings. Most most other clubs still deferring on what and how the decision will be made.

Patrick Smyth of the Broncos public relations office, said the team signed on with Draft Kings, one of the two big players in the Fantasy arena, last fall for good reason.

“The decision to become involved with fantasy sports provided an opportunity for us to engage and connect with our fans through a new and growing avenue,” Smyth said. “we moved forward with our partnership after consulting with the league office.”

At the time of the signing, the team explained that daily games and contests were the next frontier for fantasy sports, and that this would be another way for fans to engage with the sport and the team they love. The Patriots expressed similar reasons for being the first team in the NFL to partner with a fantasy operation.

According to a story last fall in the Boston Globe, the Patriots said then “many of our fans in the stadium are playing daily fantasy sports, and we want to provide them with the most up-to-date information.” http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/10/16/draftkings/5E2bKV1bzN2103jl1lg7BO/story.html

Calls to a dozen NFL teams seeking comment about their status with fantasy sports were mostly unreturned. Two said they had no comment at this time.

The New York Giants’ Pat Hanlon did say while the team had no comment at this point, ” It’s a matter we will be discussing internally once we have all the details of what is allowable.”

Another more intriguing issue is if the NFL and other leagues like the NBA, who play games in markets like London where legal gaming is allowed, will take a big step in 2015 and license an official local betting partner. With the NFL now holding regular season games and promoting more to a global audience, a natural next step could be to pull in dollars, legal dollars, in places where the games are played.

Speaking at the Sportel Conference in Miami two weeks ago, NFL EVP of International Mark Waller was somewhat evasive and very cautious on the subject.

“Right now we are looking at all options as we should as a business, but to say the NFL will license gambling or create a partnership anywhere with a legal bookmaker is not on the table,” he said. There have been rumors that both the NFL and the NBA would sign deals this coming summer, creating a new revenue stream and again testing the waters for what legal dollars good flow in from legalized sports gambling, but right now both leagues have been relatively silent on the matter.

If the leagues were to sign deals to license their marks, it would raise an intriguing question for a state like Nevada, which currently does not have any of the four professional sports playing in the state, but is pushing hard to add the NHL with a new arena.

In year’s past, when teams like the Los Angeles Lakers played regular season games in Las Vegas, sports books would not take legal bets on the games. Now in a changing landscape, a move to have a legal betting partner abroad could open the door for a legal Nevada partner by the leagues, especially for the NHL, in advance of any federal law change to allow sports betting across the board. A host of other states continue to challenge the Federal law on sports gambling, but as of now Nevada remains the only place in the US where sports betting is legal and regulated.

Quietly some of the worlds largest betting houses have set up operations in the United States and continue to monitor the activity with regard to sports betting and pay fantasy while staying engaged in legal betting operations in sports like horse racing and poker.

Casinos are also looking for the added bump sports gambling could bring as a way to enhance team partnerships that have been in place for years as well. Is the NFL’s cautious toe in the water with pay fantasy a next step in taking the public temperature for legalized gambling and will their overseas games open other doors? Right now most are silent, but it will remain a key story to watch for when the pads go back on later this spring across America.

The issue of teams signing deals with fantasy companies came alive again last week when Daniel Kaplan of The Sports Business  Journal wrote that the league was making it clear to teams they could ink one-year deals.

Kaplan wrote that the league told teams they could sign daily fantasy deals during the league’s annual meeting in Arizona.

The league said it wanted to formalize its position because it did not have a policy in that category.

Kaplan quoted an email by Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s VP/Communications, saying, “With more teams signing advertising deals last year the league reviewed the overall landscape and made a proposal to enable all clubs to explore potential arrangements. It would be for one year.”

  

Frank Scandale @Fscandale contributed to this report.

Current NBA Title Odds as Playoffs Loom

This time of the year is always earmarked for March Madness but as the tournament winds down and the calendar flips to April, the sports world will turn its attention to the upcoming NBA playoffs. I figured we’d get an early jump on the proceedings since the NBA season is already winding down.

So let’s look at the hardwood where NBA teams are currently jostling for playoff spots or in some cases, lottery balls. But I’m not paying too much attention on the teams that are tanking; my focus is solely dedicated towards those who are gearing up for the playoffs.

As it stands right now, the Cleveland LeBrons, I mean the Cleveland Cavaliers are penciled in as the favorites to win the NBA title at 2/1 odds, despite being the second best team in the Eastern Conference. The best team in the conference – the Atlanta Hawks – are only 10/1 odds. This shows that regular season records really don’t matter in predicting what happens in the playoffs. Everybody starts clean and match-ups usually dictate who is tabbed the favorite. That said, the Cavs have LeBron James and, well, the Atlanta Hawks don’t. Just below the Cavs at 12/5 odds are the Golden State Warriors, followed closely by the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs at 6/1 odds.

These four teams are being heavily billed as the teams that will make up the conference title series in the East and the West, but just because everybody assumes they’ll make it, that doesn’t mean other teams are just going to lay down and let that happen.

March Madness and MLB Linked by CEO Pool

By Joe Favorito
@joefav
How can baseball benefit from March Madness? It’s In The Pool.
As we head toward the Final Four and Opening Day of Baseball there is an interesting mix we had previously talked about that ties both sports together in an unusual way. At the beginning of March Madness, Bloomberg announced a pool with 32 high level CEO’s each kicking in $10,000, with the winner getting the whole pot, $320,000 to go to a dedicated charity of their choice.
The list of CEO’s ranged from Michael Bloomberg to AOL’s Tim Armstrong, and from the Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio to Under Armour’s Kevin Plank, all chipping in for the cause of their choice. From education to food banks, cancer charities to wrestling programs, the help would be for a wide range of programs.
As we turn the corner and head for home in Indianapolis the Final Four has little Cinderella and lots of favorites, all of which could lead to a compelling finish to a great event at Lucas Oil Stadium. Who in the Bloomberg pool could cash in? One unique mix has baseball potentially benefitting, while the other may have some good karma for basketball and LeBron James.
Gary Cohen, CEO of Goldman Sachs, leads the group with all four of his Final Four intact, but needs Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers to win it all. If Frank Kaminsky and company make it past Kentucky and through the finals, the windfall would go to HARLEM RBI, the not-for-profit that works with Major League Baseball to grow the game in inner cities.
Cohen’s 144 points places him ahead of Quicken Loans Founder and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers Dan Gilbert, who is second with 139 points and has 3/4’s of the Final Four left. The difference is Gilbert has overwhelming favorite Kentucky winning it all, which would move him to the top spot as he plays for the Children’s Tumor Foundation .
EBay President and CEO John Donahoe is third, with Milwaukee Bucks owner Mark Lasry fourth, although neither appear to have the mix to leapfrog the top two.
On the bottom, keep fretting Lakers fans, as it looks like CEO Jeanie Buss will be bringing up the rear with just 90 points, although she does have Kentucky winning it all. Plank sadly is just ahead of her and with no one left in his Final Four, he may hit bottom as well. All in fun and philanthropy though.
The new concept by Bloomberg could bode well for giving elsewhere as well. How about a Women’s World Cup pool coming up as well, with some global heads putting $10 K in the kitty.
View original Source: Bloomberg’s Brackets for a Cause

Will expanded legalization of sports betting be a problem for the industry?

Experts believe that legalized sports betting is coming to the United States by 2020, if not sooner. Momentum is building to expand legal sports betting outside of Nevada. Led by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, some professional sports leagues (which have been long-standing staunch opponents of sports betting legalization) are starting to change their tune.

New Jersey’s efforts to bring Las Vegas-style sports betting to Atlantic City casinos and the state’s racetracks have, at a minimum, raised questions about the effectiveness of the 23-year-old federal ban on sports betting. Four more states — Indiana, Minnesota, New York and South Carolina — have introduced sports betting legislation in recent months, and two federal bills have been presented in Congress.

The question is beginning to appear as if it’s when, not if, sports betting will be legalized in the U.S., but is the country mature enough as a gambling society to handle it?

When NBA commissioner Adam Silver declared his support for legalized sports betting in November, he changed the game for the other leagues. But will it be enough to move the line? David Purdum explores in ESPN The Magazine’s Gambling Issue. Dr. Howard Shaffer, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a leading authority on the impact of gambling expansion, isn’t sure.

“The more mature gambling environment, more mature gambling community, the less it’s affected by expansion or changing of the characteristics of the gambling system,” said Shaffer, who is also the director of the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance. “In the U.K., as an example, they’re very mature as a gambling society. There’s gambling everywhere. Although people expected an uptick there, when they expanded gambling, it didn’t really happen. I think the question is: ‘Is the sports gambling in America mature enough to tolerate expansion?’

“Sports betting in the United States is ubiquitous,” Shaffer continued. “We have office pools, friendly wagers, it’s not unusual when Super Bowl time rolls around for mayors of the competing cities to have a public bet. That’s all sports betting. Now, is the community mature enough to tolerate legalized sports betting? Because when sports becomes legal, there will be some people who might not have bet on sports who will now jump in. Are those sports betting virgins, so to speak, going to be affected? I think the answer is ‘yes.’ But the real question is: ‘How many are there and is there enough to influence the system?’ ”

Seen on ESPN.com – view here http://espn.go.com/chalk/story/_/id/12555614/betting-sports-betting-legalization-cause-more-problem-gamblers

Kentucky’s Unbeaten Season Makes Vegas Squirm

Kentucky’s Unbeaten Season Makes Vegas Squirm

Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari

 

(Bloomberg) — The University of Kentucky’s undefeated regular season has Nick Bogdanovich sweating. If the Wildcats don’t lose this year, his employer will.The director of trading at sports book operator William Hill U.S., Bogdanovich in July listed 50-1 odds that the Wildcats would win a national title with a perfect 40-0 record.

He took about 10 bets at that price before narrowing the odds, which fell all the way to even money as Kentucky rolled through its regular-season schedule. With the 31-0 Wildcats scheduled to take the floor again this week in their conference tournament — and the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament after that — William Hill is facing a high six-figure loss on that offer if Kentucky runs the table.

“We’ve got quite a bit of danger on that go-undefeated prop,” Bogdanovich said in a telephone interview. “Not seven figures, it won’t reach that high thank goodness.”

 

Read more at Bloomberg.com see here

Devils, Sixers Co-Owner Bullish On Gambling

Devils, Sixers Co-Owner Bullish On Gambling

by Joe Favorito @JoeFav
It hasn’t been the easiest of years on the field and ice for Devils and Sixers co-owners David Blitzer and John Harris, but neither has lost their enthusiasm for the business and both are bullish on the future of sport, especially their two currently suffering franchises.


This week at the Leaders in Sport Conference in New York, Blitzer touched on one of the hottest topics in sports; gambling, and where it may, or may not end up in the sports landscape as New Jersey wages an ongoing battle in the courts to have law overturned that prohibits sports betting outside of Nevada. Both the Devils and the Sixers were first adopters in taking on an online poker site as a sponsor, and earlier this year New Jersey became the first NHL club to bring in a daily pay fantasy partner to test those waters as well. “I have felt for a long time that ultimately – gaming, let’s call it, in sports – should be regulated and taxed,” he said. “I just feel like more information – I actually think one of the arguments against [full legalization], the ‘integrity of the sport’ question – that having it more out in the open rather than sort of being underneath the floor will actually enhance that [maintaining the integrity of the league] rather than degrade it. That’s been my view for a long time. When it comes and how it comes, I don’t know.”


This past weekend at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference MLB commissioner Rob Manfred admitted that baseball will take a look at the options on gambling as well, but will also follow the proposal that NBA commissioner Adam Silver has put forth, with a federally-mandated program vs. a state by state approach which many feel would be unmanageable and fraught with issues.


“That’s a whole different question, what the business model eventually looks like,” Blitzer added. “But clearly if one is providing the content, should they at least be ‘in the value chain,’ let’s call it. That’s something for people to argue about in ‘x’ number of years. But I’m sure the leagues will be some part of the value chain.”


He also chimed in on the growth of sport abroad, both for the NBA and the NHL. “I truly believe that the NBA has the ability to be the highest-growing international business over the next decade,” he added. “Managing that growth is not easy. It’s very different managing a business in Asia or Europe than it is in America. To manage that in the right way, on a variety of continents, is going to be interesting. I think they will succeed.”


In order to keep the coffers humming, it is thought that legalized gambling will be a key growth component, some feel second in revenue only to broadcast rights. That is why teams are constantly testing the waters for revenue streams that are currently legal like pay fantasy, and that teams on the bottom looking to innovate, like the Devils and Sixers, are the ones pushing the envelope open more.



Full credit to John Brennan of NorthJersey.com. Certain quotes used from his 1-1 with David Blitzer.

STATS LLC launches daily fantasy sports data projections

Global sports statistics and information company STATS LLC has just announced a new product that could potentially be a boon to  players. Beginning this year – first in baseball before branching out into other sports – STATS will now have the capability to offer daily fantasy tools to its users and roster of media clients, creating a system by which the fantasy value of players can be tracked, opening up valuable information on which players offer value in daily fantasy sports leagues.

In line with this new tool, STATS will be offering projections directly tied into the scoring systems of both FanDuel and DraftKings, regarded as two of the biggest providers of daily fantasy sports games in North America.

“Broadcast, digital and print media are all focused on the explosion of daily fantasy sports and need content to support their audience,” STATS executive vice president of Pro Analytics Bill Squadron said in a statement.

Baseball will be the first sport to be covered under this new tool. It’s great timing considering that the upcoming Major League Baseball season kicks off next month. But it won’t be the only one. As STATS gets its feet comfortably planted on the ground with this tool, the company is expected to roll out similar daily fantasy projections for the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL, as well as other sports like soccer and college football and basketball.

STATS’ acquisition of Bloomberg Sports in September 2014 allowed the company to utilize the technology offered by Bloomberg to create a standard in predictive analysis through the integration of data-driven models centered on player and team performance. “We’ve combined Bloomberg Sports technology and analytics with STATS’ rich content and powerful data engines to provide the most accurate daily player projections to our customers,” Squadron added.

The content of STATS’ new daily fantasy sports projections will be made available through custom feed data or APIs, ensuring that players can have easy access to all the important information needed for them to build the best possible fantasy lineup in either FanDuel or DraftKings.

At the very least, you can expect this new offering from STATS will become a critical tool for a lot of daily fantasy sports players moving forward.

Sports gambling hot topic at Sloan Conference

The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has become an increasingly important event in the sports community, having in large part revolutionized the approach taken by professional sports teams regarding their day-to-day businesses both on and off the playing area. But one question posed at this year’s conference paints a picture on how analytics can have a sophisticated effect on sports betting.

Make no mistake; gambling, at its core, is inherently analytical, but there’s still a heavy appetite for increased coverage on this front. That’s a big reason why sports gambling was heavily discussed at the conference, specifically the way analytics can have an effect towards legalizing sports gambling in the US.

One of the key items was discussed by Florida State professor Ryan Rodenberg, who suggested that a heavy and sophisticated dose of analytics could quell fears of fraud and match fixing. Rodenberg pointed out that outside the US, a handful of private firms like Sportradar already specialize in this kind of analytics and it’s already being used by a wide variety of sports leagues and associations all over the world.

During the same conference, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also took time to discuss his stance on legalizing sports gambling in the US. While he admits that the topic is complicated enough on its own right, he also acquiesced to the growing reality that there are inherent benefits in legalizing sports betting, especially with a sport like baseball that has seen its popularity wane in recent years.

Having that legalized betting element could drive up interest in the sport without circumventing any rules that would, as all these commissioners are so used to saying, “ruin the integrity of the sport.”

“I think that enough has happened that it’s incumbent upon me and my staff to take to the owners the developments in this area, to have a conversation about some of the rules that go beyond the play of the game on the field that we’ve had traditionally in baseball and revisit those,” the MLB commish added.

Manfred also took time to acknowledge his NBA counterpart for “starting the debate” on the issue, and while he doesn’t whole-heartedly embrace everything Adam Silver said, he agreed with Silver’s proposition that a universal federal system to govern sports gambling is the way to go, if it does end up going there.

May 2, 2015: Biggest sports gambling day of the year

May 2, 2015 is shaping up to a big day in the world of sports and sports gambling, and I say that without a speck of hyperbole. We already know that the day will be dominated by the Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Manny Pacquiao fight. Sportsbooks are already preparing for that day three months in advance. That’s how big the fight is going to be.

But if you’re a sportsbook, you’re also probably sweating at the amount of work you’ll be doing that day. If the fight isn’t already reason enough to keep your head spinning throughout the day, the fact that a number of other sporting events will happen on that same day might cause a lot of heads to explode.

Believe me. I checked the calendars of a lot of sports leagues and sports happenings for that day and as it turns out, all you sports fans who love to gamble might need to prepared your divorce papers, too. I honestly don’t know how you can spend more than an hour away from your TVs with what’s on tap. But if you somehow find a way to finagle your way into an agreement with your wife, girlfriend, or partner, enjoy this day because it doesn’t happen very often.

Not counting the fight for obvious reasons, here are the other sporting events happening on May 2, 2015, otherwise known as “Sportmaggedon”.

NBA/NHL Playoffs

At this time of the year, both the NBA and NHL playoffs are already in full swing. The NHL playoffs start a week earlier than the NBA, April 11 to April 18, so you could be watching a bunch of second round games on that end. As for the NBA playoffs? Early May is usually when a bunch of first round Game7s happen. In case you need a refresher, there were three – THREE! – Game 7 games that were played in May 3, 2014. If any of these first round series goes to seven games, there’s a reasonable chance that some of them, maybe even all of them, will be played on May 2.

European football conclusion

Why the RAWA won’t pass

 Nolan Dalla wrote a long, well-written piece for his NolanDalla.com site yesterday giving 10 reasons why online poker could be outlawed in the USA.

Nolan has been a great proponent for the game of poker. There are few people who promote the game and the players with such passion and fervency but his article seems to be little more than scare tactics to rally the troops to ward off the remote chance the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) becomes law.

Let’s look at each of his arguments and we’ll do our best to ease your minds a little, as we’re confident that RAWA won’t pass.  Dalla’s arguments are in Italics.

RAWA supporters have made this a top political priority and they’re now in positions of power.

In Dalla’s first argument he made a list of Sheldon Adelson’s favored politicians, many of which hold key government positions that could influence the likelihood of RAWA passing.

Despite having staunch online gambling opponents Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Mike Lee (R-UT) holding seats on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, it doesn’t guarantee the bill will advance further. Back in 2010, Barney Frank’s HR 2267 passed the House Financial Services Committee and was never heard from again, despite having a Democratic-controlled House and Senate.

Even if the full House of Representatives passes RAWA, the Senate requires 60-votes for passage. Senate Dems Harry Reid and Dianne Feinstein may get behind RAWA but the bill would need the support of all 54 Republicans and four other Democrats for passage. And the Democratic caucus doesn’t owe Adelson any favours.

FanDuel planning new round of financing, looking to go public in 2016

Daily fantasy sports site FanDuel is eyeing a new round of fund-raising that could end up with the company being worth at least $1 billion.

Multiple sources have told Fortune of the Scotland-based company’s short and long-term plans to continue holding its mantle as the number one daily fantasy sports site in the business.

FanDuel’s goal is to add at least another $100 million in the latest fund-raising, adding to the $88 million it has already raised through numerous fund-raising attempts, including a score of $70 million from an investor group that includes Shamrock Capital Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and NBC Sports Ventures. The company didn’t disclose the valuation for that fund-raising, although sources have told Fortune that the amount reached close to $400 million.

This time, FanDuel has become more ambitious, targeting a figure that would make it the first daily fantasy sports site to be worth ten figures.

The company’s braintrust has yet to decide on a course of action, although it is reported that the board of directors will proceed with this plan in the near future with an eye towards accelerating customer growth and tying up with more professional sports teams.

FanDuel already boasts of an impressive list of partnerships with a host of NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. The company has also struck a deal with the NBA itself and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

More importantly, the company’s revenue numbers reflect the growing popularity of the industry. Revenue from Q4 2014 reached $37 million, a dramatic improvement from the $7.4 million it earned in the same period in 2013.

NBA Second Half Preview: Championship and MVP Props

We’re still a couple of days away from the start of the second half of the NBA season. You now what all this idle time means, right?

Yep, it’s time to roll out my not-so-annual preview of what lies ahead for the NBA, complete with odds info on who goes to the Finals, who wins MVP, who makes the playoffs, and which blog Dan Gilbert will bully next. I only made up one of those so I’ll leave it to you to guess which one doesn’t really have odds attached to it, even though there should be probably be a way to bet on it.

In any case, the most intriguing thing about the remainder of the 2014-2015 NBA season is the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any clear-cut favorite to win the title. It’s not like in year’s past when you have two teams that are so above the fray that their odds are dramatically lower than the rest of the contenders.

This season, it’s all bunched up with the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers posting the shortest odds at 9/2. In fact, five teams have single-digit odds right now, including the San Antonio Spurs at 13/2, the Atlanta Hawks at 7/1, and the Chicago Bulls at 17/2.

Not too far behind are a handful of teams with 14/1 odds, 18/1 odds, and 20/1 odds. All this should tell you one thing: there’s a lot of value here, especially from contenders with double-digit odds like, you know, the Oklahoma City Thunder at 11/1 odds. If the Thunder somehow makes it to the playoffs as the eight seed, you can’t tell me that the Golden State Warriors aren’t sweating that match up.

The same can be said in the Eastern Conference where the Indiana Pacers could be a dark horse if Paul George somehow makes a successful comeback and pulls them into the playoffs. You think the Hawks aren’t worried about that match up? Oh, and the Pacers are currently 150/1 to win the title. Food for thought, right?

Outside of the title odds, the other NBA prop bet that I consider a favorite is the Regular Season MVP. From the looks of things, there’s really only four viable nominees at this stage in the season. Stephen Curry is the short favorite at 5/6 odds with James Harden and LeBron James not too far behind at 6/4 and 11/4 odds, respectively.

NBPA exec Michele Roberts wants sports gambling discussion

National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts is jumping in on discussions surrounding legalized sports gambling, echoing the thoughts of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the possibility of expanding the scope of legal sports betting on more US states.

In an interview with ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” earlier this week, Roberts made it clear that while she and the player’s association have no stance on the issue at this time, it’s come to the point that there should at least be some kind of discussion happening on how the players and team owners can reap the financial benefits of an industry that’s estimated to be in the billions.

“Everyone has known for years that there is a ton of money being made that’s not being enjoyed, frankly, by the people who are creating the games, both the owners and the players,” Roberts told Mike & Mike. For her part, Roberts also told the radio show that she’s already had some discussions with NBA players about the possibility of seeing an expanded legalized sports betting environment.

It’s an admittedly brave to stance to take, especially since Roberts is representing the affairs of the players themselves and not necessarily the league and the team owners. Given how both players and team owners could stand to benefit from a legalized sports betting environment, it’s incumbent upon Roberts to encourage some kind of discussion on the issue because of the potential financial windfall the industry could have on the sport and its participants.

“I know all the negatives that up to today have kept gambling outside of the realm of what is appropriate in terms of sports,” Roberts added. “But let’s not ignore the big elephant in the room. There’s a lot of money being made.”

Her stance, or at least a part of it, is similar to what NBA Commissioner has said numerous times in recent months. Like the NBPA exec director, the commissioner also pointed out how the industry today has the potential to make more money from a legalized sports gambling structure given how much money is already being exchanged – reported to be close to $400 billion a year – in underground betting markets in the US alone.

Roberts added that she and Silver have yet to sit down and talk about the issue, but with the NBA’s next collective bargaining session on the horizon, it’s safe to say that the topic of legalized sports betting will be broached at one point or another.

FanDuel announces 2015 Fantasy Basketball Championship; DraftKings signs with LA Clippers

FanDuel is putting its reputation as the world’s largest daily fantasy sports site in the spotlight after announcing its plan to host the 2015 World Fantasy Basketball Championship in Miami, Florida from April 9 to 11, 2015.

The event, which is set to be held at the Ritz Carlton, is being prepared to be the first of what could be an annual gathering of daily fantasy sports users all competing to win a piece of the $1 million prize pool. Actually, the competition is open for everybody, but in order to be named as one of the 50 finalists of the tournament, players must go thorough a series of qualifying rounds that will be held on the FanDuel site. These qualifiers will run multiple times a week until all 50 finalists are identified.

Each of the lucky players who do make it to the championship in Miami will receive a posh three-night stay at the Ritz Carlton. In addition, each of the players will get free entry to a host of events, including the opening ceremonies on Thursday, the Finals on Friday, and the send-off party on Saturday.

Each player will be crying to stake claim to the $100,000 first prize, even though the second prize of $70,000 and the third price of $50,000 aren’t too shabby consolation prices themselves.

While FanDuel is busy preparing for the tournament, its main rival, DraftKings, is busy scooping up new sports partnerships. The Boston-based daily fantasy sports site has added the Los Angeles Clippers to its growing list of sports partnerships.

We are excited to partner with DraftKings,” Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker said in a statement. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the Clippers to associate with an innovative and progressive organization and we look forward to engaging our fan base through this new partnership.”

Just like its deals with other NBA teams like the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers partnership allows DraftKings to have its brand name incorporated through various elements, including video board and LED Courtside signage, game day receptions, an extensive digital media package and a Fan Contest hosted on DraftKings.com.

On Deck: Michael Garcia, Rajon Rondo, and Muhammad Ali

Michael Garcia’s departure as FIFA investigator shows the messed up state of football’s governing body

Michael F. Garcia’s abrupt resignation as FIFA’s independent ethics investigator shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who knew that his task of fixing the abominable mess that is football’s governing body was beyond even his own reach. He still did his part since assuming the position in 2012, but all the work he put in the creation of a 430-page report on alleged corruption issues involving the bidding process for the World Cup went up in flames when the same people who put him in this position shrugged off the investigation they asked him to do.

It probably didn’t help Garcia’s cause when his report landed at one simple conclusion. The alleged corruption within FIFA is ingrained deep in the fabric of the organization and no amount of intervention will change its values unless sweeping changes are made in the hierarchy of the sport’s governing body. In his statement announcing his resignation, Garcia lamented the “lack of leadership” within FIFA and while he didn’t specifically identify anybody, it was clear that he was referencing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has come under fire more times in his term than George H. W. Bush during his time as US president.

Garcia’s criticism of FIFA didn’t just end at the top. In the middle of his investigation, Garcia lamented on more than a few occasions the lack of transparency the organization gave him when it came time to securing information that would help him in his report. He was prevented from talking to witnesses and was, at various points during his term, being targeted for removal by the same people who gave him their blessing to launch the investigation.

The circumstances surrounding Garcia’s sudden resignation points to a FIFA system that will always be tied to all the allegations thrown its way unless somebody steps up and puts a kibosh on the madness. Michael Garcia couldn’t get it done, even if you can’t put the blame of his failure squarely on his shoulders.

How could you when the organization that bought him aboard in the first place was the first one to throw him under the bus when his aggressiveness became a little too much for them to bear.

Oh, FIFA.

Christmas Sports Betting Schedule

The Christmas holidays. Ahh, yes. It’s the most beautiful time of the year for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is unimpeded opportunities to enjoy watching sports. Unfortunately, not every league plays during Christmas so we’ll all have to make-do with what’s available. Fortunately, one such league is the NBA, which is always in the forefront of the Christmas sports-watching experience. So if you’re itching to get some bets up while you’re on your Christmas holiday, peruse this handy schedule guide to see what games are playing on what day and if they’re even worth your time and money.

NBA’s Showcase Christmas games

Over the past years, the NBA has dominated the Christmas day sports watching scene. This year won’t be any different as the NBA has scheduled five games on December 25, all playing one after the other. Just goes to show you how much the league wants you to spend time on your couch watching these games on the 25th.

The action begins with the Washington Wizards taking on the New York Knicks (12:00 pm ET). That would’ve been a good game if the Knicks are actually good this year. They’re not. Well, a least you can take comfort knowing that the next game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs (2:30 pm ET) has the potential to be a doozy…if Kevin Durant plays. Once these two games are down, one of the season’s most eagerly anticipated match ups takes center stage as LeBron James comes back to Miami for the first time since his returning to the Cavs (5:00 pm ET). That’s going to be a barnburner and a half. As soon as Heat-Cavs is finished, the action now turns to Chicago where the Bulls play host to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (8:00 pm ET). Kobe Bryant vs Derrick Rose, anyone? When Bulls-Lakers is finished, the table is set for arguably the most exciting game of the day as Stephen Curry and the league-best Golden State Warriors travel to Los Angeles to take on Chris Paul and the LA Clippers (10:30 pm ET).

English football reigns in the holidays

A majority of Europe’s five major domestic leagues have begun their annual holiday breaks. The Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A, and the French Ligue 1 have shut down until the early part of January while the German Bundesliga isn’t expected to resume action until January 31, 2015. The only exception is the Engish Premier League, which has taken an ownership role of playing throughout the Christmas season.

There aren’t any games on Dec. 25 per se, but the EPL has a full schedule on Boxing Day, December 26, including matches between Chelsea and West Ham, Manchester United and Newcastle United, and West Brom and Manchester City. It’s not just the EPL that will be playing on that day. Even the English Championship, League One, League Two, and the Vanarama Conference are all packed with plenty of intriguing games.

New Year’s Sports Betting Schedule

So you’ve just finished Christmas and you’re now preparing for the calendar to flip to 2015. Depending on where you are in the world, New Year’s Eve is a celebration unlike any other. You prepare the fireworks, you write down your resolutions, and then you spend the rest of night reveling in merriment until you wake up the next day with the world’s worst hangover. It’s not the perfect way to start a new year, but at least you can enjoy the day watching sports from your bed whilst you try your best to recuperate from the alcoholic pasting you received the night before. So we’re doing you a favor and presenting a list of sports games/events that are scheduled to play between December 31, 2014 to January 2, 2015, or as some people in other parts of the world would call it, the three-day New Year celebration.

Unlike Christmas, the NBA will be in full swing in the days before and after January 1st, leaving only two games on the 1st itself. December 31 will feature a total of seven games, including the San Antonio Spurs hosting the New Orleans Pelicans, the Indiana Pacers taking on the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the Milwaukee Bucks.

Flip to the new year and there will only be two NBA games on the schedule, neither of which appear to be appetizing in any sense. But hey, if you want to watch the Denver Nuggets take on the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings play the Minnesota Timberwolves, well, then that’s your call.

But should the two games not be worth your time, you can hold on to your money and then splurge it all on January 2 when there are a total of 11 games on the docket. We browsed through it and found some interesting ones, including the Washington Wizards taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Toronto Raptors playing the Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets traveling to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.

Over in the NHL, the same three-day New Year’s schedule applies just like the NBA. The 31st will feature a full schedule of 11 games, including barn burners like the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Boston Bruins, the San Jose Sharks locking sticks with the Anaheim Ducks, and the New Jersey Devils playing the Detroit Red Wings. On January 1st, only two games will be played, one of which is a nice dalliance between the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Kings.

As for the other one, well, that’s going to be the 2015 Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals. The game will be played at Nationals Field in DC and if you’ve been paying attention to this game since its inception in 2008, you know that this is arguably the best sports game to watch in high definition TV. Yup. It’s even better than the Super Bowl.

As soon as the Classic is done, the NHL resumes to normal programming on January 2 with eight total games, including the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues traveling to Anaheim to face the Quacks.