Tag Archives: sportsbiz

Premier League review – Gameweek #1

An exciting weekend of Premier League action saw the champions of the Premier League edge out the Championship title-winners in a seven-goal thriller, while there were wins for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Newcastle United among others.

Let’s take a look at the shocks, the goalscorers and the big decisions that went one way or the other in the games that took place across the first weekend back in Premier league action.

Liverpool 4-3 Leeds United

A topsy-turvy game took place at Anfield as the reigning league champions were made to look ordinary at the back by Marcelo Bielsa’s crusading Leeds side. In the end, that wasn’t enough to deny Liverpool all three points as Jurgen Klopp’s men won two penalties, the first of which was highly debatable.

Premier League Preview – Gameweek #1

The return of the Premier League is a cause of great excitement to millions of football fans worldwide. It’s also going to be one of the biggest weeks of sportsbetting action since lockdown began, with eight matches that all mean something to the teams kicking off their season with hope at its highest point.

Let’s take a look at two of the eight matches in detail, with tips for all the games also included. 

Liverpool vs. Leeds (5.30pm GMT kick-off, Saturday September 12th) 

Two sets of champions meet at Anfield in the first live televised game on Sky Sports, with the earlier Fulham and Arsenal clash over on BT Sport.

Super Rugby AU Finals Preview: Reds look to vanquish Rebels

The Queensland Reds will be chasing a spot in the Super Rugby AU final when they take on the Melbourne Rebels this weekend at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The jury is still out on revamped Super Rugby competition, and Rugby Australia officials will be hoping for a high-quality contest in the face of the direction the season will take in 2021.

The international Rugby Championship is yet to lock in a location for the 2020 tournament, with both New Zealand and Australia under consideration for a COVID hub. Beyond 2020 the rugby landscape in the southern hemisphere is set to shift, with New Zealand and Australia likely to run separate domestic rugby competitions and South Africa to shift their clubs to the English rugby competition.

The Super Rugby AU finals are set to serve as a potential trial over the long-term viability of a streamlined domestic rugby competition in Australia.

The Queensland Reds will be aiming to progress to the final for the first time since their 2011 triumph over the Crusaders. While it has been a seven-year wait for the Reds to return to the knockout stages, the Rebels will be making their first finals appearance in their history.

Lakers favorites for Thursday Game 4 vs Rockets

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks and the Western Conference semifinal matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers had been tied together from the Orlando bubble in terms of both games playing on the same night.

That’s over, however, as the fifth-seeded Heat shocked the top-seeded Bucks in five games Tuesday, closing things out with a 103-94 victory. It clearly helped Miami’s chances that Milwaukee superstar and lock repeat NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play Game 5 due to an ankle injury. The only game the Bucks won in the series was Game 4 when the Greek Freak injured the ankle early in the second quarter and didn’t return.

Miami was clearly the better team and has reached its first conference final since 2014, which was the last season of the LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh dynasty. The Heat are the first No. 5 seed to reach the NBA’s final four since the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013.

U.S. Open Tennis Quarter-Finals sportsbetting preview

With just six men remaining in the U.S. Open Men’s Singles draw, there will be a new Grand Slam winner crown on Sunday. But with the tournament at the crucial quarter-final stage, who has the best chance of winning, and does betting on them represent good sportsbetting value?

The six men can be divided into two clear groups, with three favourites all either 10/3 or shorter and three outsiders all 14/1 or longer. Who should you be betting on from each group, in order to make money? 

The Favourites

Of the three favourites, only Alexander Zverev (10/3) has so far made the semi-finals. The German youngster made heavy work of defeating Croatian Borna Coric, who took the first set 6-1 despite having been one of the players who caught COVID-19 around the time of the Adria Cup.

Refunds coming from sportsbooks following Djokovic’s US Open exit

Novak Djokovic, the number-one ranked tennis player in the world, got a little carried away during his U.S. Open match against Pablo Carreño Busta, accidentally drilling a line judge with a ball. Fortunately for the judge, she didn’t receive major injuries, but Djokovic’s actions forced game officials to disqualify him from the Grand Slam event. Sports gambling fans had shown a lot of interest in the 33-year-old Serb to win, but were left wondering what would happen to the wagers they had placed. They have now received a bit of good news, as several major sportsbooks have agreed to refund certain bets completely.

DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet, among others, are ready to take a hit in the name of fair play. PointsBet, which saw around two-thirds of all money wagered on the event put toward Djokovic, announced the decision on Sunday, tweeting, “Novak Djokovic was defaulted from the U.S. Open for striking a line judge with a ball…Just more 2020 craziness. BUT, we are refunding ALL Outright Tourney Bets and today’s pre-match result bets on Djoker IN FULL.”

DraftKings joined in, as well, announcing that it would refund all futures bets. It added that bettors should receive credits to their accounts, which were to be issued within 24 hours following the announcement. FanDuel was there, as well, saying that it was going to return “all straight futures and odds boosts wagers on Djokovic to win the tournament.” 

Game officials had determined that Djokovic had to be disqualified in accordance with Grand Slam rules for “hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court.” Everyone agreed that his actions were unintentional and that he wasn’t aiming for the judge, but were egregious enough to warrant his forced exit. He has already been fined and had ranking points deducted, and could receive additional punishment after the incident is reviewed in greater detail. 

Midweek Nations League preview

With the Nations League back across midweek, we’ve taken a look at four big games that will attract plenty of interest from keen-eyed sportsbettors looking for value. Nations League betting tips don’t come easy, but who will win the Nations League games this week will come into focus across these four pivotal games.

Holland vs. Italy (Monday 7th September, 7.45pm GMT kick-off) 

With Italy drawing their Nations League opener 1-1 at home to Bosnia, the Azzurri will be looking to improve in arguably their most difficult match of the Nations League group stage in Holland. The Netherlands themselves didn’t have it all their own way as they hosted Poland on Friday, but a single goal from Spurs attacking midfielder Steven Bergwijn was enough to give them victory.

While Italy will provide a sterner test for Holland than Poland did, it’s a marginally tougher game. With Ronald Koeman leaving to take over at Barcelona, what the Netherlands have done so far without him is to their credit. Having got off the mark with an opening day victory, we can see things being very tight in Amsterdam. Keeping it tight yourself by taking the draw at 9/4 makes sense, with the correct score of 1-1 available at 11/2 also appetizing. If you must take Holland to win, then take them at 7/4 to win the second half instead of the match outright at 13/10. They, like most teams post-lockdown, are likely to score more goals in the second half of games than the first.

MLB base-stealing legend Lou Brock passes away

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Lou Brock passed away yesterday at 81. Not only did he live his mark on the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, he left it on the entire baseball community, becoming a prolific outfielder, hitter and base-stealer. The latter earned him the nickname of “Base Burglar,” becoming the only player in the history of MLB to steal 50 or more bases in 12 straight seasons. His talents at the plate and on the field were responsible for three National League pennants and two World Series championships. 

Brock got off to a slow start in baseball, not playing in an organized league until the 11th grade of high school. From there, the six-time All-Star quickly began to be noticed by scouts and teams, and would play for the Cubs from 1961 to 1964 before being traded to the Cardinals. It was there that he would have the biggest impact, stealing 938 bases in the 16 years he was with the team. Brock retired in 1979, but would always be a figure intrinsically linked to baseball. 

William O. DeWitt, Jr., the CEO and principle owner of the Cardinals, said in a statement about Brock’s passing, “Lou Brock was one of the most revered members of the St. Louis Cardinals organization and one of the very best to ever wear the Birds on the Bat. Lou was a Hall of Fame player, a great coach, an insightful broadcaster and a wonderful mentor to countless generations of Cardinals players, coaches and members of the front office. He was an ambassador of the game around the country and a fan favorite who connected with millions of baseball fans across multiple generations. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

It seems a little fitting that his death would come the day his two former teams were set to face off in Chicago. Brock still holds the NL record for most career steals, and is just one behind Rickey Henderson, who set the league record in 1991 with the LA Angels when he stole his 939th base. Brock was the first player to smack over 20 home runs and steal more than 50 bases in a single season and would twice hold the record for runs scored, as well as lead MLB in single-season doubles and triples. 

Novak Djokovic disqualified from US Open, Medvedev new odds favourite

World No.1 Novak Djokovic has been sensationally disqualified from the U.S. Open after unintentionally striking a lineswoman in his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreño Busta. Djokovic unintentionally struck the lineswoman in the throat when he discarded a ball behind him. The official fell to the ground in pain and was immediately assisted by Djokovic and tournament officials.

After apologising, Djokovic was in deep discussion with umpire Aurelie Tourte and tournament referee Soeren Friemel. Under the ATP guidelines, the 17-time major title winner was defaulted from the tournament.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was defaulted from his fourth-round match at the #USOpen after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball Sunday. pic.twitter.com/TTstxZB2Jw

— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

AFL Grand Final set to played in Brisbane for the first time

The AFL has made the stunning decision to move the Grand Final outside of Victoria for the first time, with Brisbane set to host the season decider at the Gabba. Queensland has been rewarded for saving the AFL season, with the creation of a hub that allowed the regular season to continue after the COVID-19 break.

With Victoria enduring a second wave of the pandemic, the AFL chose a winning bid from Queensland over Western Australia and South Australia. In a statement from the AFL, Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan praised Queensland for their support during the pandemic:

“This has been a season like no other and I want to thank the Queensland community and the Queensland Government led by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for their support and for wholeheartedly welcoming our game to the state.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for our code and we look forward to now working with the Queensland Government to successfully stage the 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Final – the biggest event on the AFL calendar – and share it with the community right across Queensland,” he added.

UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai odds

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Had this been a normal year, September 5 would have been the first full Saturday of the 2020 college football season and that would have completely overshadowed any UFC event. Alas, this hasn’t been a normal year by any standards and there are only a handful of lower-tier NCAA games. Thus, Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card from Las Vegas should draw more betting action than it normally would, and it’s headlined by a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai.

The 40-year-old Overeem (46-18), from the Netherlands, is nearing the end of a legendary career – legendary even though he has not won a UFC title. However, the “Demolition Man” is a former Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion as well as a one-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion. Overeem is one of only two fighters to hold world titles in both MMA and K-1 kickboxing simultaneously.

His lone UFC heavyweight title shot came at UFC 203 in September 2016 and he lost by first-round knockout to current champion Stipe Miocic; Overeem does hold several wins over former UFC heavyweight champions, though.

Is the latest Madden 21 NFL game the worst version ever?

Every year, the NFL and Electronic Arts release the latest ‘Madden’ game. It’s a little like FIFA is for soccer, except for one big differential.

Madden is losing fans and getting less and less popular with every year that passes.

Released last week, NFL fans have been all over social media complaining about the repetitive cut-scenes, samey graphics and glitches that they see as pointing to slipping standards.

With ratings for the ‘Madden 21’ version of the game slumping to an all-time low of 6.0/10 on IGN, Gamespot and other sites rated it just as badly. With the game available on consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well as PCs, Twitter blew up with feedback on the game, including from a very famous ‘fan’.

NFL to tackle misconduct claims against the Washington Football Team

What began as just a simple campaign to push for a name change has blown up into something much larger. The Washington Football Team (WFT) caught enough heat for its former name, the Washington Redskins, that it changed to its current vanilla name until something more profound surfaces. Soon after, a report surfaced that the team’s leadership had engaged in long-running sexual misconduct that was allegedly unknown to its owner, Dan Snyder. While almost no one believed he couldn’t have known, he promised to investigate the issue and be more involved in the team’s operations. However, the NFL seemed to be willing to not get involved, which didn’t sit well. After catching flak for seemingly not taking the issue more seriously, the NFL is now getting involved and is going to investigate the allegations. 

According to a report by the Associated Press, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stepped in and taken over the investigation. Snyder had hired a law firm out of Washington, Wilkinson Walsh LLP, to dig into the team’s culture, and attorney Beth Wilkinson of the firm will now report directly to the NFL, instead of to the WFT. This should help to overcome concerns that any findings would be biased, since Wilkinson previously would have been responsible for investigating the man who hired her. 

At least 15 former employees have come forward to confirm that they were victims of long-running sexual misconduct inside the organization, with a few specifically targeting Snyder as being involved. The NFL’s dismissive attitude forced lawyers defending the victims, Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, to contact the NFL and seek a different course of action. The attorneys, who make up part of the Katz, Marshall and Banks LLP law firm, then sent a letter to Goodell, asserting, “Our clients would gladly participate in such an NFL investigation but do not feel safe speaking to investigators hired by Mr. Snyder and do not trust the investigation that is currently underway.”

As part of the ongoing investigation, the WFT has, undoubtedly against its will, canceled non-disclosure agreements the former employees had previously signed, which will allow things to run more smoothly. The lawyers are happy with the way things are going, and said in a statement, “We are pleased and encouraged that the league is taking this matter seriously and we expect that it will take appropriate action against Daniel Snyder and the Washington Football Team upon conclusion of the investigation.”

LeBron James Jr. joins FaZe Clan ahead of EPL Pro League season 12

LeBron James has been arguably the greatest basketball player of a generation, but his offspring is ready to prove the family can do more than ball. LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. has signed on to join the esports FaZe Clan.

The 15-year old James, who will now go by his gamer tag “FaZe Bronny,” will stream for the clan, likely for his two favorite games, Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. Terms and financial details of how he joined the team were not disclosed.

A few years from now, Bronny could follow in his father’s footsteps. James Jr. is ranked No. 24 on ESPN’s 2023 collegiate basketball rankings sheet. But an NBA draft spot is still several years off, and college basketball doesn’t exactly pay well, so esports is a great way to make a few bucks in the meantime.

And he hasn’t been doing too badly for himself before joining FaZe. Bronny has 4.3 million followers on TikTok and 300 thousand on Twitch. He joins recently added FaZe Clan members like Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, now going by “FaZe Simmo,” Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (FaZe Juju) and Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard (FaZe Hammer).

Djokovic and Isner among ATP walkout as player council grows closer

On the eve of the U.S. Open, men’s tennis has been split, with a breakaway group of players insisting that they want to leave the ATP and form their own Players Council in protest at the treatment of players by the governing body of tennis.

Led by Novak Djokovic, the proposed Professional Tennis Players’ Association is in direct competition with the ATP Players Council, which Novak Djokovic quit to set up this independent player body.

Djokovic is also in direct conflict with the other two men who form the ‘Holy Trinity’ of male tennis legends – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and the Serbian himself. Both Nadal and Federer remain members of the Players Council in the ATP, and Andy Murray hasn’t joined the splinter group either.

That said, well over five dozen players have signed up, including players such as John Isner, and Vasek Pospisil, the Canadian being one of the players who are behind the PTPA too.