Wycombe forward Scott Kashket has been banned from all soccer activity for two months and has been suspended for an additional four months following his admission that he had broken betting rules. This according to the Football Association.

According to reports, Kashket admitted to placing 183 bets, 65 of which were placed on matches where his own club was involved. This includes 19 on Orient games and an additional 10 on games where he was betting against his own club. He placed these bets from September 3, 2014, through August 22, 2016, while a member of Leyton Orient.

The 23-year-old was suspended from all football activities starting on January 21, making him eligible to return as early as March 21. However, there is an additional four months suspension hanging over his head should he violate any rules. In addition, Kashket was fined £3,446.13. The amount is the combination of the £946.13 he won betting on Orient plus the initial £2,500 the league levied.

While acknowledging his rules violations, the league made it clear that they found no evidence that he had either fixed matches or used inside information to help in his wagers. They also pointed out that he did not play in any of the matches where he placed bets.

The second legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals take place this midweek as Leicester City and Aston Villa do battle at Villa Park on Tuesday night before the Manchester Derby lights up Wednesday evening at The Etihad Stadium.

While one team already have one foot in their EFL Cup Final three-piece suit, the other tie is poised on a knife-edge in a game that truly could go either way.

Aston Villa vs. Leicester City – Tuesday Jan 28th, 7:45 pm GMT kick-off

There can be no question that Aston Villa go into this game the happier of the two sides after the 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium three weeks ago. With many having expected Leicester’s attack, led by Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, to blow their Midlands rivals out of the water, The Villains will be encouraged to have escaped with a draw that could even have been a victory.

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are taking a significant amount of the lean on the spread, it has largely stayed as Chiefs -1.5 for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV from Miami against the San Francisco 49ers. This is on track to be the eighth Super Bowl all-time with a spread below three points and could be the fourth with one below two points.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That tends to point to a close game because five of the previous seven Super Bowl matchups with a spread below 3 were decided by just one score. Although, last year the New England Patriots were -2.5 and beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. While that was decided by double digits, the win wasn’t clinched until late in the fourth quarter. San Francisco, incidentally, is 3-0 straight up and against the spread this season in games it was an underdog of two points or fewer away from home. The Niners won in New Orleans, Cincinnati and Tampa in that scenario. Yes, the 49ers were underdogs at Cincinnati. Hard to believe now.

The total is up to 55 points and that opened as low as 51 at some books. The public is absolutely crushing the OVER so far, with more than 90 percent of all action leaning that way. Could the line get as high as 56? Then again, don’t be shocked if the sharps swoop in late this weekend and go against the public by hammering the UNDER, which could drop the total by kickoff.

The 92nd Academy Awards are just a few weeks away, scheduled for February 9. With no one in particular set to host, the top achievements in film making are set to take home some little gold men or just be happy to be nominated. We’re taking a look at the top categories, odds care of Bodog, as well as one of their best special props available.

The top two favorites for Best Picture make a lot of sense. While Joker is nominated for the most awards, it lost out to 1917 at the Golden Globes. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood took home best comedy, and as opposed to the foreign press at the Globes, the Academy loves Hollywood naval gazing. Considering Quentin Tarantino promises his next movie will be his last, I’d bet on Hollywood to take home the gold, and him best director (+650) as well.

Odds To Win Best Picture

The forthcoming fortnight is sure to be an unprecedented success in terms of the number of eyes on Melbourne and the Australian Open. In tennis terms, it is one of the four Grand Slam events, but it isn’t only that, with the recent bushfires across the country and ATP Cup Finals. The Australian Open 2020 is a cause for excitement and hope in a country that has been burning for weeks now.

Who will win the Australian Open? We take a look at who might follow up the ATP Cup with a run at the title.

Djokovic the Favourite

Serbian player Novak Djokovic may be the world number two, but having beaten Rafael Nadal in the ATP Cup last week, he will be looking to win his 17th Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Having already won the Australian Open a joint-record seven times, a chance to grab his eighth title will be what drives him on.

This weekend’s Premier League fixtures are important for very different reasons across the board, with top of the table clashes and relegation dogfights aplenty. Who’ll grab the vital three points ahead of a full midweek schedule?

There are barnstorming games featuring teams at the bottom of the table taking on those nearer the European places, for starters. Watford host Spurs with both sides desperate for the points, and it’s a similar story at St. James’ Park where Newcastle host Chelsea in another survival-against-top-four battle.

Arsenal vs. Sheffield United (Saturday, 3:00 pm GMT)

There can be few fixtures that neatly encapsulate the season’s vagaries more than this one, at this time. The Gunners host a side who are, having been promoted from the Championship last season, are well clear of the North London side and at this moment look more dangerous to the European places.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

There have been some devastating brushfires in Australia over the past few weeks and they are ongoing, but the first tennis Grand Slam event of the year will go on as scheduled. The Australian Open on the hardcourts of Melbourne begins on Monday (Sunday night in U.S.A.), and tournament organizers do have plans to move matches indoors if conditions dictate. Melbourne Park has eight indoor courts and three stadiums with retractable roofs.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is the +400 second-favorite Down Under on the precipice of potential history. The Spaniard has 19 total Grand Slam titles and one more would tie Roger Federer for the men’s record. However, 12 of Nadal’s titles have been won on the clay courts of the French Open and just one in Australia. That was back in 2009 when Nadal beat Federer in five sets. Nadal has made four finals since then, including last year when he was thumped in straight sets by Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic (+120 favorite) has won a record seven Australian Open titles and is the only player in the Open era to win three in a row; the Serb did so from 2011-13. After winning title No. 6 in 2016, Djokovic failed to reach the quarterfinals the next two years before winning again last year over Nadal.

The NFL season has finally reached its climactic ending, with the San Francisco 49ers set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Just hours after the last game saw it’s final whistle, we now have odds on which team will take home the Lombardi Trophy on February 2, care of Bodog.

Opening Odds for Super Bowl LIV

The bookies over at Bodog have the Kansas City Chiefs as slight favorites to start, with a -120 Money Line for the full game, and -1.5(-105) on the spread. The San Franciso 49ers don’t lag far behind, at EVEN on the Money Line for the full game and +1.5 (-115) on the spread. The over/under for the game starts at 54.0 (-110)

First half odds don’t differ much from there. The Chiefs come in at -0.5 (EVEN) for the spread, while the 49ers are at +0.5 (-120). Over/under has been set at 26.0 (-110).

With a full EPL schedule taking place this midweek, it was vital that the weekend brought a victory. Amazingly, just half of the games resulted in any win at all, with clubs such as Tottenham, West Ham, Everton and Arsenal all drawing. That left the door open for other clubs to thrive, however.

Norwich managed to get a vital win against Bournemouth to prolong their bid for survival into the New Year and Burnley triumphed over an out of sorts Leicester side missing the midfield protection of Wilfred Ndidi at Turf Moor. Elsewhere, some ribbons were almost applied to the Premier League trophy itself, as Manchester City’s stumbling draw at home to Crystal Palace was punished by Jurgen Klopp’s might Liverpool side.

Southampton 2-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers

To appreciate just how good a job Nuno Espirito Santo has done at Wolverhampton Wanderers is to simply look at the table in awed wonder. The Portuguese manager has guided Wolves to the same points total as Manchester United with considerably less of a net spend. Not only that, but the Midlands side have a vibrant, attacking spirit about them that is breathtaking to watch at times, and all this in their first season in European competition for some years.

This week sees a classic fixture come to us like a present we weren’t expecting, in a midweek Premier League game. Midweek EPL Fixtures are special anyway. There always seems to be a shock result, goals seem to fly in and, of course, it all happens under the lights.

Back in the day, the English Premier League’s classic fixtures numbered few. Arsenal and Manchester United wasn’t really a huge rivalry yet, while Liverpool v United was a mismatch, the Red Devils too good for their North-West foes. Manchester City were rarely in the Premier League.

The Early Days of a Capital Classic

Chelsea vs. Arsenal was always tasty. A year into Arsene Wenger’s tenure at Highbury & The Emirates, Arsenal travelled to Chelsea with players such as Gus Poyet, Dennis Wise and Graeme Le Saux in their team welcoming an Arsenal side marshalled by Patrick Viera and led by a fearsome partnership between Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp up front.

In Super Bowl LIV on February 2 in Miami, the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC champion San Francisco 49ers will meet in a postseason game for the first time ever. The Chiefs are back in the big game for the first time in 50 years – that’s the longest time in between Super Bowl appearances in league history. The 49ers, meanwhile, look to tie the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers with a record sixth Super Bowl title.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Kansas City opened as a 1.5-point favorite and all indications are that the early money is on Patrick Mahomes and Co. There have only been three other Super Bowls where the spread was 1.5 points or fewer. The last was SB XLIX when the Seattle Seahawks were -1 and lost to the New England Patriots 28-24 on a last-second interception at the Pats’ goal line.

The 49ers were not challenged in either of their two playoff games, easily handling both the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. This will be the first time this postseason that San Francisco is an underdog. It has lost seven straight playoff games (1-6 ATS) as a dog away from home; obviously not a true road game, but Kansas City is the designated home team in Miami.

A January 30 hearing will determine the fate of Hamilton Academical head coach Brian Rice, as he has reported himself to the Scottish FA for violating the league’s rules regarding betting. This comes after Rice acknowledged that he had relapsed as he has been recovering from a gambling addiction.

According to the SFA, Rice self-disclosed his violations to the agency, acknowledging that he bet on football contests between July 2015 and October 2019. In a statement provided by the head coach, he acknowledged that it seemed the sensible thing to do was to come forward and report his violation:

“I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned, in order that I commit to recovery. I have apologized to those at the club in whom I have sought counsel and I apologize today to the players, fans, and colleagues I have let down through my gambling addiction.”

Despite the violation, Hamilton is standing by their coach. Chairman Allan Maitland acknowledged being informed of the violation but stated that they were intending to help Rice “through this” process.

There was big movement in the English Premier League this weekend, with some clubs rising up from the ashes of their early season and others sinking into a mid-season mire.

Leicester 1-2 Southampton

Southampton and Watford recorded vital wins at Leicester and Bournemouth respectively which pulled them free of the relegation zone. In the case of The Saints, it was sweet revenge for the 9-0 drubbing they endured on their home ground when the record Premier League win away from home saw them decimated 9-0 at St. Mary’s.

On that day, their manager Ralph Hassenhuttl was a picture of despondency. On Saturday, after exacting an exquisite reprisal on The Foxes, Hassenhuttl was the embodiment of modesty, passing the congratulations on to his players where before he had tried to absorb their failure as his own.

In September 2013, Dan Tan was arrested by police in Singapore as part of a major sweep against illegal soccer match-fixing. He was released two years later when a court decided that his detention was unlawful, but he didn’t stay free for long. After having tasted freedom for only about a week, he was put back in prison, charged with running one of the largest match-fixing syndicates in the world. Five years later, Tan is now a free man once again.

According to The Straits Times, the 55-year-old was released in December of last year, having been held for five years without ever standing trial for his alleged crimes. His story is one that would make for a good movie, even if it would potentially give would-be criminals too many ideas.

Tan was once described as the leader of the “most aggressive” match-fixing syndicate in the world. However, he wasn’t some kingpin locked away behind a heavily-gated mansion. Instead, he was a regular employee with a day job living in a condominium in Singapore’s Rivervale Crest community, a high school dropout with a knack for investments and gambling.

As with most criminal masterminds, he started small and his education came via the school of hard knocks. He ended up in prison in the 1990s for gambling-related crimes, including operating an illegal bookmaking business, and he honed his skills to better thwart law enforcement scrutiny.

Another big week in the English Premier League is upon us, just days after the EFL Cup produced two fantastic midweek games. Liverpool and Manchester City are both in action across what will be a packed weekend of action, sure to have an effect on both ends of the English Premier League table.

Sheffield United vs. West Ham United (Friday 10th January, 8:00 pm GMT kick-off)

With Friday night football back in action Sheffield United take on West Ham, with The Blades hoping not to be blunted by David Moyes’ Irons, who will hoping to enjoy more of the new manager bounce that has a positive effect on teams who change their manager during the season.

Whether Sheffield United can keep their phenomenal form going this season has been a key factor in many people’s hopes that they can win their EPL Fantasy Football league this year. John Lundstram has starred in defence – he’s really a midfielder – while John Fleck and Lys Mousset have chipped in with valuable goals.