Nationwide to sponsor Memorial Tournament

Golf Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nationwide Insurance will become the presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament beginning in 2011.

The company has committed to sponsor Jack Nicklaus' popular tournament, held annually at Muirfield Village, through 2016.

Nationwide has been the title sponsor of the PGA Tour's developmental circuit since 2003. Its deal for the Nationwide Tour expires in 2012.

Wwclassifieds2000 Golf Betting News

<< North Carolina to keep 12 players out of Saturday's opener
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of North Carolina has declared six players ineligible for Saturday's game against LSU for violations of school or NCAA rules and will keep six others out of the season-opener while t

<< Bruins sign Wyatt Smith
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have signed forward Wyatt Smith to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Smith spent last year with Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate in Wi

<< 12 Tar Heels out for LSU game amid NCAA probe
Twelve players from North Carolina won't play in the 18th-ranked Tar Heels' opener against No. 21 LSU in Atlanta on Saturday amid an ongoing NCAA investigation.The school said Friday that six players - defensive ends Robert Quinn and Michael McAdoo,

<< No. 16 GaTech favored against SCarolina State
ATLANTA (AP) -Paul Johnson didn't know what to expect when making his debut as Georgia Tech's coach in 2008.As it turned out, Johnson inherited some pretty good talent from former coach Chan Gailey, including four players - Demaryius Thomas, Jonatha

<< Line of Scrimmage: Your Guide to the 2010 NFL Season
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two summers from now, you'll be reading - or perhaps choosing to disregard - this piece at least one week earlier. Given the forceful recent rhetoric emanating from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the

Zito hopes to get on track at Chavez Ravine >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The door has been left open for the Giants to make a run at the National League West title. That means now would be a good time for Barry Zito to get back on track. The struggling former Cy Young Award winner will try to s

Myers opposes red-hot Hudson in the desert >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trade deadline pick-up Daniel Hudson can continue a sterling National League debut tonight when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series at Chase Field. A 23-year-old from Lynch

Cards hope to revive postseason hopes in opener with Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Cardinals faced the Reds, they completed a three-game sweep that gave them sole possession of first place in the National League Central. The teams have drastically gone in opposite directions since. F

Nats, Pirates open set in the Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless right-hander Livan Hernandez can reach double- digit wins for the 11th time in his big-league career tonight when the soon- to-be-shorthanded Washington Nationals visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first of three

Greinke goes for Royals in opener with Tigers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke can continue a recent hot streak tonight when the Kansas City Royals host the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Kauffman Stadium.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.