Back in the 1970s, the National Football League (NFL) used to have a rule that forbid football players from betting on games. The league even denied player bonuses when they brought in money through gambling. The NFL is not alone in this. The National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Hockey League (NHL) all have similar bans on gambling.
On the surface, the Colts’ new small-stakes betting limit is not much of a story: It is only a single game–and an unimportant one at that. But when you examine how quickly the NFL has moved toward acceptance of the “big game” concept, you begin to wonder.
As the NFL continues to look at ways to maximize the revenue generated from its TV contracts, it has realized that it needs to offer more to its fans in terms of gambling. The NFL recently announced an incentive package for fans that will allow them to bet on the games they are watching in the form of a $100 “very high” card.. Read more about bills over/under and let us know what you think.
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Purdum, David
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In some respects, the NFL’s shift from complete contempt to embrace of the American sports betting industry has been cautious, but it has also delivered a few shocks, notably just this week.
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The Indianapolis Colts announced a ticket package on Friday that includes a $100 FanDuel sportsbook credit. It is said to be the first of its type for any sports club in the United States.
The FanDuel Fan Pass for the Indianapolis Colts includes tickets to four regular-season games as well as a $100 betting credit, which is divided into four $25 increments and sent to sportsbook accounts in the week leading up to the games.
That’s right, a league that previously argued that betting, whether legal or illicit, was the most serious danger to the game’s integrity is now allowing clubs to reward fans for betting on their games. Wild.
Check out this week’s betting bullets for more from the crazy, ever-changing world of American sports betting.
Bullets as a wager
• The Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys kicks off the NFL preseason on Thursday. The Steelers are 1.5-point favorites to start the week. There are 33 in total.
Nets are favorites to win the NBA in 2021-22. Opening odds for Week 1 games in the NFL Best bets for the second half of the MLB season NHL: The Avs and Knights are the favorites to win the Cup in 2022. Best bets for college victory totals in football Chalk it up to ESPN.
• Caesars Sportsbook announced on Friday that it had taken a $45,000 money-line bet on the US men’s basketball team to beat the Czech Republic at -6,000 odds. The United States trailed by four points at halftime, but pulled away in the second half for a 119-84 victory, earning the bettor a net $750 profit.
For its next game on Tuesday, the United States started as a 12.5-point favorite against Spain.
• While Simone Biles’ absence attracted notice, the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center has so far delivered the greatest Olympic excitement in real competition. Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky of the United States created memorable experiences and won their gold despite being heavy favorites, but we have seen swimming shocks before.
As a 50-1 long shot, Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui won the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle. One may ask how such a big surprise can arise in a sport with such blatant timings and little subtlety. While he finished eighth in the same event as a 15-year-old at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (12 seconds slower than his winning time this summer), the lack of international competition during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed budding athletes like the 18-year-old to hone their skills and sneak up on the field.
Lydia Jacoby (10-1) of the United States and Maggie MacNeil (14-1) of Canada were two more noteworthy shocks in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter butterfly, respectively. In the 800-meter freestyle relay, China (14-1) won gold. Bobby Finke (6-1) of the United States won the 800-meter freestyle, while Evgeny Rylov (10-1) of Russia won the 100-meter backstroke.
• Evander Kane, a well-known casino gambler, said on Twitter that he’ll completely comply with an NHL inquiry into his divorced wife’s claims that he gambled on his own games. The pair is now divorcing.
Kane refuted the claims, claiming that he has never gambled on hockey, including Sharks games, and has never thrown a game.
Kane was sued by The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas in 2019 for allegedly neglecting to play for $500,000 in gambling markers provided to him during the Sharks’ playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in April.
In an effort to increase fan engagement, the NFL has introduced a new frisbee-style betting incentive for the upcoming season. The NFL’s new “hot shot” betting site, Hot Shots, allows bettors to wager on the outcome of real games, as well as cam-to-cam betting, where they can bet on the action as it happens. Now, the NFL is allowing bettors to wager on the outcome of real games.. Read more about espn prop bet scorecard answers and let us know what you think.
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