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Predictably, the National Basketball Association's 2008 finalists - the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers - lead the odds for the 2008/09 NBA championship as the season gets underway. The arch-rivals are the two best teams from both a historic perspective having won a staggering 31 of championships between them (Boston 17, LA 14) and from a current perspective, with the Celtics aiming for back-to-back after defeating the Lakers 4-2 in last year's finals. The two teams are dead even at 7/2 for the championship at Ladbrokes. Boston is 21/20 to take the Eastern Conference title, while LA is 8/5 in the more-competitive Western Conference. The challengers If the odds are anything to go by, the glut of the challengers will once again come from the West, represented by six of the next eight contenders. The Houston Rockets, 10/1, must be considered the best of the challengers. They welcome back center Yao Ming from long-term injury, and together with Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest forms a trio to rival the Celtics' Garnett, Pierce and Allen. An injury to one of the big three, however, and Houston's odds will plummet. The New Orleans Hornets, 10/1, surprised everyone last season by beating out Houston, Dallas and San Antonio for the Southwest division title. Once again, however, they will rely too much on Chris Paul, who has established himself as the best point guard in the league. The San Antonio Spurs, 10/1, are perennial contenders, and should again win 50+ games. But with an aging roster and the loss of guard Manu Ginobili to injury, a fifth championship since 1999 might be beyond them. The Detroit Pistons, 10/1, should, with lack of serious competition, once again make it to the Eastern Conference finals. But they've done nothing in off-season trading to suggest they can go one better and beat the Boston Celtics to make it to the NBA finals. Rounding out the top 10 are the Utah Jazz, 12/1, Cleveland Cavaliers, behind Lebron James and Phoenix Suns, 16/1, and Dallas Mavericks, 20/1. At the other end of the spectrum, the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing their first season since relocating from Seattle (where they were known as the Supersonics) are 250/1, while another team that knows the pains of relocation, the Memphis Grizzlies (formerly of Vancouver) are 500/1.
Nevada bookmakers are paying out Monday night's suspended game 5 of World Series baseball as if the Philadelphia Phillies had won it. With the score tied at two apiece midway through the sixth inning, the game was suspended due to rain - leaving hundreds of millions of baseball fans having to hold their breath till Wednesday to find out if the Phillies can clinch just their second-ever championship. But according to Nevada gaming rules, the final score of an official game is the score at the end of the last completed inning. As the Rays had drawn level at the top of the sixth inning when Carlos Pena's two-out single scored B.J. Upton, this means that the Phillies - who led 2-1 at the end of the fifth - are considered victors for the purpose of betting payouts. Some bets, such as those on totals and run-line bets, are being refunded because according to the rules at least eight-and-a-half innings must be played. There is sure to be a large outcry from some betters, but the bookmakers are sticking to their position. "We're just following the regular baseball rules. This is a very common rule," Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. "We can't make exceptions. It is seemingly the first time, however, that such a rule has been applied to an event as major as Major League Baseball's World Series.
Online gambling has moved from a small industry operated from distant islands over a decade ago to one of the largest and most popular industries today. Jamie Gold himself has also developed and succeeded in his life, from a kid who grew up playing poker with his family to the top of the poker world. Part 1 of the CAP Euro Barcelona keynote lecture has Jamie Gold shares his dream - a true dream come true - of winning $12 million.
Online gaming and lawmakers have a checkered history. Governments want to regulate the industry to prevent underage gambling, protect low-income groups and collect taxes. The companies are in it for the dollars. Regional public lottery corporations have seen how much money is out there in the iGaming world and they're eager to tap into those markets too. The difference is these lotteries are interested in directing profits into social development programs. They want online gaming to help fund vital public policy initiatives. A new model Using the existing infrastructure of the lotteries, Canadian company Lotto IP wants to develop a business method for state or provincial lottery retailers. Game With Us (GWU) uses unique validation codes and allows ticket holders to log onto state-controlled gaming sites. Winnings will be collected at local lottery outlets. Several lawmakers have expressed interest in the new Lotto IP and within 2 years agreements could be signed. The specifics as to the ownership of the licensing operations have not been hammered out yet.
It's a good time to be an affiliate, 2006 WSOP Champion Jamie Gold says in Part 2 of his CAP Euro Barcelona keynote lecture. But it requires responsibility from those who are involved. "It's in all of our interest to make the world understand that this online poker is not an evil business." Jamie lays this heavy load on the shoulders of all those involved in light of criticism - legal and other - as well as people's suspicion of everything that has to do with computers and the Internet. He asks the community to make sure they watch after themselves and their players - namely with responsibility - to prevent the industry from being persecuted and banned.
This week's online gambling news headlines brought to you by OCR Live! Is gambling recession proof? Lessons learned from history seem to imply that this might be the fortunate case indeed. A giant casino deal William Hill thinks positively and relies on online gambling growing as the UK's popular bookie signs a deal with CPays. Odds on the US Presidential Elections Less than a week away - it's the US Presidential elections November 4th. Barack Obama is leading not only in the polls, but also on websites that offer election odds betting, where you on bet on other parameters too.
There might be hundreds and even thousands of online gambling sites, but a new online casino does not pop out of nothing. At CAP Euro Barcelona we had a chat with an entrepreneur, Simon Greenberg, who shared with us some of the business decisions he has encountered in his current mission - to launch a new online casino site. These are some of the points he has raised: How much money is required to launch an online gambling site. The difficulty in signing contracts to drive traffic to a site that has yet been launched. The choice of software provider for your online casino. The option of paying more and offering less Rev-share vis a vis paying less and committing to more Rev-share. Picking a name for the online casino. Launching with online casino games -blackjack, roulette, video poker - in the first stage, before adding poker.
Jamie Gold will run a TV show that hosts poker players, celebrities and charities for the next two years. The 2006 WSOP Champion is determined to show the positive, fun side of online poker, draw celebrity power and tie it to positive causes, such as charities. Celebrities and star poker players are helpful not only for online poker's reputation, but also to maximizing marketing. Don't just focus on numbers of players, he suggests, not to mention rakeback - "a brilliant idea that has become the biggest mistake" - but be bold, differentiate your brand, and get the name out there, also by using celebrities for marketing purposes.
In continuing to talk about maximizing marketing of online poker sites, Jamie Gold says in his CAP Euro Barcelona keynote lecture that "a little bit of something smart goes a long way. Sites have to do more with the poker stars they sponsor and attract more celebrities." People want to know they can actually win. Stars like Jamie gold sell a dream, and sites should do more to sell this dream. "Do like me and win $12 million!" That's a better message than simply sponsoring players. Be creative and get your players to get creative in marketing your brand. Jamie also suggests there is an endless ocean of players, out there to market and draw to the sites, and there is no need to compete when working together can help each and every one individually and the community as a whole.
With just a couple of days until Americans decide who will be their next President, Barack Obama continues to hold a commanding lead in the odds, just as he does in the opinion polls. It would take a brave observer to put money on Republican candidate John McCain, but it would pay generous dividends if the Arizona senator does pull off a miraculous upset - he is a long-shot 7.00 at Ladbrokes, as he is at most bookmakers. Obama is 1.08. Electoral College Odds of 3.00 are now being offered on Obama winning 370 or more states, a huge victory in a contest where either candidate needs just 270 of the 538 electoral college votes to claim the presidency. This option has been introduced into the betting options at Ladbrokes in order to save some of excitement, as the obvious bet on who will win the race seems to have lost its edge. McCain's chances of winning 370 or more are 67.00. Incredibly, the same odds are being offered on Obama winning every state - something unprecedented in US history. Those odds are probably being a little generous to the favorite, for even the Democrats would concede they cannot win certain states in the Republican heartland, including McCain's home state of Arizona. The odds of 1.83 on McCain winning 22 states or more (against the same odds on him winning 21 or less) are far more realistic. Senate Race With the Democrats also predicted to hold a significant majority in the senate to aid Obama in his presidency, odds are also being offered on just how many they will win. Sixty of a possible 100 appears just beyond them, at odds of 2.75. The odds on 59 or less are currently quoted as 1.40.
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