Each Monday, our “What’s On Tap,” series will preview the week ahead in the world of sports betting. Come here for a summary of upcoming financial happenings, legislative and regulatory meetings, industry conferences, top games scheduled for the week, and much more. Also, check out our weekly review Get A Grip and Wide World of Gambling at US Bets for a look back at last week’s relevant news.
Monday, February 22
MLB Spring Training begins in Cactus League, Grapefruit League
Days after pitchers and catchers reported last week, all 30 teams in Major League Baseball will begin full roster workouts throughout the week. Among season-win totals, the Los Angeles Dodgers are pegged at 103.5 at the Westgate SuperBook, more than seven wins higher than the next closest team. The defending World Series champion Dodgers have won at least 60% of their regular-season games in three of the last four seasons, including last year when Los Angeles finished an astounding 43-17 (.717). The Dodgers must win at least 64.2% of their regular-season games in 2021 to hit the over.
Other top season-win totals at the SuperBook
- New York Yankees — 95.5 wins
- San Diego Padres — 93.5 wins
- Atlanta Braves — 90.5 wins
- New York Mets — 90.5 wins
- Houston Astros — 88.5 wins
- Tampa Bay Rays — 88.5 wins
Las Vegas has posted The Los Angeles #Dodgers season win (over/under) total at 103.5 (Via Westgate SuperBook). Second only to the Yankees number of 104.5 twenty-two years ago. pic.twitter.com/W1bXVOvdSa
— Tommy Lorenzo (@sportsbooktom) February 17, 2021
Tuesday, February 23
Baylor returns to action after lengthy break
Baylor may be a little rusty on Tuesday night when the nation’s second-ranked college basketball team welcomes Iowa State to Waco. The Bears last played on Feb. 2 when Scott Drew’s team defeated No. 6 Texas 83-69 to improve to 17-0 on the season. The extended 21-day delay marked the second time this season the Bears have been sidelined due to COVID-19 concerns. In recent weeks, a number of top teams including Michigan and Louisville have started slowly when returning to action for the first time since a lengthy pause. As a result, keep an eye on first-half wagers on the Cyclones with the points. Baylor, though, is stingy on defense. The Bears haven’t allowed 75 points in a single game since New Years Day.
Will Arizona Senate committee move sports betting?
A week after a contentious and confusing hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee, Arizona’s Senate Appropriations Committee will take up sports betting. The current bill, SB 1797, was the subject of a three-plus-hour hearing last week, in which the Commerce Committee moved it forward, but with critical concerns. Though tribal interests say they’re on board with the bill, one lawmaker — who lives on a reservation and is on the Indigenous People’s Caucus — voted against the bill, saying she was left out of the discussion. But another lawmaker countered by saying, “We may have felt left out, but [the tribes] did not.”
In addition, lawmakers said the governor’s office, where the bill originated, did not share enough information about the bill or tribal compacts. As a result, some lawmakers seemed confused about how wagering at professional sports venues would work, and there was plenty of disinformation shared by witnesses. Time will tell if Gov. Doug Ducey’s office has begun making amends and educating lawmakers. A similar bill, HB 2772, has already passed through that chamber’s Commerce and Rules committees, and is headed to the floor.
Wednesday, February 24
Manchester City heavy favorites in R16 Champions League Clash
Winners of a remarkable 18 games in a row in the English Premier League, Manchester City has emerged as arguably the hottest team in professional soccer. On Wednesday, Manchester City will face Borussia Mönchengladbach in the opening leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 knockout stage. At PointsBet, Manchester City is an overwhelming -325 favorite to defeat the German squad (+775). Also on Wednesday, Real Madrid (+130) will face Italy’s Atalanta (+190) in Bergamo. There are odds of +260 on a draw.
Thursday, February 25
Maryland House Ways & Means Committee hearing
Maryland lawmakers will get to work this week on developing infrastructure when the House Ways & Means Committee takes up HB 940, which names the Maryland Lottery as the regulator, would allow for retail and mobile wagering at existing casinos and racetracks, and allows for 10 stand-alone mobile licenses. The bill also calls for a tiered tax structure — 15% on gross gaming revenue up to $5 million, and 17.5% over that amount. Under the bill, online sportsbooks would pay $500,000 per license, while retail books would pay $250,000.
.
MARYLAND:
More than 65% of voters back sports betting initiative, with provisional votes yet to be counted.https://t.co/L6OdTQco5E
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) November 4, 2020
G2E Webinar on pro sports team-sportsbook partnerships
Last year, bettors wagered more than $21 billion on the U.S. legal sports betting market, an increase of more than 60% from 2019, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA). As the market continues to expand, professional sports franchises are becoming more creative in developing partnerships with the sportsbook industry. In October 2019, William Hill US entered into an exclusive partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the owners of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. The partnership led to the construction of a retail sportsbook inside Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. A panel on Thursday, presented by the AGA, will receive an insider’s perspective from MSE President Chief Commercial Officer Jim Van Stone and Philadelphia Eagles Senior VP of Revenue and Strategy Catherine Carlson on the process of securing a partnership with a top sportsbook.
Friday, February 26
DraftKings may update 2021 guidance at quarterly conference call
Investors may receive indications on DraftKings‘ expansion plans for the remainder of the year when the company reports 2020 fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 financial results on Friday. While DraftKings projects 2021 full-year revenue guidance of $750 million to $850 million, Oppenheimer analyst Jed Kelly envisions a scenario in which DraftKings can generate $1 billion in annual online sports betting revenues among the current states it operates in. In addition, the company could expand online sports betting operations in two to three additional states by the start of the NFL season, Kelly wrote in an analyst note. DraftKings reported 2020 third-quarter revenue of $133 million, a year-over-year increase of 98% in comparison with the same period in 2019. DraftKings is expected to reported earnings per share (EPS) of $-0.56, according to Zack’s Consensus Estimates, down from EPS of $-0.19 during the fourth quarter of 2019.
Saturday, February 27
Canelo makes 2021 debut
Unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is an overwhelming favorite over Turkey’s Avni Yildirim when the Mexican boxer defends his WBA and WBC title belts on Saturday night in Miami. Alvarez, who has won his last five bouts, must dismiss Yildrim, the WBC’s mandatory challenger, in his path to become an undisputed title holder at 168 pounds. In December, Alvarez defeated Callum Smith of the United Kingdom in a 12-round unanimous decision. Yildirim (21-2) is coming off a loss to Anthony Dirrell in February 2019 when the fight was stopped in the 10th round after Dirrell suffered a cut from an accidental head butt. Alvarez has odds of -5000 to defeat Yildirim (+1200) at PointsBet.
🇲🇽 CANELO-YILDIRIM FIGHT WEEK 🇹🇷
Mexican superstar @Canelo returns to the ring on Saturday, as he defends his WBA/WBC super middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim in Miami.
What's your #CaneloYildirim prediction❓
🔞 @Betfred Fight Odds: https://t.co/CnGSL9uga3#Boxing pic.twitter.com/FmaLLlbHXk
— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) February 22, 2021
