Each week, our “What’s on Tap” series previews 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” for a look back at last week’s notable news.
Monday, February 6
Rare Monday finish at Pebble Beach
Nine golfers withdrew from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday after high winds postponed the completion of the third round a day earlier. The delay pushed the start of the final round back several hours, leaving numerous groups on the course Sunday at sunset. As a result, the leaders will conclude the tournament Monday on the Monterey Peninsula.
Justin Rose went three under on the front nine Sunday to take a two-shot lead over three golfers. Rose had odds of 4/7 at SuperBook Sports entering Monday to win his first first tournament on the PGA Tour in four years. Brendon Todd was the second choice at 9/2, and Peter Malnati and Denny McCarthy were the co-third choices at 9/1. Todd, Malnati, and McCarthy each came into the day two shots back at -13.
Tuesday, February 7
Top U.S. experts travel to London for gaming conference
Each year, ICE London brings together gambling experts from around the globe. The 2023 ICE London conference is timely in beginning Tuesday, just a few days before the Super Bowl.
One panel at the conference will address strategies on “instilling a safer gambling mindset” in the U.S. market. Moderated by Bill Pascrell III, principal at Princeton Public Affairs Group, the panel features appearances from New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck, National Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Keith Whyte, and former Ohio state Sen. Bill Coley. There are other panels at the conference on financial security, advertising, and frictionless payments.
Will ‘The King’ become the NBA’s scoring king on Tuesday night?
LeBron James scored 27 in Saturday night’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, moving within 35 points of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career scoring record. While James can break the record on Tuesday with 36 or more against the Thunder (he has odds of +130 at PointsBet to do so), he’ll have two other chances this week: Thursday versus the Bucks (-165) and Saturday night at Golden State (+800).
PointsBet also offers odds on the method of scoring for James’ record-breaking basket. The odds are +300 that it comes on a 3-pointer and +350 on a layup. Perhaps LeBron will attempt a sky hook in homage to Kareem, as Sports Handle‘s Mike Seely suggests. PointsBet doesn’t offer odds on the sky hook as the record breaker, but will grade it as a win in a category deemed “other.” As of Monday, the “other” selection was the favorite at +200.
Thursday, February 9
Will Raptors move Anunoby before NBA trade deadline?
Ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets sent Kyrie Irving (and Markieff Morris) to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and several draft picks. The Mavericks’ NBA title odds at DraftKings shortened to +1500, while the Nets’ title chances expanded to +2000.
Another domino could fall if Toronto moves small forward OG Anunoby before the deadline. Over the last two weeks, Anunoby has emerged as a hot commodity for several contenders, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Entering Monday tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference with the Pacers, the Raptors’ odds to make the playoffs will likely be impacted if Anunoby is traded this week.
Mahomes overwhelming favorite to win NFL MVP
While 10 players in NFL history have won NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP honors in the same year, no one has completed the exacta since 1999. In that year, Kurt Warner captured both while leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title.
After an impressive regular season, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes can take home both awards this year.
At FOX Bet, Mahomes has odds of -750 to win NFL MVP on Thursday night at the NFL Honors award show. Mahomes finished the regular season with a league-high 5,250 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts also has an outside shot to capture the double. Hurts, who had 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, is the fourth choice for league MVP at +1200.
Sunday, February 12
Bettors give single-game parlays a shot on Super Bowl Sunday
Over the last year or so, single-game parlays (SGPs) have become all the rage. Preferred by sportsbooks due to their comparatively high margins, the parlays are also favored by bettors because of the opportunity for large payouts. For last year’s Super Bowl, 31% of wagers at Kambi sportsbooks (BetRivers, Barstool Sportsbook, and several others) were of the SGP variety, ESPN.com reported.
When building an SGP, many bettors like to sprinkle in a longshot or two. For instance, the following 3-leg parlay at FanDuel pays +257: Mahomes passing yards over 292.5 (-114), Mahomes passing touchdowns over 1.5 (-210), and Travis Kelce receiving yards over 79.5 (-114). But if you add a Boston Scott anytime touchdown (+550) to the SGP, the odds soar to +2142.
In last year's Super Bowl, 31% of bets placed before the game kicked off were same-game parlays at BetRivers, Barstool and other U.S. sportsbooks powered by Kambi. At PointsBet, 22% of all bets placed on the Super Bowl were SGPs.https://t.co/oGghtrx66C
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) February 2, 2023
Potential value plays on Super Bowl Sunday:
- Dallas Goedert 5+ receptions (BetMGM): +310
- Haason Reddick to record two or more full sacks (FanDuel): +490
- No touchdown scorer (DraftKings): +16000
- No turnover in game (Caesars): +900
- Alternate spread, Chiefs -8.5 (PointsBet): +310
