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, August 15
Djokovic out of ATP Cincy tourney; Nadal returns from injury
As expected, Novak Djokovic pulled out of this week’s ATP Tour Western & Southern Open because of his COVID-19 unvaccinated status. The ATP 1000 event did receive a boost last week, however, when Rafael Nadal announced that he will play in the key U.S. Open tune-up. Nadal has not played since suffering an abdominal injury at Wimbledon. The prominent hard court tournament begins Monday in Cincinnati.
Nadal, who won the year’s first two grand slams, is the second choice (+500) at BetMGM to win the tournament. Daniil Medvedev, the defending U.S. Open champion, is the favorite to prevail in Cincinnati at +400. Medvedev departed early from last week’s ATP tournament in Montreal after a loss to Nick Kyrgios in the Round of 32. Kyrgios, a 2022 Wimbledon finalist, is the fourth choice at BetMGM with odds of +650. Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz enters the tournament at 28/1 after a strong week in Montreal. Hurkacz lost in the finals of the National Bank Open Sunday to Pablo Carreno Busta in three sets.
Cincinnati tennis preview, predictions and best bets: Nadal, Medvedev in battle for No. 1 ranking https://t.co/ekWSSLOKNH pic.twitter.com/T5Bup9UzqN
— Dimonator (@Dimonator133) August 14, 2022
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek is the heavy +260 favorite at PointsBet to prevail in Cincinnati. Swiatek, the top-ranked player on the WTA Tour, has had a quiet summer. She has played only five matches since a third-round defeat to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon. The loss snapped Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak. Simona Halep is next at +850, followed by Coco Gauff, the third choice at +1000.
Wednesday, August 17
HISA takes center stage at Saratoga Racing & Gaming Conference
When top horse racing stakeholders converge in upstate New York for the Saratoga Racing & Gaming Conference, a new federal law setting uniform standards in the sport is expected to dominate the conversation. A panel discussion in Saratoga Springs Wednesday will bring together some of the industry’s leading experts on integrity and safety issues in the sport. The panel will feature Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority, along with Ed Martin, CEO of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, and Alan Foreman, CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Inc. While laws on racetrack safety went into effect on July 1, federal standards on anti-doping and medication control will only take effect in January.
Other panels at the conference:
- New York State Downstate Casino Expansion
- State Lotteries: Finding Avenues for Growth
- M&A Investment Trends in Sports Betting and Online Gaming
- Fixed Odds and the Future of Horse Betting
Sportradar reports Q2 earnings
After a wide range of sports betting stocks released quarterly results earlier this month, the industry’s leading data providers will report 2022 second-quarter earnings this week. Sportradar is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings Wednesday, one day after archrival Genius Sports releases quarterly results. While both stocks have been battered by inflation over the last eight months, the companies have rallied in recent weeks after Massachusetts legalized sports betting in the wee hours of the morning on Aug. 1. Sportradar and Genius maintain a practical duopoly on U.S. sports betting official data rights.
This past month saw every sports betting stock in the Sportico index gaining. Here are the top movers in sports betting:
– Caesars Entertainment $CZR +19%
– DraftKings $DKNG +18%
– Sportradar $SRAD +18%https://t.co/iPirJBEklg— Sportico (@Sportico) August 3, 2022
Sportradar opened the week around $12 a share, while Genius traded on Monday morning around $4. Both stocks are down more than 50% from their 52-week highs. After posting earnings per share (EPS) of $0.04 in the first quarter, Sportradar is also expected to report EPS of 4 cents in the second quarter, according to Zack’s Consensus Estimate. Jeffries analyst David Katz recently lowered the company’s 2022 full-year EPS outlook to $0.11, down by 2 cents.
Genius, meanwhile, is expected to report an EPS of -$0.13, compared with earnings per share of -$1.68 in last year’s second quarter. Genius topped revenue expectations in the first quarter, but missed on analysts’ earnings forecasts with EPS of -$0.21.
Aces begin quest for first WNBA title
The Las Vegas Aces clinched homecourt advantage in the WNBA playoffs with a win on Sunday over Seattle. The Aces will open the playoffs Wednesday night against No. 8 seed Phoenix. Despite the absence of Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith in Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Mercury clinched a playoff spot for a 10th straight year.
The Mercury have been without center Brittney Griner, a two-time WNBA scoring leader, who has been imprisoned in Russia since February. Attorneys for Griner appealed a nine-year prison sentence she received for drug possession, several Russian news outlets reported on Monday. While the U.S. State Department is reportedly negotiating a prisoner swap agreement in an effort to commute Griner’s sentence, it is extremely unlikely that she will return to the Mercury this season.
SuperBook Sports has installed the Aces as the 9/4 favorite to win the WNBA championship, ahead of the defending champion Chicago Sky (5/2). The Mercury and the Dallas Wings are the two longest shots on the board at 100/1.
WNBA Championship updated @SuperBookSports
Las Vegas Aces 7/4
Chicago Sky 5/2
Connecticut Sun 7/2
Seattle Storm 13/2
Washington Mystics 12/1
New York Liberty 60/1
Dallas Wings 100/1
Phoenix Mercury 100/1— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) August 14, 2022
Thursday, August 18
Zalatoris seeks back-to-back wins at BMW Championship in Wilmington
At long last, Will Zalatoris captured his first tournament win on the PGA Tour in a thrilling three-hole playoff victory over Sepp Straka Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris, who endured heartbreak with two playoff defeats earlier this year, moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings with the win. Straka also moved up considerably in the rankings, jumping from 35th to eighth with the second-place finish.
Now, the field for the FedEx Cup playoffs has been whittled to 70 golfers for the BMW Championship, the second event of the three-week postseason. Zalatoris (+1600) is the co-fifth choice at FanDuel Sportsbook with several others, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Rory McIlroy is the favorite at +1100.
Keep an eye on several longshots in the outright winner’s pool, as well as Top 5, Top 10, and Top 20 futures markets. Only the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. Golfers outside the top 30 need a strong showing in Wilmington to qualify for the championship.
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, entered the St. Jude Championship ranked No. 77 but climbed to 45th after tying for fifth. Scott is 55/1. Si Woo Kim, who shot an opening-round 62 at the St. Jude in Memphis, is another sneaky pick at 100/1.
Sunday, August 21
Ravens put 21-game preseason streak on the line vs. Cardinals
If you carried over your winnings from every preseason moneyline wager on the Baltimore Ravens in the last six years, you likely won big. With a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans last Thursday, the Ravens extended their NFL-record preseason winning streak to 21 games. The Ravens last dropped a preseason game in 2015 when Lamar Jackson was a freshman at the University of Louisville.
During the course of training camp, NFL teams typically play their starters the most in the second week of the preseason. While Jackson did not play in the Ravens’ win over the Titans, the Ravens have not announced if he will appear in Sunday’s game at Arizona. Jackson, who added 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason, is hoping to reach a deal on a new contract with the Ravens before the start of the regular season.
Jackson has odds of 20/1 at BetMGM to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. He entered the NFL regular season in 2019 with odds of 40/1 before capturing the award in only his second professional season.
The Baltimore Ravens extended their preseason win streak to 21 games tonight with their win over the Titans. Baltimore holds the longest preseason win streak by any team since at least 1995.
The 2nd-longest active streak belongs to the Buffalo Bills, who have won eight in a row. pic.twitter.com/5f4CJ50qIX
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 12, 2022
