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, January 30
Bettors continue to monitor early Super Bowl lines
Following a thrilling win in the AFC Championship, the Kansas City Chiefs opened as slight Super Bowl favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. But within 30 minutes of sportsbooks posting the opening line, it moved several points in the Eagles’ direction at major sportsbooks throughout the country. As of Monday morning, the line held steady at Eagles -2 at BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, WynnBET, BetRivers, and PointsBet, among other books.
In Las Vegas, the line swelled to Eagles -2.5 at a host of local books, most notably Circa Sports and SuperBook Sports. On Sunday night, one bettor locked in odds of Chiefs -2.5 before the line moved 16 seconds later. With 13 days before the Super Bowl, top betting syndicates will look to capitalize on arbitrage opportunities over the next two weeks.
Super Bowl opener at @CircaSports was Kansas City Chiefs -2.5 with a total of 51. The market disagreed and said our opener was garbage. It will be interesting to see where this number goes in the next two weeks! #SuperBowlLVII pic.twitter.com/61TEytQQf0
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) January 30, 2023
Tuesday, January 31
Massachusetts launches retail sports betting
Legal sports betting comes to Massachusetts on Tuesday when three land-based sportsbooks open their windows. On Tuesday, Bay State bettors will be allowed to place sports wagers at the following brick-and-mortar sportsbooks: MGM Springfield (BetMGM). Encore Boston Harbor (WynnBET), and Plainridge Park Casino (Barstool Sportsbook).
BetMGM will accept its first bet at 10 a.m. ET when retail sports betting goes live statewide. At MGM Springfield, former Boston Bruins All-Star defenseman Ray Bourque will be on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new BetMGM sportsbook.
When the Barstool sportsbook opens on Tuesday, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is scheduled to make an appearance at Plainridge Park. The casino in Plainville is located minutes from Gillette Stadium, the home of the Patriots. The three retail sportsbooks will have a head start on mobile sportsbooks, which cannot go live until March.
Earlier today, @BetMGM announced that it will begin accepting sports bets at a retail sportsbook at MGM Springfield on Jan. 31. Former Bruins All-Star D Ray Bourque, BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, and Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:15 am pic.twitter.com/d5Fmd7dLgb
— Matt Rybaltowski (@MattRybaltowski) January 25, 2023
New York legislature holds public hearing on mobile sports wagering
New York is coming off a successful opening year of mobile sports betting, shattering projections with nearly $700 million in state tax revenue during the 2022 calendar year.
Amid the windfall, leading gaming legislators will review the impact of mobile sports wagering on the state budget at Tuesday’s joint hearing between the state Senate and Assembly. Earlier this month, New York state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. introduced a bill that would expand the number of New York mobile sports betting operators from nine to 14 by New Year’s Day of 2024. The hearing comes one day before New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will give her annual State of the Budget address on Wednesday.
Friday, February 3
Top sportsbooks expected to release Super Bowl props
Last year, the SuperBook posted a massive 32-page menu of Super Bowl props on Feb. 4, nine days before the big game. By Friday, several prominent sportsbooks are expected to release their full offerings of props on Super Bowl LVII.
Already, some books have released select props. At PointsBet, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has odds of -135 to score an anytime touchdown in the Super Bowl. After some deliberation at a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting last week, bettors in the Bay State will be allowed like those in many other states will be able to wager on the coin toss.
Donna Kelce should be out at the Super Bowl coin toss! Fist time brothers will play against each other in the Super Bowl. Honor these parents!!!!@NFL @tkelce @PatrickMahomes @BrittanyLynne pic.twitter.com/cfmnyVBoaJ
— Kristin Kilgore (@kristin_kilgore) January 30, 2023
Saturday, February 4
LeBron continues chasing Kareem’s record
After a 41-point effort in Saturday’s loss to the Celtics, LeBron James is only 117 points from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record. The Lakers have three games this week, capped by a Saturday night matchup at New Orleans.
James, who averages 30.2 points per game, will likely not set the record until next week. Still, he has an outside chance of eclipsing Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 career points on Saturday night. FanDuel has odds on the exact date when James will break the record, with Saturday’s game against the Pelicans at +3100.
NHL All-Star Game returns to South Florida
The Florida Panthers will host the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, 20 years after welcoming the marquee event for the first time in franchise history. The Panthers were scheduled to host the event in 2021, but the league canceled All-Star Weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two Panthers veterans, forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, earned spots on the Atlantic Division roster.
There have been six All-Star games since the NHL moved to a 3-on-3 format in 2016. For those looking to bet the total in the finals, the championship game has averaged 7.8 goals in six contests since the format change. There have been two outliers. The Pacific defeated the Atlantic 1-0 in 2016. And three years later, the Metropolitan division beat the Central 10-5. The total in the four other games has ranged between seven and nine goals.
Senators forward Claude Giroux won All-Star MVP last season. David Pastrnak and Sidney Crosby, two former All-Star MVPs, are expected to play in Saturday’s game.
Sunday, February 5
Pro Bowl debuts flag football format
When the Pro Bowl heads to Las Vegas this weekend, the league is tweaking its traditional format. With the Manning brothers coaching on opposite sidelines, the Pro Bowl will consist of three 7-on-7 games played on 50-yard fields at Allegiant Stadium. The 20-minute games will have two halves of 10 minutes each. Teams will receive six points per touchdown, followed by a one-point conversion from the five-yard line.
While major sportsbooks have traditionally offered lines on the Pro Bowl, it is unclear how many will post odds on this year’s rendition. For many, it may be difficult to set a total for a brand new format in its first year. Moreover, if you are wagering more than $10 on the Pro Bowl, you may want to reassess your sports betting habits.
Eli Manning to coach NFC vs. brother Peyton's AFC in first-ever Pro Bowl Gameshttps://t.co/5XzuGOfmUE pic.twitter.com/UpZkKXeXmz
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 6, 2022
