It was another news-filled week in the world of gambling.
In this installment of a weekly roundup from US Bets, we’re giving you a rundown of some of the more interesting new nuggets from the world of sports betting and beyond.
Also be sure to check out Sports Handle for its weekly news recap, “Get a Grip.”
Gambler loses $35K to win $1K on NFL bet
Some bad beats make you wonder if the gambler if OK, and this is one of them. Looking at a -3333 line with the Atlanta Falcons up 39-24 in the fourth quarter, a Las Vegas gambler reportedly bet $35,000 to win just over $1,000. You know what happened next.
To be fair to the gambler, it was a historic comeback for the Cowboys. The Falcons had zero turnovers in the game, and according to ESPN, the game was the first time ever that a team scoring 39 or more points with zero turnovers lost a game since turnovers started being tracked in 1933. ESPN had the Falcons at a 99.9% win probability with just a few minutes left in the game.
One @BetMGM bettor on Sunday wagered $35,000 on the Atlanta Falcons ML -3333 on the live line to win $1,050.
Up 39-24 in the fourth quarter, the Falcons end up losing 40-39 to the Dallas Cowboys.
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) September 21, 2020
‘Mattress Mack’ returns to gamble on Astros
The world’s most famous Houston Astros gambler is back, sort of. After betting millions of dollars on the ‘Stros last year as a hedge against his own mattress promotion, Jim McIngvale, better known as “Mattress Mack,” is a believer this year despite the team’s barely .500 record. He reportedly bet $10,000 on the team at 30/1 in Las Vegas this week. Surely he’ll bet more if the Astros advance in the postseason.
Correct. I texted @MattressMack to confirm. His response: "Yup that's me." So, ICYMI, he put $10K on Astros 30/1 to win World Series, at @southpointlv. To win $300K. So I asked: Have you hit any other Vegas books tonight? Reply: "Not yet." @Covers https://t.co/QAeYd3y7l6
— Patrick Everson (@Covers_Vegas) September 25, 2020
Isai Scheinberg avoids jail stemming from ‘Stars days
If you’re very wealthy, the American criminal justice system will often take it very, very easy on you. That’s what happened this week to Isai Scheinberg, though he’s hardly a notorious figure. Scheinberg, one of the men behind the PokerStars online poker site that was kicked out of U.S. cyberspace as part of the industry’s Black Friday in 2011, received a mere $30,000 fine for a charge related to illegal gambling. Scheinberg had been a fugitive for many years. He could have received up to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty. In 2014, PokerStars was sold to then Amaya Gaming for nearly $5 billion. Scheinberg is the last of the 11 Black Friday defendants to be sentenced. Some received prison time.
Isai Scheinberg, the revolutionary force behind online poker, has been sentenced to time served, avoiding further jail time and ending a decade-long saga. https://t.co/d0W69tCiVI
— Nathan Vardi (@nathanvardi) September 24, 2020
Largest reported NFL bet so far
Football season is when the sportsbooks are the busiest. The bets are also the largest. According to Ben Fawkes at VSiN, DraftKings Sportsbook in New Jersey this week took the largest reported bet of the season thus far, a whopping $795,200 punt on Thursday night’s game.
The biggest reported NFL bet of the season is in:
One bettor at @DKSportsbook in New Jersey has wagered $795,200 on an alternate total of Over 41.5 (-270) in the Miami-Jacksonville #TNF game tonight (@DavidPurdum 1st).
Bet would win $294,224.
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) September 24, 2020
Phil Ivey vs. Borgata legal saga wraps up
Poker legend Phil Ivey, who turned to high-stakes baccarat sessions using a technique called “edge sorting” in the wake of the fallout from Full Tilt Poker’s demise nearly a decade ago, finally is out of the woods with regard to litigation with the Borgata casino in Atlantic City. Ivey and a playing partner beat the joint out of about $10 million, and the two sides finally reached an out-of-court settlement.
you may have seen the headlines over the years about the $10M that poker legend @philivey Ivey won from #Borgata at mini-baccarat. with the case finally settled, I take you through the incredible details of how Borgata was outfoxed at every turn: https://t.co/3t83d0X0aj
— John Brennan (@BergenBrennan) September 24, 2020
Galfond to try to prove Postle cheating allegations
One of poker’s sharpest minds, Phil Galfond, is apparently greatly irked by recent comments from those denying the cheating allegations against controversial poker player Mike Postle. Galfond, a WSOP bracelet winner, now has an immense fire under his butt to prove that Postle wasn’t playing fairly in live cash games a couple of years ago in California. This story is far from over.
I'm a busy guy. I probably wasn't ever going to think about Postle again, but @JFKPokerTD & @StonesGambling responded to a legal "victory" by taunting the victims.🤮
If we get all HHs into PT or a spreadsheet, I'll create a detailed report with proof (or lack thereof) myself.
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) September 19, 2020
Las Vegas casino fined for mob-like tactics
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Thursday handed down a $300,000 fine against Boyd Gaming for what appears to be the illegal detention of a gambler falsely accused of stealing $200. The Nevada deputy attorney general compared what happened to the mob era of Las Vegas when “a casino manager who suspected someone of cheating would have security officers grab the person and haul them into a back room and threaten them with bodily harm if they did not leave the premises.”
UPDATE: The Nevada Gaming Control Board agreed to a settlement with Fremont Hotel and Casino Thursday, fining the hotel for an alleged botched investigation that kept a woman in security's custody for 90 minutes.https://t.co/Duzt00YEx3
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) September 24, 2020