It was another eventful week in the world of gambling.
In this installment of the weekly roundup from US Bets, we’re giving you a rundown of some of the more interesting news 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.”
Pete Rose controversially partners with a tout service
The MLB’s all-time leader in hits threw his hat into the sports betting boom by partnering with a tout service. Tout services are controversial because they sell picks to bettors under the guise of them being +EV plays. There can be +EV wagers in sports betting, but paying a service to tell you what they are has frequently proven to be a waste of money for the consumer — but to each their own.
Pete Rose to become a sports betting tout with pick-selling service Upicktrade, which briefly partnered with the Vegas Knights. pic.twitter.com/Hr8GcwOTfl
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) April 14, 2021
Soccer great to pursue poker after athletic career
Brazilian soccer great Neymar has long been a poker aficionado, linking up in marketing deals with PokerStars. However, it appears he will be diving even deeper into poker once he hangs up the cleats. He’s extraordinarily wealthy outside of poker, so it will be a bit awkward to ever consider him a true poker pro.
Neymar reveals plans to become professional poker player after retiring from football https://t.co/rWZ88uY08S
— Indy Football (@IndyFootball) April 15, 2021
Nevada catches up to the times with MLB prop bet
Apparently Nevada sportsbooks weren’t previously allowed to book action on the MVP of the World Series, so regulators approved that this week. Regulated sportsbooks elsewhere have already been able to offer this seemingly standard prop. Nevada was sports betting king for years, but it’s now playing catch-up.
Sports betting options continue to expand …
Nevada Gaming Control Board approves wagering on MLB World Series MVP
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) April 13, 2021
CO removing gambling cap in wake of sports betting
Regulated sports betting in Colorado is nearing its one-year anniversary, and one of the changes to the state’s gambling industry that has occurred alongside sports betting is the removal of bet limits on casino games. It could especially be a boon for poker in the state.
With betting limits going away, which Colorado casino should host the next poker game of James Bond? https://t.co/JedGpsoJX9
— Conor McCormick-Cavanagh (@ConorMichael28) April 16, 2021
NFL officially all in on sports betting
This was inevitable, but significant given the NFL’s history of anti-gambling positions. The NFL already had a team in Las Vegas and a casino sponsorship in place, but now the league is officially partnered with sportsbooks. It’s a milestone, even if it’s obvious it was coming at this stage in the game.
NFL announced what it is calling its first U.S. sportsbook partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. Those companies now are the NFL’s "official sports betting partners.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 15, 2021
O.J. Simpson ends case against Las Vegas casino
An out-of-court settlement between the notorious O.J. Simpson and a Las Vegas casino has been reached. Employees at the The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas reportedly gave false information to TMZ. A judge in the case had wondered if Simpson could be defamed given his reputation.
O.J. Simpson and a Las Vegas hotel-casino have settled a lawsuit alleging that unnamed employees defamed Simpson by telling a celebrity news site he had been banned from the property in November 2017 for being drunk and disruptive. https://t.co/baw1VhfHda
— WNCT (@wnct9) April 10, 2021
‘Stars founder has regrets 10 years since Black Friday
This week marked 10 years since the infamous Black Friday indictments against the top offshore online poker sites at the time that were offering real-money online poker to people within the U.S. The founder of PokerStars, who was accused of criminal conduct and years later resolved his case, told Pocket Fives that he has some regrets about not making some maneuvers that could have prevented Black Friday.
EXCLUSIVE: On the 10th anniversary of Black Friday, PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg opens up about the early days of the online poker giant, the reckoning of Black Friday, and his legacy in the game.https://t.co/9HtNsOjpXy
— PocketFives (@PocketFives) April 15, 2021
YouTuber favored over Olympian, MMA great in boxing
The spectacle of celebrity boxing continues this weekend with Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren. Paul, a YouTuber with almost no boxing experience, is set to face off against Askren, a former UFC fighter and a champion in other MMA promotions. The bout is cringey to many fans of combat sports, but it actually has garnered significant betting interest, with even UFC President Dana White saying he’ll bet $1 million on Askren.
RIP my career in boxing journalism, I wrote about betting odds for the boxing match between "social media influencer" Jake Paul and retired MMA fighter Ben Askren:https://t.co/svHviXA1ar
— Eric Raskin + (@EricRaskin) April 16, 2021
Odom turned to Kobe to deal with problem gambling
With the increasing mainstreaming of gambling, especially on sports, it does seem like some athletes are starting to open up more about their experiences with gambling, which is a good sign to help promote responsible behavior as sports betting continues to grow in popularity. Recently, Lamar Odom talked about turning to the late Kobe Bryant for help with his gambling problem.
Lamar Odom explained how he had to call the late Kobe Bryant to bail him out of a gambling debt before Bryant's death in Jan. 2020. (Via @TMZ, @TMZ_Sports) https://t.co/H2eackvcwJ
— NESN (@NESN) April 16, 2021
CA cop accused of illegal sports gambling operation
The Golden State shows little signs of regulating online/mobile sports betting anytime soon, and it still doesn’t have any retail sportsbooks. In the meantime, people are gambling in California on sports, including through local law enforcement, authorities say in a case involving a Los Angeles cop.
An @LAPDHQ officer and two of his associates are facing charges after an investigation into a high-dollar betting operation surrounding the Super Bowl, officials say https://t.co/SO5MA2Jfun
— KTLA (@KTLA) April 9, 2021
