New Jersey Sports Betting Generates $9.2M Revenue on $95.6 Handle In August

The post New Jersey Sports Betting Generates $9.2M Revenue on $95.6 Handle In August appeared first on SportsHandle.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on Wednesday released its monthly revenue figures, reporting a total handle of $95.6 million and gross revenue of $9.18 million for the sportsbooks across the seven licensed NJ sportsbooks that reported on the month’s operations.  

That’s a hold or win percentage of 9.6. The August report includes for the first time dollars connected to online sports betting, which produced a total of $2.97 million on a $21.7 million handle, or an online hold (win percentage) of roughly 15 percent. The vast majority of both figures are attributable to the DraftKings Sportsbook — meaning DraftKings alone accounted for almost exactly one-third of the monthly revenue.

 

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FanDuel Sportsbook And William Hill Mobile Apps Soft Launch in NJ

Both FanDuel and William Hill debuted their online sportsbooks this past weekend in soft launch phases as the NFL regular season kickoff nears on Thursday, Sept. 6. These trial launches came after the companies received authorization to run a five-day testing period by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, according to the Associated Press.

During the trial phase, Sports Handle was able to deposit and observe the FanDuel Sportsbook web platform, but was unable to download the mobile app. The William Hill mobile/online sportsbook is currently operating only on Android for now and was not available for download during a period of “restricted opening hours.”

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Introducing ‘Cover City Podcast’: @EricSports Previews NFL With @OldTakesExposed

The post Introducing ‘Cover City Podcast’: @EricSports Previews NFL With @OldTakesExposed appeared first on SportsHandle.

Sports Handle is pleased to present the debut episode of Cover City: An NFL and NCAA Football Sports Betting Podcast, hosted by Eric Rosenthal (@EricSports). Rosenthal is a professional sports bettor who focuses on NFL and college football. He has wagered over $25 million over the past nine years, getting banned from many sportsbooks along the way.

For the debut episode of Cover City we are thrilled to have Fred Segal of @OldTakesExposed for the entire show. Segal talks NFL win totals and dishes about his favorite online scuffles, and talks about the interesting things he finds in his direct messages.

Cover City will air during the NFL and college football seasons on Mondays and Thursdays. Mondays shows will cover the preceding slate of games with takeaways and what to watch for going forward, with fun interviews with sports media/social figures mixed in; Thursday episodes it will deliver 100 percent on top game and picks for the upcoming college football Saturdays and NFL Sundays.

Next week we will provide additional listening options at iTunes and the cornucopia of other platforms that now exist.  Whether you’re listening at the gym or in the car (or on the can), we appreciate you tuning in and welcome feedback. Time codes for the episode follow below. 


1:45: “Freezing Cold Takes” (Fred Segal) talks about the origin of the account @OldTakesExposed, its purpose and where it’s going

7:10: Segal, a south Florida native, discusses his beloved Miami Dolphins, the upcoming season and their season win total (o/u 6.5)

12:00: Going in detail on the Green Bay Packers, Rosenthal’s favorite team and the team he knows best; some value on the NFC North props.

23:30: Elsewhere in the NFC North, looking at hype and win totals for the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.

26:43: Examining the AFC East, owned and operated by the New England Patriots.

28:40: Buffalo Bills win total (o/u 6), which may see rookie QB Josh Allen under center. And flagging a potential cold take for Segal himself.

29:40: New York Jets win total (o/u 6).

30:10: New England Patriots win total (o/u 11).

31:15: All aboard the hype train for Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold? And who are the best rookie quarterbacks in this draft class and rookie of the year candidates. How much does Josh Rosen play for the Arizona Cardinals?

36:00: A glimpse into @OldTakesExposed’s direct messages… from people all over the sports media industry — about their competitors. And some people who have “denounced” Segal. And the time that one sports media person  got completely ratioed.

41:40: Back to the NFL — whipping around more win totals. The Seattle Seahawks’ surprisingly low odds to win the Super Bowl and the Los Angeles Rams to win the division or make the playoffs.

44:48: The San Francisco 49ers o/u 8.5 wins and +170 to make playoffs — are they legit, can they make the playoffs?

46:30: The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (o/u 10.5) and whether they a contender to repeat.

49:00: The Dallas Cowboys are 15:1 to win the NFC and 3:1 to and the NFC East.  Whose division is it?

50:02: Turning it up to lightning round — heading over to the AFC South for the Indianapolis Colts and the Cover City Best Bet of the Podcast.

51:55: The NFC South — up for grabs between the Saints, Falcons and Panthers.

53:37: Over to the AFC West: “Talk me into the Broncos or Chiefs, please.”

56:06: Last up, the AFC North. Split opinions on Steelers and Ravens.

57:20: Some final thoughts with Fred, his writing and the coming @OldTakesExposed media empire.


Programming note reminder: The Cover City Podcast will air during the NFL and college football seasons on Mondays with a recap of the previous week and some interviews with various sports media/social figures, and on Thursdays with a betting preview and picks for that week’s NFL and CFB slates.

Follow us on Twitter at @EricSports and @sports_handleAnd for more on the man behind @OldTakesExposed:

The post Introducing ‘Cover City Podcast’: @EricSports Previews NFL With @OldTakesExposed appeared first on SportsHandle.

MGM Drops Mobile Sportsbook In New Jersey With Borgata’s PlayMGM App

On Wednesday after two-plus weeks of waiting, the MGM-owned Borgata’s playMGM app will give company to the DraftKings Sportsbook, which had fully launched on August 6 and remained the only online sports betting app available in New Jersey.

But wait no more: the playMGM app is available now to New Jersey-based Android users. “The playMGM NJ Sports app is being initially soft-launched on the Android platform, with an iOS version due to launch imminently,” said MGM Resorts International in a statement coinciding with the app’s release. “Through our partnership with GVC Holdings, our mobile betting operations in New Jersey will be delivered on a best-in-class mobile platform that positions us as a leader in technology, accessibility and sports betting expertise” added Scott Butera, MGM Resorts International President of Interactive Gaming.

After zipping around the platform a bit from here in New Jersey, what follows is some initial impressions, notes on what you can bet and some odds and ends.

MGM’s New Jersey Online Sportsbook Available Through Borgata’s and playMGM App Ahead of Football Season

mgm online betting app nj legal sportsbooks


So what can patrons wager on? A lot.

There’s straight bets, futures, props, and parlays all available. The professional (NFL) and college football menus are queued up with a wide variety of different player and team props, futures and totals, such as:

  • Most regular season losses by any NFL team: o/u 13 (-110)
  • Deshaun Watson regular season touchdown passes o/u 26.5 (-110)
  • Kareem Hunt regular season rushing yards o/u 1099.5 (-110)
  • Regular season points by Philadelphia Eagles o/u 404.5 (-110)
  • Will the Texans make the playoffs?  Yes -130, No +110
  • Which two teams will make the Super Bowl? For example, Steelers/Saints is 50-1
  • Will Grier (West Virginia) regular season passing touchdowns: o/u 35.5 (-110)
  • Regular season wins by Nebraska 6.5 (o/EV, u -120)

What can’t folks wager on for now?  So far I did not find live or in-play wagering options on playMGM. It’s possible I’m missing them or they simply may not have been introduced yet. 

To read the rest of this article please visit SportsHandle using the link below:

8 Possible NCAA Betting Side Effects From Football Injury Reporting

The post 8 Possible NCAA Betting Side Effects From Football Injury Reporting appeared first on SportsHandle.

The NCAA remains unenthused about the expanding legalization of sports betting in the U.S., but nevertheless has no choice but to respond. One response was the creation of a team of experts to “explore how best to protect game integrity, monitor betting activity, manage sports data and expand educational efforts.”

Another idea is to begin mandated injury reporting. Commissioners and athletic directors from the SEC, Big 10 and Big 12 so far have indicated that things are trending in that direction. ACC commissioner John Swofford views it as critically important and expects its implementation next year. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey addressed specific issues in connection with injury reporting, such as, who’s in charge, what information must be disclosed, and whether there legal limits to what information teams and conferences may indicate on reports (HIPAA has come up frequently). Even Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, known for injury information gamesmanship, is on board. “If we want to do an injury report,” Harbaugh said, “we can do an injury report.”

In light of what appears to be inevitability in the coming year or three, let’s take a look at what impact a new injury reporting requirement might have for teams, coaches, sportsbooks, sports bettors, media members and others. 

New Era Ahead for NCAA College Football Sports Betting  — With NCAA Injury Reporting Regulations Likely Coming, Sooner or Later.

ncaa cfb injury reporting ncaa regulations on betting
Washington OT Trey Adams missed half of the 2017 season with a knee injury

1. Better protection for athletes.

“I think that is critically important and would not only include injuries but if there is disciplinary action where a player is suspended for a game for whatever reason, that would need to be a part of it as well,” ACC Commissioner Swofford said last week. “I think that reduces to some degree people you don’t really want coming around players and managers and doctors and anybody associated with the program, or coaches, and trying to get information in an underhanded kind of way.

And speaking of people you don’t want around players, yesterday we learned about Devante’ Zachery, aka “Tay Bang,” an individual who has wagered on the Florida Gators and was involved in some sort of confrontation with Gators football players in May. None of the players discussed in the First Coast News report were charged with any crime, nor is it clear if the incident involving Tay Bang had anything to do with gambling.

In any case, there ought to be fewer Tay Bangs lurking around if there is no information to be gained on the Gainesville campus or elsewhere.

2. Stop the potential trade, sale or abuse of inside information.

This is an extension of the first point. There’s a lot of statisticians, trainers, video guys, coordinators and others with access to potentially key injury information that’s not currently disclosed. Middle linebacker and stud defensive tackle nursing knee injuries against a team that cut blocks a lot?

Don’t think it has happened or could? We don’t know if this betrayal was gambling-related, but a Wake Forest investigation in 2016 revealed that radio announcer Tommy Elrod was fired for “providing or attempted to provide confidential and proprietary game preparation” to opposing teams on multiple occasions. Head coach Dave Clawson said, “We allowed him to have full access to our players, team functions, film room, and practices.”

3. Some legal wrangling and uncertainty.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the federal government to develop regulations protecting the privacy and security of certain health information.

This protection may or may not apply to injury disclosures involving student-athletes. HIPAA excludes employers because employers are not a “covered entity.” Student athletes are not employees (a whole separate battle).

“Covered entities” are defined in the HIPAA rules as (1) health plans, (2) health care clearinghouses, and (3) health care providers who electronically transmit certain health information. Per the NIH, “Many organizations that use, collect, access, and disclose individually identifiable health information will not be covered entities, and thus, will not have to comply with the Privacy Rule.”

But there is not certainty in the college ranks about how the law may apply — and it may not.

“If there’s something the young man and his family wants to release, that’s up to him.” said Stanford coach David Shaw. “It’s his health. But as far as institutionally talking about a young person’s health, we have HIPAA laws that prohibit that.”

A simplified system noting solely a player’s status as “out” or “doubtful” with no mention of the injury might cure any potential issue, but that’s a half-measure.  This is one for the health lawyers to explore. 

4. Some resistance, gamesmanship, and probable penalties.

injury reporting mike leach

It may just be bluster, but Washington Cougars head football coach Mike Leach said this week he won’t disclose injuries unless forced, and doubts the NCAA will mandate it. “But they might, and if they do, then I’ll try to figure out a way around it.”

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald expressed that as long as the policy is universally enforced, he’s cool with it.

“But if we move forward to where we have to have a fully transparent conference-wide or national one, I’d have no problem with that, as long as we adhere to it. There needs to be accountability. If there’s not accountability to it, then I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect our players, first and foremost, and protect our program second, in full disclosure of transparency.”

There will be a spectrum of coaching cooperation and the NCAA will have to make the boundaries clear.

5. Better and more certain oddsmaking by the sportsbooks.

“College injury reporting is a positive for the sports books and the players,” veteran oddsmaker Robert Walker of USBookmaking told Sports Handle. “The toughest position for a bookmaker is questionable, because depending on the position it literally could mean the difference between posting a line or not.”

Also consider the case of Toledo basketball from 2004 to 2006, which was sniffed out by former Las Vegas Sports Consultants owner Kenny White, who at the time was vice president of data integrity for Don Best. From Todd Dewey in the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

After some of White’s bigger clients at LVSC, an oddsmaking firm, complained in 2005 that his lines on the Mid-American Conference were terrible, he dedicated a person to study the league to sharpen the odds. But the books kept losing on MAC games.

“I went back the previous year or two and started to analyze every team in the league and pinpointed Toledo. That was the one team where the bettors were never wrong,” White said. “When they bet on them and the line moved with them, Toledo covered easily. When they bet against them, they had no shot to win.

“I reported it to the NCAA. I said, ‘I think there’s point shaving and game fixing going on with Toledo.’ They said, ‘That’s a pretty bold claim. We’ll get back to you.’”

“I almost fell off my stool,” White said. “The NCAA called me the next day and said, ‘You’re smarter than we are. You’re hired. We want you to monitor all our conferences.’”

This example isn’t exactly related to injuries or injury reporting, but illustrates the need for more information so bookmakers can hang a line that’s consistent with reality. This instance also buttresses the argument in favor of legal sports betting, period. There will be more eyeballs on everything and every conference. Further, this highlights the benefit of cooperation between leagues and operators. That relationship should not be adversarial, as some coaches seem to view it.

6. Happier bettors.

As an extension of the previous note, more and better information for the books means more games for the patrons to bet on. For one, bookmakers won’t have to back off the MAC.

“I’m not sure how it would impact betting limits as those are generally biased towards your customer base, but it surely won’t hurt,” Walker said.

Also, bettors won’t get blindsided by unknown injuries either, namely after backing a certain team and finding out a key player is sidelined.

7. Happier coaches.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh are known guard information about players’ health statuses. Can’t blame ‘em. They haven’t been required to disclose anything, so why would they help an opposing team game plan?

In a world with mandated injury reporting, coaches won’t get surprised on game day with schemes they haven’t seen on tape resulting from injury-forced personnel changes.

They’ll all have to disclose information but it’s a change that coaches most likely would welcome, and would help keep their blood pressure down a notch.

8. Media access to practice might change.

A change to injury reporting requirements could get to a system where a certain amount of time at practice is required to be open to the media, so they can report who participated in practice and who worked with the starters, and who worked with the backups.  

Access right now is on a school-by-school basis, with some practices wide open to media and others closed off. More uniform requirements, perhaps coming from the conference level, could level the playing field a bit. Of course there is the opportunity for teams to manipulate this by holding someone out during media time, but not the rest of practice.

As with everything here, we shall see, but the status of CFB injury reporting? Probable.

The post 8 Possible NCAA Betting Side Effects From Football Injury Reporting appeared first on SportsHandle.

Three New Jersey Sportsbooks Collects $3.4M in First Half-Month

The post Three New Jersey Sportsbooks Collects $3.4M in First Half-Month appeared first on SportsHandle.
New Jersey sports betting went live on June 14 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport and at the MGM-owned Borgata Resort Casino in Atlantic City, and the first month of operations has shown that the state’s costly fight for legal sports betting will be well worth with it.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on Thursday released the first batch of sports betting revenue figures, which are based on a cash method of accounting, not on an accrual method as in Nevada, showing the three separate locations operating in June took in a collective $3,458,688, producing $293,863 in tax revenue for the state of New Jersey. That’s based on a total handle of $16.4 million across the same properties.
Those figures come with an 8.5 percent tax rate. Mobile sports wagering tax rate is 13 percent, which is likely to begin at a few properties set to roll out their apps/online platforms in the coming weeks. Anyone in state can set up an account remotely and deposit without having to register in person at a licensee.
New Jersey Sports Betting Numbers and Handle From First Weeks of Live Operations Show Big Win.
nj sports betting numbers handle for june from monmouth park sportsbook
Keep in mind the $3.4 million is based on a cash method of accounting, which counts as revenue wagers on futures events such as the World Cup and Super Bowl winner.
According to the DGE, “$1.2 million in gross revenue was reported from Completed Events, which approximates accrual basis revenue that can be compared to the win reported of Nevada casinos.”
The total handle across the three locations was $16.4 million. 
Here’s more of the breakdown:

Also keep in mind that Ocean Resort, a property formerly known as Revel, only opened on June 28, meaning it produced its handle and hold in three days.
People had a nice time betting on baseball! It represents $10.1 million of the $16.4 million in handle:

Further consider that mobile wagering has not yet begun, which will be coming soon through William Hill and the Borgata. Sources say that the MGM-owned Borgata’s mobile app will be introduced next week.
These numbers are pretty, pretty good, considering only baseball and soccer events (with some other events such as UFC 226) were occurring during this half-month stretch.
Welcome to the game, New Jersey, and Garden State sports bettors.
This is story is developing and will be updated.
[Also See: What to Expect at the Meadowlands’ FanDuel Sportsbook Launch]
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