While the four major U.S. sports leagues wrestle with how to approach the rapidly expanding legal sports betting market in the states, a bevy of smaller leagues and sports organizations are quickly embracing the emerging market.
The reason various niche sports are seeking out deals with sportsbook operators, gaming companies and sports information providers is grounded in the desire to expand their sports through the increased fan engagement that sports wagering can stimulate.
The four big dogs — Major League Baseball, the National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League — have long known that gambling drives eyeballs, but as longtime opponents of legal sports betting, they are proceeding more cautiously in this new era. In fact, the leagues are calling for federal intervention on sports betting once again. But in any framework, legal sports betting is good for business and a potential lifeline for leagues fighting to stay afloat.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, the man multi-Super Bowl winning NFL head coach Bill Belichick called “one of the smartest people I’ve worked with,” is joining the Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN).
The Las Vegas-based, multi-media sports wagering information outlet announced Thursday Lombardi will soon spearhead revamped weekend programing from new studio facilities in the sportsbook of the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
The new studio facilities will serve as the home for weekend morning shows featuring Lombardi and current VSiN host Jonathan Von Tobel. The programming, which will debut in the next few weeks, will kick off VSiN’s live weekend offerings at 10 a.m. ET on Saturdays and Sundays.
Sports bettors in emerging markets are continuing to discover some of the vagaries of sporting wagering. Among them are situations when an “accepted” bet may not always be a bet, and what happens to a “wins/losses” totals bet if a team ends up with a postponed game that’s not rescheduled.
FanDuel Sportsbook, operating at The Meadowlands Racetrack, has refused to honor a $110 live betting ticket on the Broncos to defeat the Raiders on Sunday — a wager that would have paid more than $82,000. The company says the extremely large odds on the bet were caused by an error in the oddsmaking process. “The wager in question involved an obvious pricing error inadvertently generated by our in-game pricing system,” a FanDuel spokesperson said in a statement.
The bettor, who identified himself to News 12 New Jersey as Anthony Prince, made his wager over the counter at the sportsbook at the Meadowlands with Denver trailing the Raiders 19-17 late in the fourth quarter. The Broncos then arrived comfortably in field goal range, especially given the high altitude in Denver, when Broncos QB Case Keenum completed a pass down to Oakland 18-yard line. However, as FanDuel updated the live betting odds to reflect Denver as a -600 favorite the company says an error in the live-odds feed caused the Broncos to be posted as 750-1 (+75,000) underdogs to win the game.
Brent Musburger is apparently the new radio voice of the Oakland Raiders. However, a spokesperson for the Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) has declined, in an e-mail and telephone conversation with Sports Handle, to confirm or deny their afternoon host and managing editor’s new position.
It’s believed Musburger’s VSiN program, “My Guys in the Desert” would continue with the veteran sports personality as host, even if he accepts the new job.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal citing unnamed sources says the 79-year-old Hall-of-Fame broadcaster will replace longtime Raider radio voice Gary Papa. The Raiders are expected to relocate in Las Vegas in time for the 2020 NFL season. A new $1.9 billion stadium for the team near the Las Vegas Strip is currently about 15 percent complete, but is expected to be ready in time for the move.
Legendary Broadcasters Brent Musburger Expected Return to Radio Broadcast Booth With Oakland Raiders, Soon-to-Become Las Vegas Raiders
Industry observers speculate the delay in a formal announcement could be the result of the possibility of the NFL’s need to examine the specifics of Musburger’s deal with the team. In his prominent role at VSiN, Musburger is now a major advocate of the growing business of sports betting.
The NFL has laid out its “core principles” on the expanding enterprise of sports wagering now underway thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May, which overturned the federal law essentially banning Nevada-style sports betting in the other 49 states. The league calls for consumer protections, for protections of its intellectual property, and would prefer a federal framework for sports betting, as opposed to regulation by the separate states. The league’s longstanding policy prohibiting players and team employees from wagering on its contests is unlikely to change.
With respect to Musburger and the NFL Compliance Plan — consider the third and sixth bullets from the document dated January 2018 and signed by Commissioner Roger Goodell:
Section K of the NFL Compliance Plan
Compass Media Networks has exclusively managed the Oakland Raiders’ radio broadcast rights since 2010. It’s unclear if Musburger would face any restrictions in terms of real or perceived gambling content in his new role or even if he could cross promote or advertise the Raiders’ games on VSiN and the VSiN broadcasts and products, such as its newsletter, during the Raiders’ broadcasts.
VSiN, which began operations in February 2017, is not a gambling site. Its stated mission when founded by Musburger’s brother, Todd Musburger and his son Brian Musburger, is to provide “actionable” information for prospective bettors. It is located at the South Point Hotel Casino Spa in Las Vegas and provides its information via video and voice streaming and over the Sirius/XM satellite radio network.
