Your Last-Minute Crowdsourced Kentucky Derby Betting Guide

In the only Kentucky Derby I covered, as a 19-year-old intern for the Lexington Herald-Leader, I got lucky on a $3 exacta bet that paid 33-1. The feeling of sprinting up the stairs to the press box to trade a $1 bill for five twenties (yes, that would be from the dedicated betting booth in the Churchill Downs press…

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The Betting Public Killed Las Vegas Sportsbooks In The 2012 NFL Season

So the NFL did its ouroboros thing again this year. Lots of parity. Or so it would seem. But 2012 mostly just brought us a handful of excellent teams—Football Outsiders says three of the 12 best teams since 1991 (Seahawks, Broncos, and Patriots)—and some supremely terrible ones. The result is that, according to the Los …

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You Probably Shouldn't Trust SportsNation About Sports Betting

So the Old Spice Classic hasn't happened yet. It starts on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving, with West Virginia, Gonzaga, Davidson, Clemson, Marist, UTEP, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt battling to win all the deodorant. ESPN polled its loyal subjects, and they like West Virginia to win. But why, oh, why?

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"I Know That People In The Islands Are Crapping Their Pants Right Now":…

Twenty-five people were indicted today in New York on charges related to a $50 million sports-gambling ring. This marks the culmination of an 18-month long joint investigation by the NYPD, FBI, Queens District Attorney's Office, and Nevada Gaming Control Board.

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Is USA Today's Veteran Gambling Guy Buying Twitter Followers?

Remember our old friend Sarah Phillips, the internet huckster and former ESPN columnist? One of her many tricks, we learned, was to buy followers on Twitter—a new scheme for a new era. The more followers you have, the more influence you can claim to have. In a monetized social-media landscape, the Twitter follower…

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The Quirks Of Gambling On Professional Wrestling

Since the dawn of time, it's been mankind's dream to own the Sports Almanac from Back To The Future Part II. If one could know the result of a sporting event beforehand, one could make untold riches by gambling on it. While the Novikov self-consistency principle — or perhaps Calvinism — means this can't happen, what if …

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