Monthly Archives: March 2021

Bookies Should be Looking at the Details

Sports betting has rapidly moved out of the casinos of Las Vegas and the shadows of other cities due to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that ended Nevada’s legal monopoly on the practice. To date, over 20 states have legalized some form of gambling on sports. Most allow the online version but others also give bettors access to casino based sportsbooks.

The movement of sports betting into the mainstream has even encouraged sports leagues to form partnerships with sportsbook operators. This signifies a major shift from just a few years ago when the NFL and NBA, among others, had identified gambling as a huge threat to their competitive balance.

Now, they’ve reversed course and opened the market for an activity that until recently was frowned upon by most of the general public. Even the PGA Tour and NBC Sports have a relationship and a broadcast channel they operate with PointsBet.

For independent sports agents that operate their own businesses, the increased attention on sports betting should be viewed as a huge positive. More interest should translate to a greater number of potential customers. The challenge, however, is for the bookie to figure out how to manage the rise in wagering activity.

The typical way a sports betting agent has handled that type of situation is to hire people to deal with some of their administrative duties. That solution still doesn’t give the bookie any extra hours in the day or free them up to pay more attention to their clients’ wagering details. With the advance of technology, there is another way for them to manage their operation in a more efficient manner.

The major sportsbook operators, ones that are approved by states and also offshore providers, offer their customers online sites to view lines and make wagers. They use state of the art technology to give their clients a convenient and exciting betting experience.

There is a way for independent bookies to compete, and that is by utilizing a Pay Per Head (PPH) sportsbook service. A PPH service makes it possible for independent sports betting agents to give their customers the same type of options as Caesar’s Entertainment or BetMGM. It’s like they have their very own Bookie.

A PPH sportsbook makes online wagering available on all sports and events, including the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, soccer, college sports, golf, tennis, MMA/UFC, boxing and others. It provides a sports betting agent a way for their clients to bet year around, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

All popular wagering types are offered, with futures, spreads, over/under, money lines, parlays and proposition bets. The best PPH providers also make live betting, horse racing and casino games available. Depending on their appetite for risk, the bookie has a lot of flexibility in what they offer their customers.

Every customer has an individual account and it’s totally up to the sports betting agent how their configured. They determine wagering options, betting limits and can even adjust lines on any game or event they desire. Those decisions can be made by using the reporting capabilities of the service and by paying attention to the details.

Instead of spending time putting together spreadsheets and returning texts and phone calls, the bookie can be analyzing the extensive and detailed data about their business. They can see wagering trends and what sports and betting types provide them the least risk and highest revenue. With data on individual customers, they can also see if particular ones are betting more or less than usual.

With all of that information at their disposal, they can also make decisions on how to incent the more profitable wagers. They can offer bonuses, more favorable lines and odds or promote particular games. There are numerous options and the PPH service can facilitate just about any actions the bookie wants to make.

There are a lot of PPH providers, but only a handful that can deliver a full service offering at an affordable price. For more information about one of the best, Tech Times is a great site to reference.

The Cheltenham Festival: A Super Statistic For 28 Races

We all know that the Cheltenham Festival is just around the corner, and many of us will clearly have the Cheltenham Festival 2021 betting season circled in our calendars, it's natural if you are an avid bettor. However, before beginning to place bets and actually come to a decision on who has your money, it would be wise to check out the collated festival trends, statistics, figures and general facts for all of the competitors. The more informed you actually are, the better that puts you ahead in preparation for the Festival ahead!

Day One: March 16th on the Old Course

1.20 Sky Bet Supreme Novice’s Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y

The past winners (five of them) actually have a rating of 153 or higher. Those winners were Vantour (155), Altior (also 155), Douvan (155), Klassical Dream (154) and Shishkin (153). This coming year, there are actually no British trained contenders that are rated higher than 149, equivalent to Metier. Appreciate It however, is rated close to that figure otherwise. However, the figures of this British handicapper are yet to be fully revealed.

2.30 Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 3m 1f

A total of the 8/9 past runnings have been worn by horses with headgear, and the odds ranged from 15-2 or 28-1. Four of these times, we saw a 1-2 and during the year 2016, we saw a 1-2-3. The year where there was a missed target during 2018, Shantou was actually beaten by 14-1. 85 horses have worn headgear since 2012, whereas 116 have not. Coo Star Sibola was the only horse to manage a victory during this period, meaning if you had actually put on a £10 bet for all the horses that actually wore headgear, you would have profited £195. If however, you did the opposite and put £10 for those without headgear, you would have lost £1100 instead. Just some straight up facts there for you.

3.05 Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y

The last 6 winners were Faugheen, Power, Buveur d’Air, Espoir D’Allen and Epatante. Honeysuckle is actually the only horse who actually had a blemish free season within the line up this year. 26 out of the 30 winners of this race have actually managed to win on their most recent start.

3.40 Close Brothers Mares Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 3f 200y

The French bred horses have managed to make up for 21.2 percent of previous Mares Hurdles. They have managed to win 13 renewals. It could have actually been 10 in total if it was not for the fall within the final push by Benie Des Dieux. The favourite this year however is Concertista, who already has 9 wins in the race so far under her belt.

4.15 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 87y

France is certainly known for a great angle when it comes to Boodles. 9 of the past 16 winners all began their careers at the Boodles. This includes Gordon Elliot, who has managed to train the Aramax, and was definitely on to something if it was not disrupted by a suspension in 2013. Denise Foster also is a contender with Riviere and Teahupoo, both also running in France too.

4.50 National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Chase) (Grade 2) 3m 5f 201y

Gordon Elliot possesses horses in the National Hunt Chase too! While there have been 5 that failed to complete previously, four have won instead. The winners were Chiacago Grey, Cause of Causes, Tiger Roll and Ravenhill. All of the winners had beaten their previous starts in the Hunt Chase, however two did come back from a fall which occurred earlier (Chicago Grey and Ravenill).

Day Two: March 17 on the Old Course

1.20 Ballymore Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 5f
Those who are Bravemansgame supporters should not look here now. He happened to have won the Challow Hurdle, however the record of winners still does stand at 0 currently, from a total of 17. The Challow winner to win the festival in the same season was the horse Wichita Lineman, also winning the Albert Bartless during the year 2007.

1.55 Brown Advisory Novices Chase (Grade 1) 3m 80y

Monkfish is the hot favourite and again is yet to be beaten. There have only been two winners this century, that have managed to have a 100% record on the fences, and that is Denman and Don Poli of course.

2.30 Coral Cup Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 5f

Since the year 2000, there have only been 4 winners that have managed to run over 9 times, and the most obvious of them is William Henry. He had only 10 runs to his name, before the tenth happened to give him a victory. That was in the year 2019.

3.05 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) 1m 7f 99y

Altior is a dual winner of this race, and the stats are pretty out there. Not only is the horse 10 years old, only one other had managed to win since the year 1978 and that was the Moscow Flyer. The same statistics and factors, have seen 22 failed winners and only 2 victories within the past three decades. 1975 is where the Moscow Flyer had managed to regain a crown. In terms of a triple winner, only Badsworth Boy had managed to be the only triple winner.

3.40 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 3m 6f 37y

There have been 13 winners from the total 16 that have run the track earlier this season. Three winners have no experience of this track. It could benefit to keep a close eye on the race cross country during the last two months of the year.

4.15 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 2m 62y

A total of 9 winners from the past 10 have a rating of 138 and 147. The horse Sky Pirate is the favourite ante-post, but he has to surpass a rating of 152.

4.50 Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) 2m 87y

The Weatherbys Champion Bumper who had the most wins (ten times) since the year 1992, was Willie Mullins. Punters should take note here, as the market often gets his runners wrong. The past five winners were returned at 12-1 (Vinny), 16-1 (Fever), 25-1 (Hill), 25-1 (Relegate) and 11-1 (Hollow). The Mullins runners that were shortest priced finished in sixth, third eighth, fifth and second. Make sure to have a look at what Kilcruit runs.

Day Three Thursday March 18 (New Course)

1.20 Marsh Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 2m 3f 166y

There have been 5 of the 10 winners from Marsh Chase that have also won the Festival over hurdles. Envoi Allen is the unbeaten horse for all.

1.55 Pertemps Network Final (Handicap Hurdle) 2m 7f 213y

Foster is now taking control of the Elliots runners and the stable has had three past renewals. All six runners have been replaced remarkably too. Pipe has been able to make two races since 2010, with five horses placed.

2.30 Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f 127y

13 out of the 16 Ryanair winners have at least one Cheltenham win. Allaho and Melon lead with proposed possible wins, even though they do not boast any wins to date, despite being close in the past within the Festival.

3.05 Paddy Power Plate (Grade 3) 2m 4f 166y

Simply the Betts has become the seventh plate winner for Paddy Power. He was also the fifth novice to win the race. There are many who met the criteria this past year, with Farclas, Espoir Du Geye and A Wave Of The Sea being the particulars who were quoted 25-1 and also trained by Venetia Williams.

Day Four: Friday March 19th (New Course)

1,20 JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 179y

The past 8 Hurdle winners for JCB, also ran in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown. Quilixious won the renewal from Busselton and Saint Sam.

1.55 McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 179y

7 of the 14 winners have actually been trained by the Mullins, with three out of the five renewals being taken by Dan Skelton. Two winners within this century have managed to score beyond the 150 ratings, so be cautious when supporting those beside the head of weights.

2.30 Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 7f 213y

Monkfish had edged 5-1 last year, however the previous renewals (6 of them) had been won by double figure odds such as, 50-1, 33-1, 14-1, 11-1 and 16-1. Monkfish is the only winner who has not been placed within the graded hurdle en-route.

3.05 The Wellchild Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)

The last Gold Cup Winner who has not won a Grade One before the win, was Cool Dawn.

3.40 St. James’s Palace Festival Hunters’ Chase

28 out of 32 winners had begun their careers within the Hunters Chase. The ante-post favourite Billaway had started in points, however Bob and Co, Mighty Stowaway and Caid Du Berlais would find themselves bucking the trend.

4.50 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle

David Pipe wanted to honour his father by winning the race. However, in 2009, with 20 runners, he got no closer than third place. Big Eared Fran received third place, Ashkazar received seventh and Gevrey Chambertin had pulled at 9-4. The hopeful runners this year for Pipe are Leoncavello and First Lord De Cuet.

The History of March Madness

The History of March Madness is a good story. It was first played in 1939, the same year that an Illinois high school basketball official coined the term “March Madness” in reference to the game. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has come a long way since its inception some eight decades ago.

March Madness has become a part of popular culture in the U.S. with thousands of people competing to predict the outcomes of all 67 games in the tournament. Bracket challenges and betting on the tournament make March Madness one of the most important sporting events of each year. Here’s a look at its history.

MARCH MADNESS 2021 NEWS & NOTES

The Beginning of March Madness

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was founded in 1938 and was actually more prestigious than the NCAA tournament that began the following year. Only eight teams played in the very first tourney. Oregon beat Ohio State 46-33 to claim the first-ever national championship.

Until the 1950s, teams often turned down an invite to the NCAA tournament to play in the NIT. Some schools – like City College of New York (CCNY) – would enter both. CCNY is the only school to win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. Ironically, they beat Bradley University in the final of both tourneys.

Expansion – The History of March Madness

March Madness remained at eight teams for its first 12 years before expanding to 16. The tournament’s popularity saw the field grow from 16 in 1952 to 25 by 1969. In 1975, the field expanded to 32 and in 1979, 40 teams played for the national title.

From 1979 to 1985, the tournament field grew from 40 to 64 teams. It was 2001 when the NCAA added a 65th team and a single play-in game. The current field of 68 was established in 2011.

The Turning Point

The popularity of the NCAA tournament rose substantially after Earvin “Magic” Johnson of Michigan State battled Larry Bird of Indiana State in the 1979 national championship game.

The number of teams in the field would increase almost annually from ‘79 to 1985. The nation could not get enough of March basketball.

NCAA Tournament Upsets

What helps to drive the popularity of March Madness are the upsets. Once a team gets into the tournament, anything can happen. Just ask UMBC which entered the field of 68 in 2018 as a No. 16 seed. These upsets are where basketball bettors can earn money quickly!

UMBC had to face No. 1 Virginia, one of the favorites to win the national title. For the first time in NCAA tourney history, a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 when UMBC won 74-54.

Another driving force in the rise of the history of March Madness was the result in the first tournament to feature 64 teams. In 1985, favorite Georgetown met No. 8 seed Villanova in the championship game. It wasn’t supposed to be close, but the Wildcats won the school’s first-ever tournament with a 66-64 upset victory.

Editor’s Choice > Recent NHL Trends to Watch

March Madness Record History

There have been 80 tournaments since 1939. Last year’s event was the first time it was ever cancelled. That was due to the coronavirus pandemic. Isn’t it unfortunate that the History of March Madness is forever tainted by the coronavirus!?

Kentucky has the most appearances at 58 and North Carolina (50) is the only other school with at least 50. UCLA has won the most national championships (11) and Kentucky is second with eight.

The Wildcats also hold the record for most March Madness wins with 129. North Carolina has 126, Duke 114, Kansas 108, and UCLA 101. They are the only programs with more than 100 victories.

Here are some of the keys to the Barcelona crisis

One of the best football teams of this century, Barcelona, had one of its worst years ever in 2020, so much that they are close to losing who is considered to be, by many, as the world’s best player today, Lionel Messi, who we once thought would retire as a Barcelona player.

In fact, 2020 has been the first calendar year in a long time, in which Barcelona did not win a single trophy, and that says a lot about a team that was used to winning everything just a few years ago.

But what has been the problem this year at the club? What has caused one of the best teams ever to end the year trophyless and in the 6th overall place in the league’s table? What has caused Messi to have one of his worst years in numbers?

Some clues to Barcelona’s downfall

There are different issues and different moments throughout the year that have all summed up to this moment, but one of the main points is the bad decisions that team’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has been making along the years. The team has practically been dismantled, with some of the biggest stars leaving or retiring, while the club hasn’t been able to replace them successfully or to come up with a plan to deal with this situation.

Bartomeu has been questioned many times for financial issues as well, he hasn´t been able to deal with stars the proper way, not even Messi has received the love that you think any team president would give him, and that’s why now he wants out, and has had it in mind for years.

Neymar Jr. was supposed to be the teams biggest signing after Messi, but he decided to leave after just a few years, Luis Suarez was surprisingly traded, and Messi has come to feel alone in the club, with no real purpose more than pleasing his loyal fans.

Messi wants out of Barcelona

He’s had it in mind for years, and that’s why contract extensions have never been easy, but after last season Messi just had enough and he made it public that he wanted to leave the team immediately. Barcelona found a legal way to force him to stay, but it’s just not the same anymore, and you can see it in the way he plays, which greatly affects the whole team.

Barcelona has been humiliated a few times in the past couple of seasons, by Liverpool and by Bayern Múnich in Champions League, as we all can remember, Real Madrid dominated over them in 2020, small teams have been able to beat them a few times along the year, players have not been at a good level, head coaches have come and gone, and now Koeman is already in big trouble.

The good news for them is that a presidential election is coming soon, and it’s time to take this chance to stop and reevaluate, to make big changes and better decisions. Can they get out of this whole? Of course, they can, but it’s going to take time and effort from everyone involved.

Keep Track of What’s Going on

The sports betting industry has experienced explosive growth in the last several years, due in part to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Nevada’s legal monopoly on the practice. Since then over 20 states have legalized it and sports leagues have embraced it.

What was once frowned upon is now considered commonplace, even fashionable. There was a recent announcement that even PGA Tour broadcasts would contain a wagering aspect. The reversal in the treatment of sports gambling has changed dramatically in the last decade.

Independent bookmakers have been the main source of wagers, and continue to be, despite online state sponsored and offshore based competition. However, bookies need to be moving forward and embracing tools and technology that keeps them competitive with new players in the industry.

Manually tabulating wagers, taking bets by phone or test, keeping track of wins and losses on notepads and tabulating odds on the fly are all becoming obsolete. Online sportsbooks, live wagering and the addition of horse racing and casino gaming to the mix makes it difficult for the local bookie to keep up.

There is a way for them to compete with the large, corporate sportsbooks. Pay Per Head services provide a bookmaker with online technology that gives them the tools necessary to provide their customers state of the art wagering opportunities and up to the minute odds and lines.

The customer user interface enables the client to make wagers on Every Game 247. That’s right, a full offering of sports, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, soccer, NASCAR, golf, tennis, MMA/UFC and others whenever they want.

Wagers include futures, spreads, money lines, over/under, reverse, propositions and live betting. The client can’t tell whether they’re on a casino sponsored site or the one for their local bookie. It lends the bookie instant credibility and certainly helps with client retention.

The opening lines are generally set by the PPH provider, but the bookie has the ability to change them and make adjustments as they deem necessary. The adjustments can be made for the entire client base or for individual customers. The bookie can also manage other customer activities, such as wagering amounts and types, sports they can bet on and others.

Not having to take bets on the phone or through text gives the bookie time to manage their customers and the business. The software provides information about client betting patterns as well as how the bookie is doing with all wagering action.

Being able to look ahead and see what games and betting types present undue risk allows the bookie to determine how to proceed. They can change lines, adjust odds or limit bets on certain team or games. The cumulative data also gives the bookie information about what bets they do well with and which ones are a problem.

They can use that data to fine tune their marketing attempts to drive action toward the wagers that contribute most to profitability and present less risk. Having an equal amount of wagers on both sides of a bet is the goal for mitigating risk and accumulating profit. A PPH software can help facilitate a bookie in achieving that goal.

The financial management component keeps track of all bets, payouts and collections. The bookie can check on how they stand at any point and where they need to focus their collection efforts, if needed. The PPH software also offers the capability for bookies to accept payment up front and immediately pay out in the same manner.

The cash flow status of the bookie determines whether they can afford to settle in such a manner. Being able to take payments up front for online betting is a great feature, but only if it fits the bookie’s business and customer base. This is something that can also be done differently depending on the individual customer.

Another option for the bookie is to lay off undue risk on the PPH operator. The provider has a larger wagering base over which to spread risk and can assist the bookie in focusing on making their money off their edge. The less the bookie has to rely on game outcomes, the better the chance they will be very successful and profitable.

PPH software enables customers to bet on Every Game 247, meaning more action and higher profits for bookies that utilize the service.