Off Shore Gaming Association

In just two days we will all have a huge entertainment decision. Which group of uninterested millionaires should we watch – The NFL’s best at the Pro Bowl or music’s royalty at the Grammys? But a larger decision looms. Which event is the one to bet on?

The NFL seems very happy with itself over the whole week-before-the-big-game exhibition. They build-up of excitement surely has fans and bettors alike writhing their hands in anticipation of this Sunday’s matchup. The league may have moved the date of this game to keep bettors active in what normally would be a dead week, knowing that fan support only goes so far. But considering their stance on betting, I am sure that this ever crossed the mind of league officials (wink, wink).

Football is the hold grail of sports betting and when the real games and the real point spreads are gone, so are the players, taking with them all deposits and winnings. It will be 6 long months before sportsbooks will have a chance at winning back any of that money again. Perhaps league officials have spoken with offshore operators who tell them that the week after the Super Bowl over 50% of the players withdraw their balances, resulting in very little action for the Pro Bowl. Still, this new format does not appear to be breaking from tradition, even if players do have available balances. Players who are willing to wager on the game have not stepped up to the plate yet, with several outlets reporting almost no action on the Pro Bowl just 48 hours before the game. On gameday, one way to get in on some meaningful action is through live betting. 5Dimes will be offering wagering on the live action during the game and expects more volume on the live wagering than on wagers made before the game!

The Grammy are the Super Bowl of the music world. And, there are more betting options available, but surprisingly the event is not available at every outlet. A quick perusal of Elite and Premier rated sportsbooks showed that more than half do not have Grammy wagering available yet.

There are actually 4 main categories that are available for Grammy Awards betting action and are the most widely offered. The top wagering categories are Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. You can also bet on Best Rock Song at SBG Global, Pinnacle (though the field is one of the wagers) and betED. The craziest bet of the event is also available at betED – “Who will be the 1st to invade the stage?” with Lady Gaga as the favorite!

So for my tastes, I know that the Grammys will provide me with at least three-and-a-half hours of totally free, quality entertainment. But can the Pro Bowl guarantee me the same thing? With the replacements and the seeming lack of interest from the players, I’ll watch the Grammys.

But which event gets the wagering dollars?

Again, the Grammys. The Pro Bowl side wager has dropped to two and even 1 online, as if there is much basis for this. The not-so-giant point total has nothing to do with handicapping and frankly, at about the same number as Super Bowl total, may be an attractive betting option. But, with the Grammys you can do a little handicapping. Take a look at album sales, Billboard charts, previous awards shows and even TMZ to get an edge. It’s a shame you cat make parlays out of prop bets, but this is exactly why. Taylor Swift sure looks like easy money in a couple of categories after her hauls at the CMAs (she won all four awards for which she was nominated) and the VMAs (think Kanye West). Swift is the favorite in three available wagering categories. A differing line among several outlets in the Song of the Year Award category and Record of the Year category makes me lean towards the young starlet winning for Album of The Year. Employing the same logic, Pinnacle is leaning far towards Swift in this category; odds are currently at a whopping -113. The Kings of Leon are a sure bet to win the Best Rock Song award but at a long price, if available.

Enjoy watching and good luck with any wager you make, on either event.

For a complete, updated list of Grammy Betting Odds, click here.

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The NFL is sure going to be busy in 2010. And not promoting its product outside the United States or ramping up its fledgling TV network. No, the NFL, or should I say the NFL’s lawyers, are going to be busy fighting new legislation introduced this week from several states and a Supreme Court fight.

Last year, the tiny state of Delaware spent over $600,000 in legal fees to ensure passage of a very watered-down version of a sports betting bill. However, by providing just multi-game betting (parlay and teaser cards), the state still turned a profit. Now, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has announced a decision to appeal an August ruling, by the 3rd circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, to the Supreme Court! That’s gonna incur some legal fees. Still, the state has to convince the court to hear the argument, thus, expanded sports betting in the 1st State is still a long shot.

The NFL and other sports leagues were able to convince the Third Circuit Court that Delaware should only be allowed to offer sports betting in the fashion that it was offered before the passage of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that was passed in 1992. The federal law includes a partial exemption for Delaware, Nevada, Montana and Oregon, allowing them to have sports betting “to the extent” it was “conducted” previously. PASPA is really the one piece of legislation that is stunting any hope for the growth of sports betting in the U.S. If the case does get heard by the land’s highest court, it will be, as far as I know, the first time the Supreme Court has heard a challenge to the federal law.

However, help may be on the horizon in other cases that are sure to be heard throughout the land. Perhaps on the success of Delaware, the State’s lawyers may be getting assistance from newly sponsored legislation in two states to void PASPA.

New Jersey made a bit of a play last year as State Sen. Raymond Lesniak introduced legislation to allow sports betting in Atlantic City, mainly as a way to bolster the dying casino town’s revenue stream. He was able to garner support from then-governor John Corzine and had the assistance of iMEGA, but his bill did not gain much traction. Just two weeks into the New Year and Leasniak is already making another play. He has introduced an act “permitting wagering at casinos in-person and through an account wagering system using telephone, Internet and other means on the results of professional and collegiate sport or athletic events”. Talk about going for the gusto! Lesniak is not only including sports betting, but, in the face of certain litigation by the NFL and NCAA, he is also adding in the Internet. Yes, internet wagering has made it into his 2010 version of the bill. So, the Justice Department will most likely also have something to say about this piece of legislation.

But Lesniak is serious, already ramping-up the rhetoric. He has been quoted as saying, “People are doing it. They’re doing it every day. They’re doing it for the NCAA tournament. They’re doing it for the Super Bowl and professional football. But we can’t regulate it and run it in the state of New Jersey.” Finally, someone who gets it - gamblers are gonna gamble. In fact, I just got doing it, and I want to do it again! Lesniak is also considering suing the Federal Government to overturn the PASA law.

Also this week, out of left-field, came a House Resolution from legislators in Missouri, of all places. Can it be that Gary Kaplan and David Carruthers are working their St. Louis jailers over to have their lawmakers allow sports betting? After all, the state probably owns the URL betonsports.com after taking down one of the largest sports gambling houses on the Internet. Was this really the whole reason that BOS was indicted and convicted - to pave the way for legal sports betting in the state?

The piece of legislation, House Concurrent Resolution No. 22 urges the United States Congress to remove the federal ban on sports wagering. The best line in the document is when the State legislators declare, I guess after the demise of BOS and little or no change in the gaming landscape, that “the federal sports wagering ban is not effective in curbing illegal sports gambling.” I wonder when the light bulb went on to figure that out? But cynicism aside, this resolution is being sent to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Congress and to each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation. Hopefully, it will have some impact.

So, all of this legislation and legal wrangling could be a perfect storm for the NFL, NCAA and other sports leagues. PASPA was passed nearly two decades ago and all that has happened since then is the explosion of the multi-billion dollar Internet gambling industry and the continued expansion of gambling throughout the country. Following the success that Delaware has seen with just multi-game wagering, in just their first year of operation, and with states looking for any way to generate revenue, perhaps this is just the leading edge of the PASAP perfect storm. Next week Florida is going to discuss Internet wagering in the state capitol and Indian tribes in California are attempting to build a consensus on Internet poker issues. Perhaps we are approaching a perfect storm for Internet wagering as well.

My prediction for all of this for 2010? If states continue to struggle to find revenue, PASAP will have a tough time continuing to be the law of the land. I expect to see other states put pressure on the Federal government as well. And, oh, yeah, a whole bunch of lawyers are going to make a whole bunch of money!

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American Idol begins is 9th season tonight. The wildly successful talent showcase averages more than 25 million viewers and has been the biggest show in the US for the last six years. It has also been a nice wagering opportunity for those that get their wagers in early. Last season’s winner, Kris Allen, opened at +5000, a winning wager of $500 for every dollar bet. By the final week of the competition, he was down to +240 to +280 where each bet would have paid $2.40 or $2.80 respectively for every dollar wagered. Typically odds are not posted for American Idol until the final field of 40 is set, but Ireland’s Paddy Power has a couple of interesting wagers available right now.

Paddy Power Specials:

• American Idol to be scrapped before 2011 - 3/1
• Simon Cowell & Simon Fuller to be snapped having a punch up - 8/1
  *Must be real physical punch fight and not a joke or scripted affair.

You can also find several outlets right now that are offering -120 on either a male or female winner. However, these are long odds for basically the flip of a coin. So, for the next four weeks just sit back and watch the simpletons, the losers and that talented until the field of 40 is set.

The Road to Hollywood” auditions airs on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will feature contestants that will compete in the “Hollywood Round” episodes starting on Tuesday, Feb. 9. We will post the American Idol betting odds from outlets around the world once they have been released, typically the Friday before the Hollywood Rounds begin. Check back at the end of the month for the latest odds on your favorite Idol.

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