Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category

NBA: Donaghy Guilty

Friday, August 17th, 2007

In what could be dubbed as one of the most scandalous events in the history of the NBA, the referee accused of illegal sports betting activities has been found guilty of the charges.  Timothy Donaghy, a 13-year veteran referee of the NBA, has pleaded guilty to the charges against him.  These include his accepting cash in exchange for making winning picks, which he made based on privileged information as an NBA referee.  More than that, some of these games were under his jurisdiction as a referee.

What do people have to say about this?  There is no official word from Commissioner Stern as of yet but U.S. Attorney Roslyn Mauskopf  says “The participation of an official of one of the world’s premier sports leagues in an illegal betting scheme involving his own sport demonstrates the corrupting allure of easy money. Today’s guilty plea and charges serve as a warning that seemingly easy money often comes at a high price.”

It should not cast such a shadow over the sports betting scene, though.  There are perfectly legitimate sports betting operations wherein ordinary people like you and me participate.  We should not be punished for what one person has done.  However, we have to be realistic.  With such a highly publicized incident, we can expect some sanctions on the sports betting side.  We might have to face more restrictions.  I have no idea what they may be but I am pretty sure that repercussions would follow.  I just hope that whatever they implement would not make the innocent suffer just because someone else messed up.

Posted in Basketball, News, Sports Betting | No Comments »

NBA Draft 2007 (Part 2)

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

Here’s another piece of very interesting news.  Again, I do not know exactly how it is going to help you make your wagers but I could not help but share this with you guys.  Remember Spencer Hawes from Seattle?   He has been drafted into Sacramento.  As it turns out he is a right-wing fan Governor Schwarzenegger.  Very interesting comments from the young guy:

Hawes says he “loves” Arnold, and that he brought True Lies with him on the trip to New York, with plans to watch it on the flight home. “Now it has a little extra meaning for me,” Hawes said.

Before we expect some kind of right-wing, basketball-and-politics partnership to form, though, Hawes might need to change his stance on global warming. Schwarzenegger, who most recently discussed the issue with world leaders during a tour of Europe, has become a leading figure in the fight for action against climate change. Hawes has a different view.

When I spoke with Hawes at the league’s predraft camp on May 31, he talked about a recent Public Debate class exercise at the University of Washington. In it, he said, he denied the entire existence — and human cause — of global warming. When asked for his take on Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Hawes said, “It’s one big lie. I talked about that in my opening speech — it’s the media’s liberal overexaggeration of just about everything.”

I wonder how Hawes will be in his opening game in the NBA?  We have yet to see if his passion for politics will be anything like his passion for the game.

Posted in Basketball, Culture, News | No Comments »

NBA Draft 2007 (Part 1)

Friday, June 29th, 2007

This year, as it is each year, the NBA draft drew its own share of enthusiasts. For sports bettors who pay close attention to the ongoing events at the NBA, then you will surely appreciate some inside news on the draft. Sports Illustrated recently published an article on some behind the scene stories about the draft. I don’t know at this point how useful the information would be in the future but here are bits and pieces of the article nonetheless.

Number 1: Yi and the Bucks
“The Chinese contingent was stunned by the draft destination of its home country’s next great basketball product after Yao Ming.

He looked unhappy,” one reporter from Guangdong said, referring to his lack of a smile as he met NBA commissioner David Stern on stage after the pick.
“We’re all shocked. The Bucks were never in China,” a reporter from Shanghai said.
“Yi said he didn’t know anything about the team, the coach, the GM or the city,” the reporter from Guangdong added.

Soon after the pick, rumors were flying about Yi’s future in Milwaukee. A source in an opposing team’s war room, who knew of Fegan’s desire to avoid having his client land in the Minnesota or Milwaukee markets, speculated that “this could get messy.” Would Yi — who’s been described as a Dirk Nowitzki-like big man and not a Yao clone — demand a trade? Would he threaten to remain in China for another season? Or would he eventually come around to the Bucks, who disregarded Fegan’s warnings because they had Yi ranked as the third-highest player on their draft board?”

Let’s look at the next bit of news in the next post.

Posted in Basketball, Sports Betting | No Comments »

Sportsbetting For Delaware

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

In a move that could either be good news or bad news depending where you stand, the state of Delaware is planning to come up with a bill that would make sportsbetting legal.  Of course, there is more to it than that – the legal aspect would be extended only to a state-run sportsbook which would be overseen by the Delaware Lottery.

On the state’s part, Republican Representative Vincent Lofink holds evidence that this activity could give the state up to 70 million dollars in revenue.  This figure was included in the results of a study commissioned by the Video Lottery Advisory Council (VLAC) and conducted by Morowitz Gaming Advisors LLC in March. This is surely enough to make the opposition think twice.  However, the professional sports sector is definitely not going to take this sitting down.

According to Jay Moyer, legal counsel to the NFL, “…the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball would make our presence forcefully known.”  He goes on to say that “We stand foursquare in our opposition.”

Why is the professional sports sector taking this stand?  Mainly because they feel that betting corrupts the sport.

Of course, each to his own.  People who are enthusiasts of sportsbetting believe otherwise.  For those residing in Delaware and the surrounding areas, this is good news.  Having a state-sponsored sportsbook will only give them more opportunities to engage in their activities.  We do have to wait and see how things turn out.  You know very well how it is in politics, some things take time.

Posted in Basketball, NFL, News, Sports Betting | No Comments »

The Importance of Information

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

Sports betting is perhaps one of the most popular activities in the United States today.  Countless people are engaging in betting on most any kind of sport.  With the NBA Finals just coming up, this event is definitely making a lot of money for the sportsbooks at this time.  However, it is a known fact that the NBA is one of the hardest sports to win at with regards to sports betting.  That is not to say that it is impossible to make money betting on it.  So how does one increase his odds of winning at sports betting for the NBA?

As with most other sports, it all boils down to the information that a bettor has in his hands.  Betting on the NBA requires that you, the bettor, know all that is going on in the league – past and present.  Though predicting what might happen in the future based on the past is not a hundred percent sure, the chances of you getting your predictions right are much higher if you know the ins and outs of the league, including the past seasons.

There are tons of information available online for avid NBA sports bettors.  One of the most important things you have to look at are the stats – both individual and team.  If you are betting on a team you have to look at how they performed in the regular season and how they performed against specific teams.  You also have to research on their playoffs and finals performance and base your bets on their tendencies.  Of course, you need to know all about each player – their physical condition, mental strength, and the like.  Having this information will guide you to making bets with high chances of winning.

Posted in Basketball, Guide, Sports Betting | No Comments »

What are the most popular sports to bet on?

Wednesday, March 21st, 2007

Like it or not, one of most popular gambling endeavors is sports betting. In the US, where sports are a very big thing, people tend to spend more money on sports betting than any other endeavor. In other countries, sports betting is starting to gather a huge following as well. What are some of the most popular sports to bet on?

There is no doubt about it, in the US, the most popular sport to bet on would be football. In particular, that would be the NFL (National Football League). Come Superbowl time, sportsbooks and bookies have the busiest time of their lives as people place bets left and right on their favorite teams. This is not to say that betting on football games during the season does not occur as well. As American simply love this game with a passion, so do they place bets on games throughout the whole season.

Perhaps the next most popular sport that Americans bet on is basketball. Both the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the NBA (National Basketball Association) are top earners when it comes to sports betting. The popularity of this sport is not only because of the game itself but, especially in the case of the NCAA tournament each year, translated into a cultural phenomenon because of the bracket betting involved.

Racing does not fall far behind when it comes to sports betting. One of the biggest racing events in the US – if not THE biggest – is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Though the offices are located in Florida, the event’s effects are spread throughout the whole country. You can bet on a NASCAR event in two ways – Betting to Win or Matchup Betting. For the first option, you bet on a certain individual or team – whether or not they will come out on top. The latter option pits a driver against his fellow driver or group of drivers.

Another popular game to bet on would be boxing. The increasing popularity of this sport is one reason for more and more people to bet on the outcome of boxing events. Betting on boxing is quite a simple affair. In general, you merely have to wager who will win the fight. There are some proposition bets that can be had, though.

There are, of course, other sporting events that you can bet on. Those mentioned above are merely the most popular events that you can lay your money on and enjoy the games while you are at it.

Posted in Basketball, Boxing, Football, NCAA, Sports Betting, Super Bowl | No Comments »