If you’re a sports fan who likes to participate in office pools or visit betting sites on the Web, listen up. Sports betting and social networking sites don’t mix.
The Chicago Tribune reports that some people are hosting online betting pools and collecting fees on sites like Facebook and may not realize that it’s against the law. In essence they may be operating an illegal online gambling operation, and if caught and found guilty, they could face criminal charges and jail time.
With the NCAA tournaments starting next week, it pays to be cautious. Follow the advice your mother gave you: don’t give money to strangers. Instead, stick to your office pool.
Showing posts with label sports betting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports betting. Show all posts
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Skating for Dollars
While in Las Vegas last week watching all the sports betting action at the MGM Grand Hotel, I was inspired to create my own sports betting game -- for figure skating. Since skating events have three top winners in each discipline, the sport lends itself perfectly to a betting arrangement similar to horse racing.
You could place a bet on one skater to win (finish first), place (finish first or second) or show (finish in the top three). Or you could bet an exacta, where you choose the top two skaters to finish one-two in the exact order, or a trifecta, where you choose the top three skaters to finish in the exact order of first, second and third. There's also a quinella, where you choose the top two skaters, regardless who finishes first or second. You can place wagers for total points earned in each phase of the competition, the short program and the free skate, and whether or not someone will complete a quad jump or a triple axel. Betting on figure skating offers some intriguing possibilities.
Granted, figure skating is a wholesome sport that appeals primarily to older women and younger fans involved in the sports itself, so neither are exactly the type of audience that would place wagers on competitions. On the other hand, the U.S. Figure Skating Association sponsored fantasy skating last fall during the Grand Prix series. Fans selected skaters for their team and monitored their performance throughout the events. So perhaps betting on competitions isn't so farfetched afterall. It would help engage fan interest, and perhaps attract new fans to the sport. It can also create more excitement for the events, just as wagers encourage debate and discussion for the Super Bowl and the World Series.
Who knows? Maybe more men would begin to tune in to figure skating competitions if they knew they had something riding on the outcome.
You could place a bet on one skater to win (finish first), place (finish first or second) or show (finish in the top three). Or you could bet an exacta, where you choose the top two skaters to finish one-two in the exact order, or a trifecta, where you choose the top three skaters to finish in the exact order of first, second and third. There's also a quinella, where you choose the top two skaters, regardless who finishes first or second. You can place wagers for total points earned in each phase of the competition, the short program and the free skate, and whether or not someone will complete a quad jump or a triple axel. Betting on figure skating offers some intriguing possibilities.
Granted, figure skating is a wholesome sport that appeals primarily to older women and younger fans involved in the sports itself, so neither are exactly the type of audience that would place wagers on competitions. On the other hand, the U.S. Figure Skating Association sponsored fantasy skating last fall during the Grand Prix series. Fans selected skaters for their team and monitored their performance throughout the events. So perhaps betting on competitions isn't so farfetched afterall. It would help engage fan interest, and perhaps attract new fans to the sport. It can also create more excitement for the events, just as wagers encourage debate and discussion for the Super Bowl and the World Series.
Who knows? Maybe more men would begin to tune in to figure skating competitions if they knew they had something riding on the outcome.
Betting on the Bears
Despite the disappointing outcome of Super Bowl XLI, it was a kick to be in Las Vegas last week with all the excitment leading up to the Big Game. Naturally, I placed a few bets, including the Bears to win/beat the spread (which I lost), the margin of victory (I also lost), and the total points scored in the game. I won the last wager -- a whopping $24.00.
I kept the betting simple. But you should have seen the list of possible bets I could have made, all 10 pages worth! You could wager on everything from how many field goals each place kicker would kick, who would score first and how many tackles Brian Urlacher would have. It was mind boggling. Thank goodness I managed to escape town with my sanity and most of my money in my pocket.
I kept the betting simple. But you should have seen the list of possible bets I could have made, all 10 pages worth! You could wager on everything from how many field goals each place kicker would kick, who would score first and how many tackles Brian Urlacher would have. It was mind boggling. Thank goodness I managed to escape town with my sanity and most of my money in my pocket.
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