Leafs ink blueliner Lebda

Hockey Betting Lines

07/07/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Brett Lebda to a two-year contract.

The 28-year-old Lebda had a goal and seven assists while playing 63 games for Detroit last season. He has 18 goals and 50 assists over five seasons, 326 contests, all with the Red Wings.

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<< Raiders blast media with regard to Russell issue
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders issued a statement on Wednesday saying they tried to assist JaMarcus Russell prior to releasing him two months ago. He was arrested on Monday for possession of codeine syrup without

<< Dodgers put Belisario on restricted list; re-instate Monasterios
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Ronald Belisario on the restricted list Wednesday due to personal reasons. Belisario had been a lynchpin in the Dodgers bullpen, posting a 1-1 mark with a 3.79

<< Jags release DE Hayward
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars have released defensive end Reggie Hayward, who spent nearly all of the 2009 season on injured reserve. The club had just re-signed him on April 1. Hayward suffered a

<< NBA salary cap set at $58.044 million
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA has set the salary cap for the 2010-11 season at $58.044 million. This year's cap marks a surprising increase from 2009-10, when it was $57.7 million. The current figure is higher than the $56.

<< Clippers introduce Del Negro
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers introduced Vinny Del Negro as their next head coach. The team held a press conference Wednesday for the 43-year-old Del Negro, who had one season and about $2 million remaining on h

Scherzer dominant as Tigers top O's >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Max Scherzer threw seven solid innings as the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 4-2 win. Scherzer (6-6) retired the first 11 batters he faced and was charged with

Arroyo dominant as Reds down Mets >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Phillips' solo home run and run- scoring double was all of the offense Bronson Arroyo needed as the Cincinnati Reds won the rubber match of a three-game set over the New York Mets, 3-1, at Citi Fi

Report: Vick in confrontation before shooting >>
Virginia Beach, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney has reportedly said Michael Vick was in a confrontation prior to the shooting that occurred last month outside a restaurant celebrating his 30th birthda

Report: Ray Allen to re-sign with Celtics >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nine-time All-Star Ray Allen will remain in Boston after coming to terms on a two-year, $20 million contract, according to Yahoo! Sports. The news comes on the hinges of the Celtics reportedly agreeing

Braves down Phils again, win series finale >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado hit two solo home runs and Matt Diaz added a two-run clout to power Atlanta past Philadelphia 7-5 to finish off a three-game set. Brian McCann doubled in three runs to put the Braves

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.