Wwnfl Football Betting News

<< 109th U.S. Open Second Round News and Notes
Farmingdale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Weir began his U.S. Open on Friday with a six-under 64 in the first round, coming within a shot of tying the championship's 18-hole scoring record. Johnny Miller set the original mark of 6

<< Phillips helps Reds beat White Sox for first time in 11 years
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer and knocked in three, as the Cincinnati Reds held on to edge the Chicago White Sox, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game interleague set at Great American Ball Park.

<< Schneider slugs Mets to win over Rays
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Schneider powered the Mets to an early lead with a three-run homer, and New York was able to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3, in the first of three interleague games at Citi Field. Schneider hit his

<< Wieters, Markakis power Orioles past Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis each drove in two runs, as Baltimore topped Philadelphia, 7-2, in the first installment of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park. Nolan Reimold added two

Dunn gives Nats 11-inning win over Jays >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn's single in the bottom of the 11th inning scored Cristian Guzman, as Washington got by the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game interleague set at Nationals Park. Jason Frasor

Ludwick helps Cardinals slam Royals in intrastate series opener >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Ludwick's grand slam highlighted a six-run third inning for St. Louis en route to a 10-5 victory over Kansas City in the opener of a three-game interleague set between the intrastate foes. Colby R

Rockies, Marquis roll on with win over Pirates >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Marquis was stellar on the mound and Brad Hawpe went 3-for-4 with a homer and drove in three runs, as the red-hot Colorado Rockies crushed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-3, in the opener of a three-g

Thames blasts two HR in Tigers' rain-shortened rout of Brewers >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Thames hit a pair of two-run home runs to help the Detroit Tigers take a 10-4 decision over the Milwaukee Brewers in the rain-shortened opener of a three-game set. Curtis Granderson contributed a tw

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.