In my last
column I discussed “key numbers” with regards to the NBA. I had
planned on following that up with a similar discussion regarding
college basketball but have changed my mind for a couple of reasons.
First, the data is far more difficult to amass and far less likely to
mean anything. If Arizona (25-2) played Tennessee St. (1-24), the
spread would be in the neighborhood of 40-points (that is if any book
actually posted a line). Would the results of such a game even merit
inclusion when it comes to calculating key numbers? The NBA has far
more parity than college basketball (as does the NFL compared to
college football and that is why we charge a key number premium for
buying on 3 in the NFL but not in college football and is why some
books do not allow teasers on NFL any more) so discussing the
probabilities for the final margin of victory are far more relevant in
the pros.
The
second thing that got in the way was a series of
interviews/calls/emails to me from some major media outlets with
regards to some props that we offered or are offering. Getting
mainstream media coverage is always a bonus for us (and, in my
personal opinion, good for the industry as a whole), especially as we
cannot always advertise at the same outlets that are carrying these
stories. I found getting good press from places we couldn’t advertise
ironic and interesting enough to warrant discussion as a Frontlines
topic.
First,
let me provide a little background. One of the gaming rules in Nevada
states that sportsbooks can only take wagers on events settled “on the
field of play”. This means that books on the Strip cannot take bets on
elections, academy awards, TV shows such as Survivor, the Heisman
Trophy or any other such event where the winner is determined by a
vote and/or ahead of time. I am sure this law is the result of some
fraud perpetrated many years ago but I don’t know of any such stories.
If anybody does know the background, I would love to hear about it.
Despite
the laws however, leading and/or innovative casinos such as the
Stardust have offered such odds “for entertainment purposes only” for
years. Why do they do this? The answer is simple. Even though they
couldn’t take bets on it, their odds were frequently picked up by
media outlets looking to spice up their stories and the name of the
casino would naturally be included. Having the name of your casino in
front of thousands or even millions of readers or viewers is always
good for business.
Flash
forward to the recent past where offshore books, not bound by Nevada
gaming rules, started taking bets on these novelty props. Now, instead
of trying to compete with Vegas books for media attention for their
lines on football, basketball, baseball and hockey, offshore books had
an opportunity to gain media attention without Nevada competition and
they have been using that advantage ever since. Simon Noble (formerly
head of Intertops and now running WWTS) has been a real pioneer in
this space. His books have frequently had their odds for entertainment
props (Academy Awards, Razzies, Emmys, box office handle, etc.) listed
in major papers. His efforts have probably produced great results for
not only his books, but for the offshore industry as a whole. Think
about it, every time a reader/viewer sees an offshore book mentioned
in print or on the news the industry gains a little more credibility.
Olympic sportsbook is another pioneer when it comes to sports props.
They have set the standard with dozens, and even hundreds, of team and
player props every day (Michael Jordan over/under 22.5 points, etc.).
One of
the best reporters to cover this business,
Buzz Daly , once
suggested that offshore books should get together and advertise on
behalf of the entire industry to promote awareness that there is an
option to Las Vegas and corner bookies. Although a good idea, this
hasn’t happened yet and isn’t likely to soon (for a few reasons), so
these novelty props getting mainstream press is the next best thing.
Of course, the books getting mentioned get an extra boost.
Another
factor that makes these props so important is that many of the media
outlets that use these props for their stories would not let an
offshore book advertise with them. This is not the fault of any
individual reporter; it is simply a by-product of the large
communication companies trying to stay in the good books of the very
leagues they are covering. ABC had the rights to this year’s Super
Bowl but was unable to broadcast a commercial for Las Vegas at the
request of the NFL. If the NFL will not allow ABC to air a commercial
for Las Vegas, you can be pretty sure how they would feel if ABC
accepted ads from an offshore book. Yet, at the same time ABC’s Monday
Night Football and ESPN football broadcasts frequently make allusions
or direct references to gambling lines and results. I imagine if the
networks had their way, they would love to offer more gambling related
materials as bettors make for very loyal fans. When a Monday Night
game is 37-0 in the fourth quarter, most viewers have switched to
other programming but you can bet (slight pun intended) the guy who
has Over 40.5 is still watching intently.
Whatever the reasons, it is fact that there are many places offshore
books cannot advertise but this does not stop these outlets from
citing offshore lines. Here are just a couple of examples from our
book in recent weeks:
-First,
we posted odds on which shoe company high school phenom LeBron James
would sign with. Word of the prop spread very quickly and just a few
days later it is being discussed on sportstalk radio shows from
coast-to-coast and even ESPN’s Sportscenter.
Click here to read BoDog's press release.
-Then
just a couple of week’s later our prop on Pete Rose’s possible
reinstatement was getting similar radio coverage and was picked up in
a few newspapers.
Click here to read The Cincinnati Post article.
Click here to read BoDog's press release.
I could
go on. We had odds up on the possibility of a Jones/Tyson fight and
within hours I was discussing it on a radio show in Las Vegas. How
will Annika Sorenstam fare when she takes on the PGA? Oscars.
Survivor. Next up will be NFL draft props or maybe AAA Baseball
futures. You get the idea. Do we do these because they get media
attention? Partly. Mostly though we offer these props because we can.
When a player bets on an odd prop such as Pete Rose’s reinstatement,
he/she is more likely to talk about it with friends then the bet they
lost on Gonzaga last night. Word-of-mouth is still the most powerful
form of advertising for any book.
The
successes experienced by Mr. Noble’s books and others such as us have
spawned similar efforts by other books with even more bizarre bets.
Some of these are beyond our tastes as they involve the chances of
war, death, terrorism, etc. Any bet that somebody has to die for a
bettor to win we won’t touch. But others will and so will the media.
However, we are now in the media’s consciousness enough that we get
asked about props even when we don’t offer them!
Click here to read the ABC article.
Books
also have to be careful with these type of odds as the winners can be
known ahead of time, especially with the reality TV shows that have
become very popular recently. That is why the limits are kept very
low.
In
conclusion, as long as Vegas cannot offer these types of bets, I
expect that offshore books will continue to expand their offerings in
these arenas. Especially if it gets them mentioned on Sportscenter
every once in a while.
I
always welcome comments, questions and suggestions via email at
rob@bodog.com
Rob Gillespie
President
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