Latest news with #Prince'sPicks
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
French Open bettors are buying the Lois Boisson fairytale ahead of Coco Gauff semifinal
French Open bettors are buying the Lois Boisson fairytale ahead of Coco Gauff semifinal Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. Lois Boisson's storybook run at the French Open continues this morning with her semifinal match against Coco Gauff, and bettor sentiment seems to be turning for the hometown heroine. Tied for the worst opening odds ahead of her first run at Roland Garros since tearing her ACL before the start of last year's French Open, Boisson has been a massive underdog throughout her run to the semis, including a quarterfinal match against Mirra Andreeva where 97 percent of tickets at BetMGM picked the favorite to win. However, after the 22-year-old's latest upset, people are starting to believe a fairytale ending is possible. Not only are her +340 odds to beat Coco Gauff significantly better than her quarterfinal odds were at +575, but she was also receiving 55 percent of the tickets on a winner at BetMGM as of Wednesday afternoon. There is one big problem, though. The big money bettors apparently aren't in agreement with the public. Gauff's odds were receiving 68 percent of the handle at BetMGM, moving her from a -400 opening favorite to -475. Thunder are massive home favorites We've already spoken at length about how big a favorite the Oklahoma City Thunder are to win the series against the Indiana Pacers -- one of the biggest NBA Finals favorites ever -- so it should be no surprise in how much that's trickled down at the game level. With the finals set to begin Thursday, the Thunder are a 9.5-point favorite for Game 1. Bettors aren't necessarily buying OKC as such as large favorite, as 62 percent of bets and 56 percent of money at BetMGM is on the points with Indiana, and 80 percent of bets on the moneyline has Indiana winning outright. One thing they may want to consider, though, is how dominant the Thunder have been at home. Though OKC has been one of the worst teams against the spread this postseason, they're 7-2 ATS at home. If the Pacers do upset the Thunder, bettors don't expect Tyrese Haliburton to be a huge help. His props to finish with under 9.5 assists and under 26.5 combined points and assists are the two most popular at the book. Connor McDavid closing on Conn Smythe With the Edmonton Oilers' Game 1 win over the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final last night -- aided by two assists by Connor McDavid, including on the game-winning goal in OT -- the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner just became a bigger favorite to win it again. McDavid was already the biggest liability to win the award at BetMGM, going into the series with leading +100 odds, which were basically a coin flip. After Game 1, his odds have crossed into the territory of more likely than not at -160. The movement expands his lead on Sergei Bobrovsky, who dropped from +250 to +400 after allowing four goals to the Oilers. After scoring two goals and the winner, Leon Draisaitl moved to +450, leaping ahead of Aleksander Barkov.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Oilers, Connor McDavid are sportsbook liabilities in the Stanley Cup Final
Oilers, Connor McDavid are sportsbook liabilities in the Stanley Cup Final Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. As the Stanley Cup Final gets set to begin tonight, it may feel like everyone outside of Florida is pulling for Connor McDavid to finally win his first cup and cement his legacy as one of the greatest players ever. However, don't count the sportsbook among those pulling for McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. It's not simply that Edmonton is a slim favorite to win the series, with 54% of tickets at BetMGM and 59% of money on an Oilers victory. It's also that an Oilers win would likely strengthen McDavid's case to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which he's already a +100 favorite to win. Last week, McDavid was the second-biggest liability to win the award at BetMGM. With Mikko Rantanen now out of the race, the book is completely against McDavid -- though it doesn't want to see Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky (+250) win either. 'BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch," BetMGM senior trader Matthew Rasp said in an email. "The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season, and we hope anyone besides Connor McDavid or Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Conn Smythe trophy.' As we saw last year, a Florida win doesn't necessarily mean McDavid won't still win the Conn Smythe, but it does give someone like Bobrovsky or Aleksander Barkov (+500) a better chance considering the roles they'd likely play in a potential Panthers triumph. After those three, Leon Draisaitl (+700) and Matthew Tkachuk (+2500) have the next best odds for the award. Edmonton is a -130 favorite on the moneyline for Game 1. McDavid to score a goal is the most popular prop at BetMGM. Did someone say Panthers? From the Florida Panthers to the Carolina Panthers. Only one of these teams has been a championship contender recently, but what if I told you that's about to change in 2025? What if I told you the Carolina cats are about to rise back to prominence -- and make it to the Super Bowl? Are you belly laughing yet? Yeah, I'll admit the thought of it was pretty funny to me too, but one eerie, totally not coincidental trend does make a convincing argument -- if you're prone to root for the Panthers -- that maybe just maybe Bryce Young has a chance to do something special this year. This is from OVIES and GIGLIO: Anyone who believes this trend means anything should go ahead and throw a couple bucks on Carolina's +6000 odds at BetMGM to win the NFC -- then immediately check yourself into a hospital to get examined. Sorry to bust bubbles, but as much as I believe Carolina is finally headed in the right direction, no way is this a team ready to push for a Super Bowl in 2025. The Panthers' odds to simply make the playoffs are +300. Show improve this season, and we can revisit this conversation a year from now. World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker got underway last week, and while I don't have much to report on that front until the main event gets started next month, here's a video of players giving themselves odds to get you warmed up:
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gabby Thomas, Lance McCullers hecklers show the dark side of sports betting
Gabby Thomas, Lance McCullers hecklers show the dark side of sports betting Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. At its best, sports betting can be fun. An extra element to enhance the thrill and unpredictability of the events we already love. At its worst, it can be addictive and bring out the worst in people -- especially those already predisposed to loser tendencies. That's what happened this past weekend at the Philadelphia Grand Slam track meet, where Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas was subjected to personal insults from a man (used lightly) she said followed her around the track. Thomas wrote about the situation on X in response to a tweet from the apparent heckler, who had the audacity to post a video of themselves in action -- shouting at Thomas as she lined up on the blocks, calling her a choke artist and making a comment about her husband -- along with a bet slip that won as a result of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden winning the race. "I think heckling is tolerable… but following me around the stadium is weird in my opinion," Thomas said in another tweet. And she's right. Make no mistake about it. This isn't typical sports fan stuff. It's embarrassing behavior for an adult -- at best. At worst, it's harassment. And it represents the dark side of sports betting. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers recently got a glimpse of that dark side too, telling reporters he received a message from someone on social media threatening to "find my kids and murder them" after his start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10. On Monday, the Houston Police Department said the man was identified as an overseas bettor, who lost money on the Astros and was intoxicated when he sent McCullers the message. Again, loser behavior. Listen, I understand some people rely on betting to make ends meet, and some people struggle with addiction that causes them to gamble money they shouldn't. And while I don't know if any of that applies to the above scenarios, I understand, I sympathize with people fighting those demons. But none of that makes any of this OK, and we can't normalize this kind of behavior. It's exactly why NCAA president Charlie Baker wants to get rid of prop betting in college sports, because you can rest assured it doesn't end with professional athletes who are better equipped to handle these sometimes scary scenarios. If people need help to control their impulses, they should get it. But in no world is it OK for athletes to be subjected to harassment and threats. Belmont Stakes post position and odds Morning line odds and post positions were revealed Monday for the Belmont Stakes, and to no one's surprise Journalism opened as the 8-5 favorite to win the final leg of horse racing's triple crown. The Preakness Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up, Journalism is favored ahead of Derby winner Sovereignty, who returns as the second favorite at 2-1 odds after sitting out the Preakness. Hill Road (10-1) Sovereignty (2-1) Rodriguez (6-1) Uncaged (30-1) Crudo (15-1) Baeza (4-1) Journalism (8-5) Heart of Honor (30-1) French Open quarters The French Open quarterfinals got underway this morning, so now feels like a good time to talk about Lois Boisson, the French woman who upset 3-seed Jessica Pegula. Boisson had +50000 odds to win this tournament -- tied for the worst odds in the entire field. Now, she's set to play 6-seed Mirra Andreeva, who opened with the fifth-best odds at +1000. Boisson remains an incredible long-shot at +550 to beat Andreeva and +6600 to win it all, but after her run to the quarters, she might be the most interesting player to watch this round. If Boisson is the single most interesting player in the quarters, the most interesting match might be the one between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev later Wednesday, which is basically a pick 'em at BetMGM where Djokovic is -115 to win and Zverev is -105. They opened the tournament as two of the four biggest favorites to win -- though the early meeting with Djokovic has dropped Zverez behind 8-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, who moved from +10000 odds to +1200 in his run to the quarterfinals.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Betting companies expect customers to pay cost of Illinois' new tax
Betting companies expect customers to pay cost of Illinois' new tax Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. Online sports betting just became more costly in Illinois -- though it remains to be seen for whom. On Saturday, state lawmakers approved a $55 billion fiscal year budget that includes a new tax for every wager made in the state. The first 20 million bets will come with a 25-cent fee per bet. Every bet after that will have a 50-cent fee. In theory, sportsbooks would just eat all or most of the cost -- with FanDuel and DraftKings shelling out the most money as the only operators taking over 20 million bets -- and bettors wouldn't notice it even exists. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the plan of these operators. The Sports Betting Alliance -- a coalition whose membership includes the two betting behemoths -- released a statement Monday calling the tax "discriminatory" and saying customers will bear the cost. The SBA even started an online petition Saturday, prefilled for signees to tell lawmakers "I work hard for my money, and it feels like lawmakers are just trying to make my life, and the things I enjoy, more expensive." With limited time to oppose the late proposal, several betting influencers and spokespeople (and The Ringer?) shared the petition with some variation of the same message. Rob Gronkowski, who works for FanDuel, went so far as to say Illinois was "trying to take away gambling." Dramatic, much? Betting isn't going anywhere. It just became a bit more pricey, though these online operators are certainly good for it. But with their stocks taking a hit Monday, the question turns to whether customers will feel the burn too. Would operators add an actual 25-cent fee to bet slips? Would they build it into odds? Would they offer fewer promotions, like what FanDuel announced in response to last year's tax hike in Illinois? The ways in which they could pass this fee to bettors are limitless -- even if unnecessary and completely optional. DraftKings even tried hitting bettors with a surcharge in high-tax states last year before reversing course. Ideally, operators wouldn't do any of the above. But having bettors pay these fees is clearly on the table based on the SBA's statement, which can be translated as "we're not taking a loss." If not them, then who? Weekend recap: Vanderbilt and Texas sent packing I'm so glad I delayed my picks for the College World Series because regional play delivered some massive upsets over the weekend. On Sunday, No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt was eliminated by Wright State and No. 2 Texas was bounced by UTSA. At +650, Vandy had the third-best odds to win the CWS. Texas was the fifth overall favorite at +1000, and with the third-highest handle percentage at BetMGM, the Longhorns were the book's second-biggest liability to win it all. This was a great result for the house, and it might not be the end. LSU (+400), UNC (+700) and Tennessee (+1200) are all looking to avoid the same fate in elimination games Monday. Where there's value for Thunder bettors I warned a week ago that the time to bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder had probably long passed, because the team's odds to win were so short that it wasn't worth it for the average bettor. That's certainly proved to be the case in the NBA Finals, where the Thunder's -700 odds at BetMGM make them one of the biggest finals favorites in NBA history. That dominance trickles down to other markets like MVP, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a massive -625 favorite. He's an even bigger -5000 favorite to lead the series in scoring. Unless you're an Indiana Pacers believer -- or have a good feeling about the length of the series -- there isn't much betting value in this finals. UNDERDOGS: Pacers have longest NBA Finals odds in 7 years However, I did find one area where Thunder fans can potentially make some money, and that's the "most rebounds" market where Chet Holmgren is a modest -125 favorite -- a decent bet for OKC's leading rebounder through the playoffs. However, the odds that caught my attention were the +550 on Isaiah Hartenstein that seem too good to be true. That's where I would be throwing my coins. Though Holmgren has nine more rebounds than any other Thunder player this postseason, the team has had a different leading rebounder in each series -- Hartenstein in the first round, Holmgren in the second round, Jalen Williams (+700) in the conference finals. So, Holmgren isn't exactly a lock. Also, it was Hartenstein, not Holmgren who led the team in rebounding in the regular season at 10.7 boards per game. Now, yes, I know, it's completely on the table for Indiana to run Hartenstein off the floor with their fast style of play. But given the way the Pacers struggled to keep Mitchell Robinson off the boards -- and considering OKC is such a huge favorite -- I'm willing to roll the dice on +550 odds that Hartenstein will play enough to be a factor. He had a game-high 13 boards in 34 minutes when the Thunder played Indiana on Dec. 26.
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Connor McDavid, Oilers open as tiny Stanley Cup favorites in rematch vs. Panthers
Connor McDavid, Oilers open as tiny Stanley Cup favorites in rematch vs. Panthers Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. The Edmonton Oilers closed out the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the west final Thursday with a 5-3 win to set up a Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers, and oddsmakers expect Round 2 to be just as dramatic as Round 1 — though with a different end result. The odds on a seven-game series are a leading +200 at BetMGM, giving these teams a good chance to go the distance for a second straight year. However, instead of the Panthers prevailing, it's the Oilers who are the -120 favorites this time around -- bet up from opening -115 odds. Of course, those odds are hardly convincing, but they're nearly identical to Florida's odds entering last year's final. So, maybe it's a good sign for Connor McDavid and company -- even after the Oilers star touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after Thursday's win. Edmonton's +400 odds to win in seven games are tied for the best odds of any result, matching the odds of a Panthers win in six games. The next best odds favor the Oilers in six at +450. Regardless of how it happens, early bets favor Edmonton to get it done. At BetMGM, 52% of tickets and 66% of handle is on an Oilers title. OVERDUE: It's time for McDavid to win the Cup So... you're saying there's a chance Facing elimination Thursday -- and with a large majority of the betting public against them -- the New York Knicks showed up in a big way Thursday for Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers, notching a 17-point win to extend the series. Now, all they need is another win Saturday to make the rare 3-1 comeback a realistic goal, as they'd get to play Game 7 back home at Madison Square Garden. New York's odds to win the series moved from +450 before Game 5 to +275 today. There's just one problem; Game 6 is Indiana -- where the Pacers hardly lose. The Knicks are 3.5-point road dogs. In the regular season, Indiana had the East's second-best record at home. In the playoffs, they were undefeated as home favorites before New York's Game 3 win. It's also highly unlikely four of five Indiana starters score in single-digits again like they did in Game 5. Especially not Tyrese Haliburton, who only attempted seven shots in the loss. HE'S EVOLVING: Sue Bird helped Tyrese Haliburton get aggressive There is good news, though. The Knicks are 6-2 on the road this postseason, including their Game 3 win in Indiana. And they were underdogs in all but one of those games, so this isn't unfamiliar territory. It's also encouraging that Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson continue to play well offensively, and other players are finally stepping up too. College World Series odds The NCAA baseball tournament gets underway today, and after things are sorted out through a couple weeks of regional and super-regional play, the College World Series will follow. I'll try to have a little research done well in advance to give a few informed picks on who I like to win -- because let's be honest, I ain't been watching college baseball -- but for now, I'll offer you the odds and who the betting public likes to pull through. TEAM CWS ODDS (entering regionals) Arkansas +475 LSU +475 Vanderbilt +650 UNC +900 Texas +1000 Tennessee +1200 Georgia +1400 Auburn +2000 Oregon +2500 Clemson +3000 Coastal Carolina +3000 Florida +3000 FSU +3000 Ole Miss +3500 Georgia Tech +4000 Oregon State +4000 TCU +4000 UCLA +4000 At BetMGM, LSU and Arkansas have the best odds at +475 to win the CWS, followed by Vanderbilt (+650), North Carolina (+900) and Texas (+1000). As for who bettors like, LSU is drawing the most bets at BetMGM at 12 percent of the tickets, but it's UNC leading in the way in terms of total money, at 13.2 percent of the handle. Texas joins LSU and North Carolina as the three biggest liabilities at the sportsbook. World Series (the not college one) preview? I'm not completely locked in on Major League Baseball yet, but I do know the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees opened the season as the two biggest favorites to win the World Series, and two months in, they remain the favorites ahead of a three-game set that begins tonight. The Yankees, in particular, have impressed with the way they've not only stayed afloat but thrived without Gerrit Cole, moving from +800 in April to +550 to win the World Series. Aaron Judge has pulled away in the AL MVP race with almost unreachable -5000 odds. And with ace Max Fried on the mound, New York is a -130 road favorite to win the series opener against righty Tony Gonsolin. Unfortunately, with all the injuries the Dodgers are battling through, I'm not sure we'll learn much over the next three games about just how well the Yankees stack up in a potential World Series rematch. Especially with LA slumping to an 11-12 record since May 4. So, the best advice I have going into this one is to just enjoy it for what it is: a late-May meeting between two really good teams that should be among the last standing at the end of the year.
