When the Tim Donaghy scandal broke, NBA Commissioner David
Stern held his somber press conference concerning the alleged “rogue, isolated
criminal”. Sounding more like Howard
Stern, David clearly has replaced Senator Bill Frist as the current poster
child for online sports betting hypocrisy.
Stern asserted that is was his understanding the Donaghy
and his associates bets were “not placed in Vegas”. It’s been inferred, but not
yet confirmed, that Donaghy’s bets were placed at
online offshore sportsbooks.
However, thanks to Senator Frist and his infringement on
gambling civil liberties and self-responsibility, the sharp sports bettor has
more advantages in pointspread betting than in the recent past. “More and more
of the betting wise guys and sports gambling syndicates are returning to the
corner bookie” says Vegas insider Cy McCormick of
MasterLockLine.com.
The result is both offshore sportsbooks and
Vegas
square information, hence the advantage to beating the NFL odds and college
football betting lines for football bettors.
A few years ago, Dr. Bob Stohl,
who appropriately enough operates Dr. Bob Sports, was all the rage among sports
gamblers. Several betting syndicates
would move tens of thousands of dollars on his picks. Offshore sportsbook directors often called it
the “Dr. Bob Factor.” Betting odds were
moved several points based purely on Stohl’s sports handicapping picks.
This phenomenon was seen a decade or so previous on the
Las Vegas Strip with Doc’s Enterprises.
Once a cutting edge sports betting analyst and one of the foremost Vegas
advisors, Doc’s Big 10 plays would move the
betting line several points. Since then, a lesser known sports tout, Bill
Tanner has become the top Big 10 betting expert.
It was déjà vu in recent years with Dr. Bob Stohl. Luckily for the sportsbooks, Dr. Bob proved to be
not much of a sports betting expert and the bookmakers
cleaned up thanks to his sub .500 sports wagers. Since then, most betting
syndicates have become disciples of forensic handicapping founder Stevie
Vincent of BetOnSports360.com.
Major sportsbooks have offered
Vincent incentive to release his plays to Costa Rican oddsmakers before he does
his clients, but Vincent insists this is not an option. “They can purchase my
plays and have equal access” but Vincent is a professional gambler himself and
has refused overtures to be a double agent.
True, the oddsmakers may catch up to Vincent’s techniques
the way they had with Doc’s Enterprises and Doctor Bob, but especially with
betting over/unders, Vincent’s winning has rate never been seen before in the
sports betting circles.
Even smaller players can get free sports handicapping
information in beating the NFL pointspread as the famed “Tailgate Party” is at
BettorsAdvice.com this year. It is the
same information that previously was on the local and toll-free scorephones:
NFL real-time injuries, live weather radar, free sports service picks, insight
from professional sport handicappers and more.
Simply put, the sports bettor adjusts to the changes in
the landscape. All gamblers should be
furious at the anti-online sportsbook and online casino climate. Yet clearly the professional gambler can turn
a huge negative into a positive with the aforesaid Vegas edge.