Bol magazine

BOL/BEST OF LUCK MAGAZINE VOL001-ISS001-APR18

MEMORIAL DAY VEGAS PLANS?

$100 STRAIGHT BET: WHERE TO STAY, EAT, PLAY

WILL BETTORS GO THE LEGAL ROUTE? EVENT

DATE: TBD

BEAT THE SYSTEM

I DID IT...ONCE ----HOW THE HOUSE MAKES $$$

B\O\L

CONTENTS PAGE 002 LETTER FROM EDITOR: OUT OF THE DARKNESS -1.5 003 LEGAL SPORTS BETTING: -6 WILL YOU....

005 CURRENT LINES: MLB NFL NBA NHL PICK 006 VEGAS: MEMORIAL DAY -18 WEEKEND 008 I BEAT THE SYSTEM -7.5 009 BEGINNER BETTOR: KNOWLEDGE DROP -4.5 010 I GOT YOUR BACK: FANTASY SPORTS ADVICE -4.5

2 2

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

OUT OF THE DARKNESS

Sports betting has come into the public consciousness to a degree nowadays where comments can be made on Sportscenter by Scott van Pelt about the worst beats of the day, which of course comes with miracle covers on the other end. Soon, maybe not in five years but later, there will be a television channel broadcasting live games and on top of the typical play-by-play and color commentary given, there will also be betting analysis happening in game. For this to be possible, a further push for legalization needs to happen and that starts with telling your local representatives and then going on up the chain to keep this train rolling.

I foresee this betting television channel having all the content that could be asked for from a sports betting multimedia company. There will be shows covering specific sports, live game broadcasts, advice shows, and shows that go deep into the numbers of why certain bets are more attractive than others.

No longer will play-by-play announcers who are hip to the betting scene have to slyly mention when a play or score means more to the betting community than the actual game itself or the fans of either teams (Brent Musberger I’m looking at you). There will be no more winks or nudges, everything will be out in the open. If a hockey team scores on an empty net to go up two goals, there will be puckline celebrations. If a field goal is scored in a 20-point game in the fourth quarter to make the total go over, that will be acknowledged and I’m sure mentioned long before it actually happens.

We will be out of the darkness soon. It is up to the government now to hear our voices and understand that everyone benefits from sports betting becoming legal.

Editor-in-Chief Ryan Farley

3

Will Bettors Go the Legal Route?: An Investigation By: Ryan Farley

Due to the illegal nature of sports betting currently, names have been changed to protect the identity of some sources

The federal and state governments of the United States have softened their stances in recent years on controversial topics such as legalizing marijuana and legalizing same sex marriage. It seems as though common sense and the constant poking and prodding of the American public has slowly worn down these powerful institutions of lawmaking and jurisdiction. The legalization of same sex marriage has real life implications for so many marginalized people and that equality that was earned by those people post-legalization has been the major impact on American society while the legalization of marijuana has had a great impact on the local economies of the states that have legalized the growing and consumer market of marijuana. With this boon in the economies of the local areas with legal marijuana markets and the government seeing a good deal of money from the taxing of products, it creates a gateway for the federal and state governments to find another stream of tax money from a currently illegal source.

The section of America that currently lives in the shadows with their hobby of betting on sports has seen a lot of forward momentum in recent months towards their ultimate goal of legalizing sports betting.

According to ESPN, in Nevada there was $4.2 billion legally bet in the state in 2015 and that only accounts for about 10 percent of the money bet on sports in the U.S. That is a lot of potential tax money for the federal and state governments to get their hands on and this is a major reason that legalization could happen in the very near future.

With this information and knowledge knowing that people who bet on sports do it to make money, will bettors go the legal

route knowing there will be no repercussions or having to hide their habits but having to share some of their profits with the government?

To find this out it was best to ask some people who are regular bettors as well some who may just take advantage of the possible new access to a legal form of betting on sports.

“Betting will be at a strange crossroads once it becomes legal,” said Pablo Skandos, a salesman with many years’ experience betting sports illegally. “It is so incredibly easy for me, right now, to make a bet on my phone through an app and transfer money over to my bookie’s account if I lose or vice versa if I win. I feel like I’ll stick with that and not pay a tax unless I hear of a huge crackdown on illegal betting rings.”

This is all speculation at this point but will the government attempt to protect their cash flow by disrupting sports betting rings that were not regulated and taxed? One has to assume that they will go after the unregulated bettors considering the amount of money they could be taking in if all illegal sports betting flipped and went the legal route.

There could be a time after legalization that sports bettors stick to betting illegally but the backing of legal betting by sports leagues such as the NBA could ease that transition with different possible betting platforms.

“One of the goals is to give people who are interested in betting on sports an incentive to switch from illegal markets to legal markets,” NBA senior vice president Dan Spillane told ESPN’s Chalk. “And backing or selecting one particular form of betting to the exclusion of others, I’m not sure that’s going to accomplish that goal.”

4

“I could be interested in a peer-topeer betting platform,” says contractor Mick Sagan. “I stopped betting a few years ago but if it were easy to access and my money wasn’t going to a sportsbook or casino, I think I could casually bet a game or two if I felt good about something.”

The platforms that will be used to bet on sports will be key for some who aren’t sure about their future in the legal betting world.

“I don’t like the idea of betting directly against someone. I don’t feel like I’m picking one side and my bookie is picking the other side, it feels more like it’s about my choice,” said Skandos. “So a peer-topeer platform would definitely keep me away. I’d be more looking for what I have now where I can just have an account, pick games and deposit and withdraw money when I want.”

On top of the murkiness that the betting platforms could provide to some potential bettors, the actual taxation of bets leaves some bettors skeptical including current sports bettor and inside salesman Marty Horton. “If the tax is 1 percent of the bet I place then I could live with that but knowing the government it will probably be closer to 5, maybe even 10 percent considering gambling is considered a vice.”

On top of the government taking a cut of the action, the NBA has mentioned that they want a piece of whatever is bet on their games as well. According to the Washington Post, the league would want to be compensated with 1 percent of the total amount wagered on its games. This amount may not seem like all that much but in a market that could be as large as $40.2 billion, 1 percent of all NBA bets and if other leagues follow, could be a windfall for the professional sports leagues and take a good chunk out of the winnings when added on to the potential federal and/or state taxes taken out as well.

For serious sports bettors this could very well deter them from going the legal route as Skandos mentioned previously but for casual bettors like Sagan, the cuts taken

Could a betting app be the answer to making legal betting a convenient alternative to illegal betting?

by outside sources won’t bother him much.

“I think if I bet legally, I’ll be ok with the taxes taken out knowing that everything is on the up and up and I can receive my winnings in an easy and timely manner” said Sagan.

The money that could be made by government entities with legalized gambling could reach numbers that might not be seen in any other regulated business in the country. Though those numbers could take a hit if the laws are not enforced and people stick with the old faithful of placing bets through a bookie and weekly payouts. All of this though is dependent on the current legislature being written by the federal government being passed and allowing for sports betting to make the leap from illegal stigma like marijuana and samesex marriage to legal and open for business.

5

MIDMAG SPORTSBOOK 2018 SUPER BOWL ODDS

2018 NHL/NBA ODDS

NE PATRIOTS 6/1 MIN TWINS 25/1 NSH PREDATORS 4/1 PHI EAGLES 8/1 STL CARDINALS 25/1 VEG GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4/1 LA RAMS 10/1 SEA MARINERS 30/1 TB LIGHNTING 11/2 PITT STEELERS 10/1 PIT PIRATES 35/1 BOS BRUINS 13/2 MN VIKINGS 12/1 SF GIANTS 35/1 PIT PENGUINS 15/2 GB PACKERS 15/1 PHI PHILLIES 40/1 WIN JETS 15/2 SF 49ERS 20/1 ATL BRAVES 45/1 SJ SHARKS 9/1 ATL FALCONS 30/1 SD PADRES 150/1 CBS BLUE JACKETS 14/1 DAL COWBOYS 30/1 BAL ORIOLES 200/1 TOR MAPLE LEAFS 22/1 DEN BRONCOS 30/1 OAK ATHLETICS 200/1 WSH CAPITALS 30/1 HOU TEXANS 30/1 TX RANGERS 200/1 MN WILD 40/1 NO SAINTS 30/1 CHI WHITE SOX 250/1 COL AVALANCHE 50/1 OAK RAIDERS 30/1 TB RAYS 250/1 NJ DEVILS 50/1 SEA SEAHAWKS 30/1 DET TIGERS 300/1 PHI FLYERS 80/1 CAR PANTHERS 35/1 KC ROYALS 300/1 ANA DUCKS 100/1 LA CHARGERS 35/1 CIN REDS 750/1 BAL RAVENS 40/1 MIA MARLINS 750/1 IND COLTS 40/1 JAX JAGUARS 40/1 KC CHIEFS 40/1 TEN TITANS 50/1 GS WARRIORS 21/20 DET LIONS 60/1 PLEASE BET RESPONSIBLY HOU ROCKETS 7/4 TB BUCANEERS 70/1 IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU TOR RAPTORS 15/1 NY GIANTS 75/1 KNOW HAS A GAMBLING CLE CAVALIERS 15/1 AZ CARDINALS 80/1 PROBLEM, PLEASE CALL PHI 76ERS 20/1 WASH REDSKINS 80/1 NATIONAL COUNCIL ON OKC THUNDER 40/1 BUF BILLS 100/1 PROBLEM GAMBLING BOS CELTICS 80/1 CHI BEARS 100/1 AT 1-800-522-4700 IND PACERS 100/1 CIN BENGALS 100/1 OR VISIT ONLINE AT NO PELICANS 100/1 MIA DOLPHINS 100/1 WWW.NCPGAMBLING.ORG POR BLAZERS 100/1 NY JETS 100/1 UTAH JAZZ 100/1 MIAMI HEAT 200/1

2018 MLB ODDS MIL

BUCKS 300/1 HOU ASTROS 13/2 MIN T-WOLVES 300/1 BOS RED SOX 7/1 WAS WIZARDS 300/1 NY YANKEES 15/2 SA SPURS 400/1 LA ANGELS 10/1 CHI CUBS 12/1 CLE INDIANS 12/1 LA DODGERS 12/1 NY METS 12/1 AZ DIAMONBACKS 14/1 WAS NATIONALS 15/1 TOR BLUE JAYS 20/1 COL ROCKIES 25/1 MIL BREWERS 25/1

6

If You Go...

Memorial Day Weekend: Hit the Strip To Las Vegas By: Ryan Farley

By: Ryan Farley

What is the right amount of time to stay in Las Vegas? De- All major airlines fly into McCarron pends on who you ask and what you your habits are. A long week- International Airport. Some hotels end is typically the right answer and what better time of year than offer shuttle services from the airport, or a typical cab ride would cost close late May before the heat starts to get into triple-digit territory?

Memorial Day weekend has quickly become a favorite travel week- to $25 depending on hotel. end for college students who have just recovered from spring break and crawled across the finish line of final exams as well as those $$$ The Cosmopolitan is a hip, adults looking to kick summer off with a bang. The ideal trip for trendy, youthful resort located at the MDW is a Thursday to Sunday voyage to the desert of Nevada to center of the Las Vegas strip. Rooms take in the sights and lights of Las Vegas. This short, possibly long if for a weekend can run you near $500/ you lose your shirt, vacation gives you a buffer zone of Monday to night. get ready for the shortened workweek after the holiday. $$ The Venetian is a quiet, more

Typically, the city will be packed with people on a long family friendly option on the strip and weekend, a lot driving from Southern California, but that just means every room is a suite. there is a lot of exciting options. This could be exacerbated if it’s a $ If you know you won’t be spending fight weekend, be it UFC or boxing, where the buzz flowing through much time in your hotel room, you the city is at its peak. Almost every, including All the top nightclubs, can go a cheaper route with Circus lounges, and pool parties will have DJ’s, musicians, and celebrities Circus. Located at the older end of flown in to make appearances and host their events all weekend. the strip, a typical weekend room will

With all the incoming tourists and partygoers, this type of cost you no more than $175/night and excitement might be a little too much for an introvert or someone usually less. who just wants a nice relaxing weekend in a warm climate. If that’s the case, there are still all of the world class spas ready and available, PGA sponsored golf courses, quiet and luxurious full-service pools, $$$ Charlie Palmer Steak located and of course the tried and true famous casinos. in the Four Seasons Hotel is the ulti Skip the barbecue and pack your bags this Memorial Day mate steakhouse experience whether head to Las Vegas to party your way into summer with celebrities, you’re with your significant other or musicians, and athletes or for a relaxing, easy long weekend before starting your night with a large group. heading back to the office and wishing you could go back. $$ Battista’s Hole in the Wall is classic Italian that includes free house

What is Las Vegas known for? What can you do in sin wine with dinner. A typical plate will city that you can’t find almost anywhere else in America? cost in the $25 range and don’t forget Gambling. Whether you want to hit the craps tables, belly to tip the roaming accordion player. up to a blackjack table, grind it out in a poker tournament $ In-N-Out Burger is a west coast fast or even bet on sports and watch the games on massive tele- food staple and a must for any visitor. visions, you will have you will have more options than you know what to do with and if you don’t like your first choice, Go to Vegas.com or call 1-866-983walk next door.

Instead of watching the games on TV, why not go to a 4279 to find out what hotels are ofgame? Vegas’ first proffesional sports franchise, the Vegas fering special deals, what events are Golden Knights, hit the ice night in and night out. With the taking place and any other kind of information on the happenings and Raiders moving from Oakland to Vegas, you’ll have even hospitality of the city in the desert. more options in the coming months.

How to Get There

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Information

8

I Beat the System By: Ryan Farley

My feet weren’t on the ground. I was on cloud nine. Can’t lose. Invincible. Whatever cliché applies, dopamine is one hell of a drug.

The football season had just ended and I had a little extra money to play with after the big game. Baseball wasn’t starting for another two months and I’ve been burned by hockey and basketball too many times. There was no way of figuring out how to find a small hole in the odds-makers’ knowledge in those sports (as if there is in any sport). So where can I get that feeling?

That feeling of invincibility. That feeling of getting one over on the betting overlords without getting that inevitable feeling of stupidity that comes with placing a bet when you legitimately think you are invincible,

I came up with a way to beat the system. I asked myself “Who in their right mind bets on tennis?” The answer ended up being, “I do.” The tennis world was in a post-Australian Open haze with a lot of the bigger names taking time off and a lot more of those in-between players, the ones who are talented for sure but not good enough to beat the top players, playing in tournaments in Brazil and China. I decided, since I didn’t know these players well enough, to spread the risk around to a few of them. I made a bet that five players would win their matches. I’d pay a small price to hopefully win triple the amount since making a singular bet on five players is far more difficult to win as a bet on one player.

I won.

I did it again the next day. I won again.

I now saw my bankroll growing with what seemed like relative ease and decided to up the wager a bit since I’ve clearly found this wormhole into another dimension where I absolutely have the game figured out and cannot lose. I was invincible once

again. The more I won, the longer the feeling lasted. A very potent drug.

I chose four players to bet on this time but with one that I was skeptical about. But hey, I’m hot, I need to keep riding this train. I won the first three matches and decided to bet on the other side of the fourth match to hedge the bet and make sure I ended up coming out of it with something. I lost but still gained a little. At this point the red warning light should be going off in my brain saying slow down, don’t get cocky with this, stay humble. That warning light didn’t understand that I had beaten the system and was going to keep beating it until the end of time though.

Fabio Fognini was a top choice to bet on. (Photo: NY Times)

I went at it the next day and pick five players again. The first match loses. I got unlucky, obviously. Well, there’s more matches and I felt good about them, so I bet the same matches minus the one I lost. Second match loses. Alright, I’ll take the rest of the day off.

Next day, same thing. First match loss. Take the rest of the day off. Tournament over.

I still felt good. A new week, a new tournament. Same result. First match loss, second match loss, third match loss.

I did not feel good anymore.

Everything I built up in that bankroll had been lost. Death by a thousand cuts. The system not only had beat me but had broken me as well. It was as if the system had become sentient, knew I felt far more confident than anyone ever should when they are gambling and served me a nice warm slice of humble pie.

I don’t think anyone should ever bet on tennis. I know I won’t anymore. Until I do and feel that rush as I go down the same path again.

9

Beginner Bettor Knowledge Drop: How to Bet Smart

How does a sportsbook make its money?​ Wherever you are making your sports bet, the goal of the sportsbook is to take your money. Individually, they want you to lose but for their whole betting community, they want to try to spread the bets they take evenly on both sides of an event. This way, no matter the outcome, they are going to make money because of the juice that they put on certain teams and certain bets. The juice is where the sportsbook takes advantage of bettors who pick the favored side to win basically telling the bettors “You want to take the favorite, you need to pay for it.”

WATCH WHERE THE MONEY HAS BEEN BET Before placing your bet, check where other bettors are placing their money. As more and more bettors choose one side, the sportsbook will move the line or odds (depending on the type of bet) to try to get more people to bet on the other side which will get them closer to an even amount of bets on both sides and collecting that tasty, tasty juice once the game is over.

They will get your money, but what can you take from them?

Strategy: Fade The Public​

When you’re checking on where others are placing their bets and you do see one side is being bet heavily, take the other side and fade the public.

The idea behind this is that the betting public typically does not make money betting. The phrase “the house always wins” applies here. If the betting public is heavily on one side and wins, the house gets killed. If the house gets consistently beat, then it no longer becomes profitable to take bets. The house knows what it’s doing with the lines and odds it sets. When one side is being bet more, zig when the public zags.

10

Fantasy Sports

I Got Your Back By: Ryan Farley

Your Ohtani Problem

After a hot first 2 weeks preceded by a terrible spring, Shohei Ohtani has been described as the second coming of Babe Ruth.

Fairly lofty expectations for the rest of the season, No? So do you capitalize on this hype and try to trade him considering he is only making one start per week so far and only in the batting lineup two or three times per week? Or do you ride the wave and hope you’ve struck gold with a potential best player in the league? My advice would be to dish him to an Ohtani-thirsty team owner and really hype up his ability to not only hit but pitch, too. Now if you are in a keeper league, this becomes a different conversation where the potential to be Babe Ruth is probably worth holding onto.

League Treasury Tips

Auction vs. Snake Draft

Change is always difficult. Most leagues, be it baseball or football, start out as a snake draft league. That’s great.

It’s easy to conceptualize and much easier to prepare for. An auction draft however is like the wild west at times. Things can go off the rails in a hurry if an owner really wants to draft someone.

I think that most leagues that make the transition from snake to auction draft are skeptical at first but after that first auction, they never look back and stick with it. It really does just make sense that if a team wants to draft 3 of the top 10 players, they can. They’ll pay for it but it brings a strategy to the game that is lacking in a snake draft. Sold!

Smart Add:

No one likes asking their friends to pay Greg Bird, 1B, NYY them. If you do, all the more power to you. An issue I have run into is getting your league The oft-injured power hitter that will most likely slot in fees collected without feeling like a jerk. between Aaron Judge and GianEveryone is in different financial situations so forcing people to pay their dues carlo Stanton, is coming off minor ankle surgery and will be back with by a made up deadline is somewhat the bombers in short order. Bird difficult to enforce, especially if they’re your friends. Here’s a few tips to make is going to be getting a lot of pitches to hit and with that short porch this process more seamless: in right field at Yankee Stadi1. If you don’t pay before the draft, um, this lefty could be the draft can’t start. Peer pressure is in for a power powerful! surge.

2. Payment Plan: If a friend doesn’t have the money beforehand, have them pay you in installments so you aren’t a jerk and they don’t feel like a deadbeat.

3. Set a payment deadline a quarter through the season. Gives people enough time and if they don’t make it their roster becomes locked.