every week, Gamble on Listeners hear the voice of Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth uttering the words, “Gamble, guys, gamble,” and know it’s time for another podcast of gambling news, opinions, interviews, and blues music.
Here’s a sneak peek at Episode 271 of the industry-leading podcast from our friends at American betshosted by Eric Raskin and Jeff Edelstein, had to offer…
Iverson: F1 numbers ‘may be manipulated’
Interview with guest Patrick Iverson, a senior correspondent for Vegas insidejoin the podcast to cover a variety of topics, from attending U2’s opening night at The Sphere (and admitting to some mild U2-related offenses from several years ago) to assessing the heaviest betting spot yet in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Iverson shared his thoughts and theories he’s heard about why so many players have been successful in the NFL this season (57% through Week 13):
“You have this season, in particular, a very large number of new offensive coordinators with teams across the league, and you have a very large number of … rookies who are starting over the course of the season. … And some of those rookies are starting under new offensive coordinators as well. So you have the double whammy there. And… it’s a lot easier for defenses to make adjustments and handle those situations than it is for offenses. … You know, a new OC and a rookie QB are really tough to beat.”
“If you could bet on presidential elections every four years,” Iverson, a leading proponent of legalizing political betting, told Raskin and Edelstein. [SuperBook Sports’] Jay Kornegay said he would do 15 times [handle of the] power.”
Can betting on elections make politics more corrupt than it already is? @PatrickE_Vegas He scoffs at the idea at most #gambling – He shares predictions about the amount of betting on the legal presidential elections that will amaze you: https://t.co/WvMQlHM3Tj pic.twitter.com/jW9HBFnNNP
— US Bets (@US_Bets) December 8, 2023
Iverson also shared his feelings about Formula 1 coming to Vegas and causing traffic nightmares and general excitement: “It didn’t go well,” Iverson said. “I can’t say I was a fan. But I’ll reserve judgment until we see the economic impact, although I wonder if these numbers could be manipulated a bit.”
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News sector nuggets
- The Seminole Tribe said Monday it will relaunch the Hard Rock Bet app statewide in Florida on Thursday. It then went ahead and relaunched it on Tuesday morning without prior notice. “As someone who likes to organize things, and is not a fan of chaos, I have to say that I did not enjoy the Seminoles’ approach to launching the betting app at all. This has been chaos at every turn for over two years,” Raskin said.
- Fanatics Sportsbook’s entry into sports betting in Connecticut through a partnership with the state lottery “seems like kind of a canary in the coal mine,” Edelstein says. Since Connecticut has only two other sports betting apps — FanDuel and DraftKings — “you’re really going to get a real apples-to-gold comparison,” Edelstein said, to indicate whether the die-hards are able to challenge the leaders nationally.
- Although that should be the target audience for the new Max series Bookmaker, Edelstein found the first two episodes almost unwatchable. “It sounds like a farce, but for a farce to work, it has to be, you know, kind of funny,” he said.
Financing bets and parting thoughts
The online streets are filled with smart bettors sharing tips that might help people beat the books. Raskin and Edelstein are also online and love to bet.
Notable finance bets of the week:
- Patriots/Rams Moneyline Underdog, +1206
- Justin Jefferson over 65.5 yards, -110
- Plays in the same game: Dak Prescott 293.5+ yards, Brandin Cooks TD, CeeDee Lamb 2 TDs, +2060
Raskin’s Bagels & Locks “Lock” of the Week (6-5 on the season so far): Patriots +6 at Steelers
Edelstein’s Bread and Locks “Lock” for the Week (6-5 on the season so far): 49ers -10.5 vs. Seahawks
Edelstein ends each episode with parting thoughts, and this week, he addressed the opinion featured this week on CNBC that young people are having less sex because they spend their time on their phones betting on sports instead.
“Now let me speak to that part of men out there: Put down your fucking phone, get out there, have some fucking sex, okay? Meet a girl, have some sex, fall in love, get married, have kids, spend every waking hour either… work or drop your kids off, and once you’ve done all that, then You go back to not having sex and betting like an idiot.