Nine online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania present lots of lines, betting markets, boosts, tweets, and promotions. However, the coronavirus pandemic caused leagues to press pause.
Sportsbooks are getting creative to keep the interest of bettors. The sight of Belarussian ice hockey and table tennis as the top events at online sportsbooks might cause an April shower of tears. We can only hope it brings a bloom of major sports come summer.
This week, we have a long list of futures betting available, including some PA bet boosts.
2020 Election betting quickly halted
Perhaps the biggest news out of sportsbooks since the NHL and NBA suspended play and the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament came from West Virginia.
On April 7, the West Virginia Lottery approved FanDuel Sportsbook‘s request to offer 2020 presidential election betting. It would have been the first time any legal US sportsbook offered election betting. Within a matter of hours, though, FanDuel had pulled the betting markets.
FanDuel Statement on Political Betting Markets:
“While the markets were approved, the West Virginia Lottery has asked FanDuel to refrain from offering the markets until they have time to fully work through the implications of this new market offering.”
West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner commented:
“Gambling on elections has been illegal in West Virginia since 1868. Gambling on the outcome of an election has no place in our American democracy. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
“This is a terrible idea. Let’s shut this down right now and be very clear about it.”
Apparently, it was a great misunderstanding. But here were the betting markets and odds at FanDuel for the 2020 presidential election before they were removed:
- Winner of 2020 Election (Trump -110, Biden +125)
- Democratic Nomination (Biden -714, Cuomo +1400, Sanders +1600)
- Democratic Vice Presidential Nomination (Harris +188, Klobuchar +400)
- US Presidential Election 2020 – Winning Party (Republican -125, Democrat -110)
- State by State Winning Party
FanDuel MLB player futures betting
Here’s hoping baseball resumes Spring Training some time in May. A look at MLB futures betting at FanDuel sportsbook. Note: at least 75 games must be played for bets to stand.
Keeping it to the favorites, plus the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates:
NL MVP:
- Mookie Betts: +600
- Christian Yelich: +700
- Cody Bellinger: +800
- Bryce Harper: +1600
- J.T. Realmuto: +4000
- Rhys Hoskins: +5000
- Josh Bell: +8000
- Andrew McCutchen: +10000
- Didi Gregorius: +10000
- Jean Segura: +10000
NL CY Young:
- Jacob deGrom: +300
- Max Scherzer: +450
- Walker Buehler: +800
- Aaron Nola: +2000
- Zack Wheeler: +5000
- Chris Archer: +10000
- Jake Arietta: +10000
Home Run Leader:
- Mike Trout: +950
- Joey Gallo: +1000
- Pete Alonso: +1000
- Bryce Harper: +2100
- Rhys Hoskins: +4000
- Josh Bell: +8000
DraftKings team win percentage
Since the length of Major League Baseball’s upcoming season is in question, DraftKings is adapting. DraftKings has “Team Win Percentage” markets for all MLB teams.
Philadelphia Phillies: Over/under 55%
Pittsburgh Pirates: Over/under 42%
PlaySugarHouse futures betting for The Masters
The golf majors schedule has changed quite a bit. The Masters has been moved from early April to Nov. 9-15. Here’s a look at PlaySugarHouse odds for the iconic event.
- Rory McIlroy: +650
- Jon Rahm: +1000
- Justin Thomas: +1100
- Brooks Koepka: +1200
- Tiger Woods: +1400
- Dustin Johnson: +1600
- More options listed on the site.
PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers also had odds posted this week for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 249). The matchup between Tony Ferguson, the -190 favorite, and Justin Gaethje (+155) was planned for April 18.
That was until UFC and ESPN came to an agreement to hold off on fights in the current widespread sports shutdown.
Unibet NFL player specials
For these Unibet wagers to stand, 16 regular season games must be played by the player’s team as listed at the time the bet was placed.
Carson Wentz:
- Total passing yards regular season: Over/under 3,924.5
Ben Roethlisberger:
- Total passing yards regular season: Over/under 4,000.5
JuJu Smith-Schuster:
- Total receiving yards regular season: Over/under 1,175.5
Philadelphia Eagles:
- To make the playoffs: Yes (-225), No (+180)
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- To make the playoffs: Yes (-115), No (-106)
FOX Bet creates custom bets, plus odds boosts
Several odds boosts are available now at FOX Bet.
- 76ers to win the 19/20 NBA Championship boosted from +2500 to +3000
- Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series boosted from +2000 to +2500
- Either Villanova or Penn State to win the 2021 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament boosted from +900 to +3000
Aside from odds boosts, FOX Bet is also known for custom bets. Here are some PA-centric custom bets:
- Eagles to have more regular season wins than the Cowboys: +100
- Steelers to have more regular season wins than the Ravens: +250
- Super Bowl LV to be Eagles vs. Steelers: +10,000
BetAmerica site still busted
As mentioned in last week’s “Best of the Books,” BetAmerica sportsbook and casino remains down. SBTech-powered operators including BetAmerica in PA went down on March 27 when a ransomware hack hit the provider.
This is the message on the BetAmerica app:
This is the message when trying to access via browser:
