RSS 2.0 FeedVol. 4, No.10, October 2008, Sports
Rays of Hope
Cinderella stories in the sports-book world are expensive.
With the baseball playoffs beginning October 1, operators came to grips with Tampa Bay becoming a likely post-season entrant. The Rays resemble a waitress adding up a huge bill.
Will the books be handed that check? It would take two or three surprising playoff rounds to do so, but the results would be substantial, if realized. The Rays opened at 50-1 for the division, 100-1 for the pennant and 200-1 to win it all.
Can you say, “Ouch?”
“The Devil Rays and Cubs are the big stories this year,” said Hilton sports book supervisor Jay Kornegay. “Despite the intriguing match-up this would be, it wouldn’t be the best scenario for most of the books. On one end, you have the Rays coming from last to first (or second) and this is usually not good because liability adds up quickly when you give big odds.”
The Cubbies, by contrast, were expected to perform. They opened at 12-1 for the World Series and were bet down to 3-1, then 9-2 for the pennant and wagered down to 5-4.
With the baseball playoffs beginning October 1, operators came to grips with Tampa Bay becoming a likely post-season entrant. The Rays resemble a waitress adding up a huge bill.
Will the books be handed that check? It would take two or three surprising playoff rounds to do so, but the results would be substantial, if realized. The Rays opened at 50-1 for the division, 100-1 for the pennant and 200-1 to win it all.
Can you say, “Ouch?”
“The Devil Rays and Cubs are the big stories this year,” said Hilton sports book supervisor Jay Kornegay. “Despite the intriguing match-up this would be, it wouldn’t be the best scenario for most of the books. On one end, you have the Rays coming from last to first (or second) and this is usually not good because liability adds up quickly when you give big odds.”
The Cubbies, by contrast, were expected to perform. They opened at 12-1 for the World Series and were bet down to 3-1, then 9-2 for the pennant and wagered down to 5-4.
Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.
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