Celtics' Scalabrine out a month

Basketball Betting Lines

03/03/2009 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine is expected to be out until April because of the effects of concussions he suffered in January.

Scalabrine sustained a concussion in a practice on January 27, just two days after he was hit in the head during a game against Dallas. He missed the Celtics' next nine games, and returned to play in three more games before suffering what was termed a strained neck in Boston's February 23 game against Denver.

He hasn't played since, and Tuesday, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers indicated a return date of April 1 for Scalabrine, who will be out about a month.

In 39 games this season -- eight starts -- Scalabrine is averaging 3.5 points.

Xportsbook Basketball Betting News

<< Broncos: Cutler will not be traded
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos released a statement Tuesday saying quarterback Jay Cutler will remain with the team and will not be dealt, contrary to published reports. "The Denver Broncos are not trading Jay

<< Columbus forward Chimera out for remainder of regular season
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jason Chimera, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair his injured groin. Chimera is expected to be sidelined for the rem

<< Coast Guard calls off search for missing boaters
Clearwater, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Coast Guard held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce they have suspended the search for three missing boaters, including Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor

<< Report: Oakland, Garciaparra near deal
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are reportedly close to signing infielder Nomar Garciaparra to a one-year contract. A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed to MLB.com on Tuesday the two parties are in the

<< Berenson, Michigan agree to extension
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Michigan signed fabled hockey head coach Gordon "Red" Berenson to a one-year contract extension through the 2009-10 campaign, athletic director Bill Martin announced Tuesday. Bere

A-Rod to see hip specialist >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will fly to Vail, Colo., on Wednesday to see hip specialist Dr. Marc Phillipon at Steadman-Hawkins Clinic. After experiencing right hip tightness at Spring T

Hossa leaves game on stretcher >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings right winger Marian Hossa left Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Blues on a stretcher, early in the first period. One of the game's premier players, Hossa was checked by Blues defense

Bobcats easily handle Bulls, win fourth straight >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raymond Felton scored 18 points and doled out nine assists to lead the Bobcats to their season-high fourth consecutive win with a 96-80 rout of the Bulls. Raja Bell also tallied 18 points for Charlotte, wh

Gagne leads Flyers over Bruins in Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Simon Gagne scored twice and set up another tally, as the Philadelphia Flyers used a three-goal third period to upend the Boston Bruins, 4-2, at TD Banknorth Garden. Mike Knuble registered a goal and two

Booker boosts Clemson over Virginia >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Booker scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as 18th-ranked Clemson dominated Virginia, 75-57, during senior night at Littlejohn Coliseum. Terrence Oglesby finished 10-of-10 from the foul line on h

Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.