BoDog Taking Bets on LeBron's Future Shoe Deal
If there was any doubt about the arrival of LeBron James, it has probably been erased after news that the high school basketball phenomenon has hit Internet sports books.
Thanks to officials with BoDog Sports Book, bettors can now lay money on which shoe company the likely No. 1 pick in this summer's NBA draft will sign with.
BoDog has tabbed Nike as his early favorite with Adidas a close second.
Since posting the odds on Friday, BoDog has taken more than 750 wagers, ranging from its minimum prop bet of $5 to its maximum of $300, said site spokesman Lance Bradley.
The odds for Nike to secure James as an endorser currently are at 1-2. Adidas is at 3-2 and other shoe companies are a 3-1.
"The shoe debate is that big of an issue," Bradley said. "The whole sports world is talking about it, so why not give it a chance?"
The site also has odds on what team will draft James. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets are favorites at 3-1 odds.
James is expected to eventually sign a shoe deal that will be worth at least $5 million per season.
ukbetting Offers In-Game Cricket Betting
Officials with ukbetting are billing a new feature rolled out in time for this year's cricket World Cup as the world's first ball-by-ball betting for cricket matches.
Customers of ukbetting.com and totalbet.com can now bet during the course of World Cup matches. Punters can lay action on a whole range of incidents including outcomes of each ball. Examples of bets available during cricket World Cup matches include whether runs will be scored off a particular ball, whether a wicket will fall in a particular over and how the next man out will be dismissed.
Eric Semel, CEO of ukbetting plc, said the ball-by-ball action is the first and only of its kind.
VIP Launches Index Wagering
As the popularity of spread betting continues to rise, one major online sports book is offering the service to its clients.
VIPsports announced the release of index wagering last week. Index wagering, which originated as spread betting in England during the late 1980s, is similar to the financial futures markets in that the more right a punter is, the more they win, and conversely the more wrong they are, the more they lose.
Punters "buy" if they think a market will go over the quoted spread or "sell" if they think it will be lower.
VIPsports offered a market on the total points in the NFL Pro Bowl, the opening quote being 46-49. Punters who "bought" the points at 49 ended up netting a 16-point profit as the AFC won 45-20 (65-49 = 16).
Blue Square Inks Sponsorship Deal
Internet bookmaker and developer of Interactive gaming platforms Blue Square announced that it would continue to sponsor Britain's Shergar Cup for the next three years.
The company has been involved with the controversial team-racing event since its inception in 1999 when the inaugural competition took place at Goodwood.
Since then Ascot has been the stage for the race day, which has grown in popularity following its move to the Berkshire track.
Martin Belsham, Blue Square managing director, said it was a slam-dunk to continue to sponsor the event.
"This has been our flagship event since we launched and both the company and the Shergar Cup itself have come a long way in a very short time," he said. "We are very proud of how the day has come on and aim to take the crowd through the 30,000 barrier this year."
Oscar Bets Available Through BetWWTS
Only minutes after the official Oscar nominations were announced earlier this week, the oddsmakers at BetWWTS.com began calculating odds for the 75th Annual Academy Awards.
With odds on the six major categories finished hours after the nominees were announced, BetWWTS.com was become the first bookmaker in the world to release betting lines on the Oscars, according to the company.
BetWWTS.com created odds on the following categories: Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
"Chicago" is the early favorite at 1-2 odds for Best Picture with "The Hours" right behind at 5-2. Daniel Day-Lewis edged out Jack Nicholson as the early favorite for Best Actor with 4-5 odds while Nicholson was listed at 3-2. Nicole Kidman was listed as an even-money favorite for Best Actress.
In addition to offering odds on the best in film for 2002, BetWWTS.com is also offering odds on the Razzies, which salute the worst in motion pictures for the year. The company has created betting options on the year’s Worst Film, Worst Actor and Worst Actress. The Razzies are handed out the day before the Academy Awards.
Great American Race popular online
The signature event in American motor sports continues to grow in popularity among online sports bettors.
The Daytona 500, NASCAR's Super Bowl, is slated for Sunday and many of the major online sports books are offering betting on the race.
Many sites offer the bets as future proposition bets on each driver or a group of drivers. Some developers are working on a system that would allow the increasing number of NASCAR and other forms of auto racing bet online through a pari-mutuel system.
Early favorites to win the Great American Race include Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.