Padrsbeisbol Tennis Betting News

<< Arenas sidelined with knee injury
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee and will undergo surgery to repair the injury. Arenas was hurt during Wednesday's game against Charlotte and

<< '07 Preview: Time for Adu to prove he's for Real
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teenager Freddie Adu has been a part of the hype machine before. When he joined Major League Soccer's D.C. United as a 14-year-old, the American was touted as the next big thing in American soccer. To be m

<< Isles face Leafs in crucial battle for playoff survival
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will continue their postseason push tonight, when they head to Long Island to battle the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. The Leafs have 89 points and trail Montreal by just one point fo

<< Senators, Penguins meet in possible playoff preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will head to Ottawa's Scotiabank Place tonight to face the Senators in what could be a preview of a first-round playoff series. If the regular season ended today, the Senators and Penguins would

Goestenkors introduced at Texas >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gail Goestenkors was introduced Thursday as the new women's basketball coach at Texas. Goestenkors announced her decision to leave Duke on Tuesday and will replace the legendary Jody Conradt as the third

Arena Football Preview - Week Six >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are this week's Arena Football League match-ups for Week Six. THURSDAY, APRIL 5 COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (2-2) AT DALLAS DESPERADOS (5-0), 8:30 P.M. ET DESTROYERS: Looking to defeat two undefeated teams i

Palmer excels in new role >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arnold Palmer has not made a start at the Masters since 2004. He has not made a cut since 1983, where he tied for 36th place. He has donned the green jacket four times, although the last one came in 196

Mickelson struggling early at Masters >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Phil Mickelson will have a hard time successfully repeating if he can not rebound from a disastrous front nine Thursday at the Masters. During the opening round of the 2007 season's f

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs.