"Pro bettors have taken to disguising themselves as gambling addicts so sportsbooks keep the free money flowing"

Bloomberg (in a long article that's mostly about the percentage of gamblers that suffer devastating results, and possible tactics to reduce those outcomes while keeping money flowing):

Among the main challenges for a pro bettor is finding places that will take your money. If you show signs of being good, or even just highly methodical, most sportsbooks will drastically limit how much you can wager.

...

“If I open an account in New York, maybe for a few weeks I just bet the Yankees right before the game begins,” says Rufus Peabody, a pro bettor and co-host of the Bet the Process podcast. If this trick works, the book sees these normie, hometown bets as a sign that it’s safe to raise his limits.

...

“One pro bettor I know set up a bot which logs in to his accounts every day between 2 and 4 a.m., to make it seem like he can’t get through the night without checking his bets. 

Incredible stat about gambling incompetence: "Nearly Three-Quarters of Circa Survivor Field Eliminated After Just Two Weeks"

All you need to do is pick an NFL team that will win that week. Point spreads don't matter, although there is strategy because you can only use a team once.  This year:

A spate of home losses by heavy favorites through Week 2 has resulted in the elimination of all but 27.2% (or 3,877 entries) of the original 14,266-entry field.

$1,000 to enter.

Related, check out Mina Kimes's podcast previewing the week 2 games. They get almost every game wrong, and again, they're not even worrying about point spreads.

The Chinese Football Association banned 38 soccer players and five club officials for life

Reuters:

The investigation found that 120 matches had been fixed, with 41 football clubs involved

...

The sport has long grappled with corruption, which fans have blamed for the underperformance of the men’s national team.

Notre Dame suspended its men’s swimming program for a minimum of a year due to widespread gambling on swimming and other sports

The report says they gambled on swimming events and other NCAA sports, and that the disciplinary decision was timed to allow them to transfer before the season starts.

The one-year suspension is a potentially devastating development for a program that had reached new heights under [its head coach], who is entering his third season on the job. Notre Dame had its first top-10 finish at the NCAA championships in program history in March, then sent its first male swimmer to the Olympics

The report also says all staff were cleared of responsibility.

A look at the ways Las Vegas casinos have changed the rules in their favor

Las Vegas Review Journal:

Casino table games such as 6:5 blackjack, triple-zero roulette and crapless craps are becoming more commonplace on The Strip, as are high-volatility side and prop bets, such as the All-Tall-Small at a craps table. They all have an increased house edge compared to their more traditional counterparts.

...

Long-time bettors, advantage players and frequent visitors to Las Vegas casinos have likely noticed these “house-friendly” game rules and game variants, but, even as savvy as they are, they may not recognize the extent of the shifting conditions.

A major league umpire is appealing after being disciplined for allegedly violating the league's gambling rules

Looks like no details on how he violated the rules, or whether he's appealing a finding he broke the rules, or the nature of the discipline imposed. (The article's phrased a little funny, but I think it's saying he hasn't umpired all season after the investigation began in spring training.)

Current San Diego Padre suspected of gambling on Pirates games while he was on Pittsburgh's injured list last year

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is facing a potential lifetime ban for betting on baseball, sources tell ESPN.

While Major League Baseball's investigation into Marcano is not complete, a penalty, as @lindseyadler and @jareddiamond reported, could be imminent.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 3, 2024

Vending machine selling unclaimed packages from delivery lockers

the train station has a mystery vending machine where you can buy whatever is in the unclaimed packages from delivery lockers pic.twitter.com/a3beWbXxCi

— michael (@bovineflu) May 20, 2024

freiburg hbf

— michael (@bovineflu) May 20, 2024

Speaking of vending machines, here's one selling honey.

Roulette with a live guinea pig

My wife: where the heck did you spend $25,000 last night?

Me: pic.twitter.com/MPXpMEPx09

— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) May 17, 2024

(It moves at 24 seconds)

A player on the Toronto Raptors "is under investigation by the NBA following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months"

ESPN, for example:

In the game on Jan. 26 against the LA Clippers, there was increased betting interest on the under for [his] props, which for the night were set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. There was also an over/under for [his] made 3-pointers, which was 0.5.

The Cleveland Cavaliers head coach said he has been threatened by gamblers

#Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff makes a startling revelation in explaining why he feels sports gambling has already gone too far even though he understands the business reasons behind it now being embraced by professional leagues. pic.twitter.com/O5QX6snjuE

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) March 20, 2024

ESPN:

Bickerstaff said he told security and that the gambler was located.

"No charges," Bickerstaff said. "But they found him."

Ohtani's longtime interpreter has been accused of stealing millions of dollars by fraudulently placing sports bets in Ohtani's name

LAT:

Lawyers for Ohtani made that claim after The Times learned that Ohtani’s name had surfaced in the investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County resident. Ohtani’s representatives looked into the actions of the interpreter... in response to The Times’ queries, a source close to the matter said. Two sources told the newspaper that the money involved was in the millions of dollars.

...

The investigation into Bowyer involves the same prosecution team that has targeted a multimillion-dollar illegal sports gambling scheme anchored in Orange County, according to The Times’ sources and court records. At least a dozen people have been charged in that wider probe — including ex-Dodger Yasiel Puig, who has pleaded not guilty — that centered on a bookmaking operation led by former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix of Newport Beach, the records show.

That football player was placing prop bets about his own predicted performance

Exciting new avenues for gambling to corrupt sports

Purchasable digital player packs for EA's soccer game apparently accidentally included one of the most valuable cards in the game

Buying a pack of baseball cards in the hopes of getting something rare is a form of gambling, but at least it's easy to audit a company's claim of what sort of cards are included in every box. With digital cards? 

Dot Esports:

An 86-plus overall player pick SBC in EA FC 24 unintentionally gifted Team of The Year Lionel Messi cards to an absurd number of users—and community members want answers. 

Sportskeeda:

EA Sports is being flamed by players after the recently released 86+ TOTY Leagues Player Pick SBC had a bug that allowed EA FC 24 players to pack a Messi TOTY card practically for free. Considering it is one of the best cards in the game, many in the community have been saving up packs and coins for months to obtain it. Now that it was given away so easily, there has been a public outrage against the developer.

Furthermore, this is not even the first time during the ongoing promo that there have been bugs and glitches in the game. 

Video game developer Nexon fined $8.5 million by the Korean Fair Trade Commission for allegedly deceptive loot box practices

PC Gamer:

They were added to the game in May 2010, according to the report, shortly after which Nexon began messing with the drop rates so more powerful Cubes would appear less often.

It continued changing the odds until March 2021, in some cases ensuring that particularly high-demand Cubes didn't drop at all, but did not notify players of the changes—in fact, in August 2011 Nexon released a statement saying that no changes had been made.

IGN:

Nexon in particular has become known for its aggressive monetization practices. Last year, IGN reported on MapleStory's controversial "New Age" update, which made it more difficult for players in certain regions to farm a key currency while the price of some items were inflated. The update led to large-scale protests throughout the community.

From November:

An intense debate ignited November 13, when The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley announced the nominees for this year’s trophy ceremony. ... when the nominees were announced on November 13, many folks online pointed out that Dave the Diver wasn’t, in their opinion, an indie game, despite looking like one. 

...

So yeah, Dave the Diver. That game is made by a group named Mintrocket, [so it’s] a smaller game from a smaller group, but [Mintrocket is] part of Nexon. They’re employees of Nexon, which is a very large publisher. So, I think it’s a fair debate and discussion about is that game truly independent or is it not. You can argue it either way. It’s independent in spirit 

The employee who stole $22 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars was reportedly a legendarily bad daily fantasy sports gambler

Lawsuit against the gambling sites to follow?

[The former employee's lawyer] said in the statement that "approximately 99% of the funds misappropriated from the Jaguars' [virtual credit card program] were gambling losses, almost all of which occurred" on FanDuel and DraftKings [using the username "ParlayPicker"]. 

...

As ParlayPicker's play escalated and word of his missteps spread in the [daily fantasy sports] community, players made a point of seeking out contests against him, according to multiple daily fantasy sources. One veteran DFS player, who communicated with ESPN on condition of anonymity, said they believe ParlayPicker is "the biggest loser ever on FanDuel."

"He was legendarily bad," the person added.

DraftKings and FanDuel declined to comment.

Gaming commission officials in multiple states are reportedly investigating last month’s UNLV vs New Mexico football game

Action Sports Network:

One of the concerns from sportsbook operators was the number of new accounts being created with the sole purpose of wagering on the UNLV-New Mexico game, sources said.

...

Four of UNLV’s first five touchdown drives (32, 30, five and 21 yards) were set up by [New Mexico] mistakes. New Mexico fumbled four times, losing two. 

...

“The whole staff was adamant they didn’t see anything (suspicious regarding players’ performances)”

The episode of the podcast Win-Win with gambler Haralabos Voulgaris is very good

He talks about everything from his father's gambling, the worker's comp he got for a grisly injury that jumpstarted his career as a gambler, and his current effort to elevate a soccer team to La Liga.

Mark Cuban sold a majority share in the Dallas Mavericks apparently in the hopes it will lead to legalized gambling in Texas

Marc Stein:

A partnership with Las Vegas Sands Corp., furthermore, would bring significant real-estate and casino-gaming expertise to the Mavericks’ organization that he openly lacks and covets. Cuban, who turned 65 in July, has been saying for years that he hopes to someday build a new arena in Dallas with a casino attached — provided gambling is eventually legalized in Texas.

Cuban specifically told The Dallas Morning News last December: “My goal, and we’d partner with Las Vegas Sands, is when we build a new arena, it’ll be in the middle of a resort and casino. That’s the mission.”

Dallas Morning News in January:

As of the first week of the 2023 session, Las Vegas Sands had brought on at least 63 lobbyists, more than any other company or entity. They’ve pledged to pay their lobbyists up to $5.9 million this year, according to data from the Texas Ethics Commission. Other gaming interests are also investing in lobbyists, the data shows, including sports betting sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and other destination resort companies like MGM Resorts.

Expanding gambling in Texas, especially the push to allow several major casino-resort developments, is a high-stakes issue not just because it would create a new revenue stream for the state, but also because it could be a game changer in terms of tourism and economic development.

From 2021:

Las Vegas "Casino operator stocks with major exposure to Macau fell sharply Tuesday...as China eyes tougher regulations"

The player who left the NFL to sell Pokemon cards was banned because people complained he was running a scam

Action Network (which describes the business in detail, and his effort to return to the NFL): 

[He] had retired last year to focus on his business, Blake's Breaks -- which allowed customers to make money by gambling on packs of Pokémon cards.

...

[He] started the company during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, told The Athletic in July that the company's revenues had surpassed $11.5 million.

...

the platform banned Martinez's company from the platform in August.

"After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks’ operations we have decided to permanently remove the seller from our platform, including the individual employees involved in misconduct," Whatnot said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 4.

...

"I never wanted to make this feel like a scam," [he] said.

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