Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Daily Racing Form - Horse Racing -Sports Betting NewsHopkins-De La Hoya creates buzz
By DAVE TULEY
Football rules the sports books during the fall, but a marquee boxing match can still raise the excitement level a notch.
Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world and the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.
Las Vegas will be full of boxing fans, and the sports books will be even more full than usual, especially at the host hotel and the other casinos in the MGM Mirage family, which are bringing in guests for the weekend.
"Any time you have a big boxing event during the football season, handle is going to increase across the board," said Yolanda Acuna, assistant race and sports book director for MGM Mirage. "There's a lot of excitement in the book and even some boxing fans that don't normally bet football will place some wagers."
A few months ago, the MGM Mirage books opened Hopkins as a -120 favorite based on some consultants feeling De La Hoya should be favored. It has since been bet up to -230, with the popular De La Hoya offered at +190.
"The big money has been on Hopkins, but we've seen a lot of small bets on De La Hoya," Acuna said, before pointing out that "90 percent of the action will come in on Friday and Saturday."
With two world-class fighters, the over/under bet is set at the full 12 rounds, with those betting the over having to lay -155 and those on the under getting +125.
Football contests update
The Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest, which last year set a record with 346 entrants at $1,500 apiece, blew away that mark with 411 in this year's contest, making the total purse $616,500 with 40 percent - or $246,600 - going to the champion. If the champion hits 67 percent winners, he would also earn a $10,000 bonus.
Some contestants have a lot of making up to do. Four contestants put in their picks of five NFL sides and went 0-5 the first week. Eleven super contestants went 5-0 in the opening weekend.
Selections of the all the contestants, including the leaders and consensus picks, are available at the Hilton on Friday afternoon.
* The Golden Nugget attracted 95 entries for its $5,000 buy-in Ultimate Football Challenge. The Nugget guarantees $500,000 in prize money, so it will put up the extra $25,000, which should be more than made up for in all the positive public relations the contest has attracted. Seven contestants went 5-0 in the opening weekend, earning six points each because players designate one selection per week as a best bet worth 2 points. Contest selections are available by Saturday night.
* The Gambler's Challenge at Station Casinos attracted 121 entrants at $1,000 apiece. In the opening week, seven contestants went 5-0, including Las Vegas Review-Journal turf editor and Daily Racing Form contributor Richard Eng. Peter Girard went 5-0 in both the SuperContest and the Gambler's Challenge.
* In the Stardust Invitational, one-name wonder Fezzik of lvasports.com defeated defending champion David Stratton, manager of GamingToday, in the first of eight first-round matchups in the single-elimination tournament. Both handicappers went 4-3 on selections, but Fezzik won the tiebreaker as he won with his best bet on Lions +3 vs. the Bears, while Stratton lost with Ravens -3 over the Browns. As a side note, Fezzik also went 4-0-1 in the SuperContest to sit right behind the early pacesetters.
In this Friday night's matchup at 9 p.m. in the Stardust sports book (and broadcast live on KDWN AM-720 and on kdwn.com), Vinnie Magliulo takes on Jimmy Vaccaro. Magliulo is the former head of the Caesars Palace sports book and is opening up the new sports book at the Wynn Las Vegas megaresort next April. Vaccaro, who currently is doing promotions work for the Leroy's network of books, is also an old-school bookmaker who is best known for opening and running the Steve Wynn-owned Mirage in the late 1980's and 1990's. If their track records are worth anything, it should be a win-win situation for anyone using their picks.
Nascar restart
Interest in the Nascar circuit used to wane at this time of year with the points championship already decided and everyone's mind turning to football. But with the new Nextel Cup rules - implemented this year for the first time - each of the top 10 drivers have a chance to win the title over the last 10 races of the year.
"This is great for racing," said Micah Roberts, auto racing oddsmakers for the Station Casinos. "It makes it like the other major sports with a lot of drama leading up to determining the champion."
The top 10 drivers over the first 26 races of the year will battle during the last 10 races in what Nascar calls the "Chase for the Championship." Odds on who will win the championship are: Jeff Gordon (9-5 at Station Casinos), Jimmie Johnson (3-1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7-2), Tony Stewart (5-1), Matt Kenseth (6-1), Elliott Sadler (8-1), Kurt Busch (9-1), Mark Martin (9-1), Jeremy Mayfield (12-1), and Ryan Newman (15-1).
Gordon has always fared well at the remaining tracks on the circuit, and as the current points leader is a deserving favorite. But the live longshot could be Busch, who made a name for himself in late 2002 in these same races. He wasn't in contention for the season-long title then, but a similar performance would give him the championship this year.
In this Sunday's race - the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway - Busch and Johnson are the co-favorites at 7-1, with Gordon and Newman at 8-1, and Earnhardt, Stewart and Kenseth at 10-1.
By DAVE TULEY
Football rules the sports books during the fall, but a marquee boxing match can still raise the excitement level a notch.
Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world and the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.
Las Vegas will be full of boxing fans, and the sports books will be even more full than usual, especially at the host hotel and the other casinos in the MGM Mirage family, which are bringing in guests for the weekend.
"Any time you have a big boxing event during the football season, handle is going to increase across the board," said Yolanda Acuna, assistant race and sports book director for MGM Mirage. "There's a lot of excitement in the book and even some boxing fans that don't normally bet football will place some wagers."
A few months ago, the MGM Mirage books opened Hopkins as a -120 favorite based on some consultants feeling De La Hoya should be favored. It has since been bet up to -230, with the popular De La Hoya offered at +190.
"The big money has been on Hopkins, but we've seen a lot of small bets on De La Hoya," Acuna said, before pointing out that "90 percent of the action will come in on Friday and Saturday."
With two world-class fighters, the over/under bet is set at the full 12 rounds, with those betting the over having to lay -155 and those on the under getting +125.
Football contests update
The Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest, which last year set a record with 346 entrants at $1,500 apiece, blew away that mark with 411 in this year's contest, making the total purse $616,500 with 40 percent - or $246,600 - going to the champion. If the champion hits 67 percent winners, he would also earn a $10,000 bonus.
Some contestants have a lot of making up to do. Four contestants put in their picks of five NFL sides and went 0-5 the first week. Eleven super contestants went 5-0 in the opening weekend.
Selections of the all the contestants, including the leaders and consensus picks, are available at the Hilton on Friday afternoon.
* The Golden Nugget attracted 95 entries for its $5,000 buy-in Ultimate Football Challenge. The Nugget guarantees $500,000 in prize money, so it will put up the extra $25,000, which should be more than made up for in all the positive public relations the contest has attracted. Seven contestants went 5-0 in the opening weekend, earning six points each because players designate one selection per week as a best bet worth 2 points. Contest selections are available by Saturday night.
* The Gambler's Challenge at Station Casinos attracted 121 entrants at $1,000 apiece. In the opening week, seven contestants went 5-0, including Las Vegas Review-Journal turf editor and Daily Racing Form contributor Richard Eng. Peter Girard went 5-0 in both the SuperContest and the Gambler's Challenge.
* In the Stardust Invitational, one-name wonder Fezzik of lvasports.com defeated defending champion David Stratton, manager of GamingToday, in the first of eight first-round matchups in the single-elimination tournament. Both handicappers went 4-3 on selections, but Fezzik won the tiebreaker as he won with his best bet on Lions +3 vs. the Bears, while Stratton lost with Ravens -3 over the Browns. As a side note, Fezzik also went 4-0-1 in the SuperContest to sit right behind the early pacesetters.
In this Friday night's matchup at 9 p.m. in the Stardust sports book (and broadcast live on KDWN AM-720 and on kdwn.com), Vinnie Magliulo takes on Jimmy Vaccaro. Magliulo is the former head of the Caesars Palace sports book and is opening up the new sports book at the Wynn Las Vegas megaresort next April. Vaccaro, who currently is doing promotions work for the Leroy's network of books, is also an old-school bookmaker who is best known for opening and running the Steve Wynn-owned Mirage in the late 1980's and 1990's. If their track records are worth anything, it should be a win-win situation for anyone using their picks.
Nascar restart
Interest in the Nascar circuit used to wane at this time of year with the points championship already decided and everyone's mind turning to football. But with the new Nextel Cup rules - implemented this year for the first time - each of the top 10 drivers have a chance to win the title over the last 10 races of the year.
"This is great for racing," said Micah Roberts, auto racing oddsmakers for the Station Casinos. "It makes it like the other major sports with a lot of drama leading up to determining the champion."
The top 10 drivers over the first 26 races of the year will battle during the last 10 races in what Nascar calls the "Chase for the Championship." Odds on who will win the championship are: Jeff Gordon (9-5 at Station Casinos), Jimmie Johnson (3-1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7-2), Tony Stewart (5-1), Matt Kenseth (6-1), Elliott Sadler (8-1), Kurt Busch (9-1), Mark Martin (9-1), Jeremy Mayfield (12-1), and Ryan Newman (15-1).
Gordon has always fared well at the remaining tracks on the circuit, and as the current points leader is a deserving favorite. But the live longshot could be Busch, who made a name for himself in late 2002 in these same races. He wasn't in contention for the season-long title then, but a similar performance would give him the championship this year.
In this Sunday's race - the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway - Busch and Johnson are the co-favorites at 7-1, with Gordon and Newman at 8-1, and Earnhardt, Stewart and Kenseth at 10-1.
Las Vegas SUN: Columnist Jeff Haney: This time, all bets are off for HopkinsFor Bernard Hopkins, known as "The Executioner," placing a sizable wager on himself used to be as much a part of his prefight routine as donning a black hood and robe for publicity photos. But Hopkins, the longtime middleweight champ, evidently has given gambling the ax.
Hopkins said this week he does not plan to make a large public bet on himself in Saturday's highly anticipated showdown with Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand.
He said he now shies away from doing so because he believes a bet he made with veteran middleweight William Joppy might have affected the integrity of their bout last December in Atlantic City.
Before that fight, the two made a man-to-man bet on whether Joppy would last all 12 scheduled rounds. If he made it to the final bell, Joppy would collect $50,000 from Hopkins, according to the terms of the bet. If Hopkins won by knockout, he would get $25,000 from Joppy.
As it turned out, Joppy did go the distance, losing a lopsided unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards but collecting on the $50,000 wager.
Winning the bet came at a price for Joppy. He absorbed a series of devastating blows from Hopkins' fists, particularly during the final four rounds, and his face was grotesquely swollen afterward -- so much so that Hopkins said he was reminded of comic actor Martin Lawrence disguised in a fat suit as the title character in "Big Momma's House."
Hopkins said this week he was disturbed that Joppy might have put his health -- and possibly his life --in jeopardy in order to collect on the wager.
"Joppy almost lost his life in Atlantic City," Hopkins told the Sun. "It's never the fighter who quits, but the people around him and the corner should know when he's had enough. I don't want anybody to have their judgment clouded because of a bet."
In another big fight that linked Hopkins with gambling, against Felix Trinidad in 2001 he entered the ring with a temporary tattoo on his back advertising an Internet casino.
Hopkins reportedly received a $100,000 fee for wearing the tattoo, which he supposedly bet on himself as an underdog in the bout. He stopped Trinidad in the 12th round to become the undisputed middleweight champion.
Although making a bet in a Las Vegas sports book is quite different from a head-to-head bet with an opponent or an Internet casino venture, Hopkins said he's more comfortable these days keeping gambling separate from his exploits in the ring.
"I wouldn't want to put anyone in a position where because of a bet their manager or their promoter might act differently," he said. "I don't want to put anyone in a position that could cost them their lives because of a bet."
Fight odds
Hopkins-De La Hoya is being heralded as one of the biggest non-heavyweight fights of all time, and the betting action in Las Vegas figures to reflect that lofty status.
"I expect a ton of action on this fight," said Bob Scucci, sports book director at the Stardust. "It's been pretty good so far and I expect the action to get heavier throughout the week."
Hopkins is currently a minus 240 favorite at the Stardust, with a takeback of plus 190 on De La Hoya. (Bettors must lay $2.40 for each $1 they're trying to win on Hopkins. De La Hoya backers would win $1.90, plus their original stake, for each $1 they bet.)
"De La Hoya is one of those rare fighters who draws a lot of action no matter who he's in there against -- and it just so happens that this time he's fighting another very popular boxer in Hopkins," Scucci said.
Early this year -- before Hopkins and De La Hoya defeated separate opponents on a June 5 card at the MGM Grand -- Hopkins opened as a slight favorite, minus 115, against De La Hoya at the Mirage and its affiliated sports books (including the host property MGM).
Shortly after Hopkins convincingly beat Robert Allen and De La Hoya looked flat in a victory against Felix Sturm that same night, Hopkins was installed as a favorite of approximately 2-1 at sports books around town.
"It's been going back and forth," Scucci said. "We put it up a couple of months ago, and the early money was all on Hopkins. Then it started swinging toward De La Hoya, and most recently the action has been back on Hopkins."
Which fighter will get more support at the betting windows between now and the opening bell is up for debate.
Las Vegas sports handicapper Patrick Bartucci (patricksfreepress.com), who likes Hopkins to win the fight, thinks De La Hoya money will drive the odds on Hopkins down into the range of minus 170 or minus 180.
"Don't underestimate the money from Southern Californians coming into town for the weekend," Bartucci said.
Scucci, who did not offer a prediction on where the line will close, did say he expects to write plenty of tickets on the underdog as fight time draws closer.
"The sharp money is going to be on Hopkins," Scucci said. "But typically on the day of the fight, you see a lot of money on the underdog. I would expect on fight day, we'll be taking a lot of bets on De La Hoya."
Most observers, however, think Hopkins will successfully defend his middleweight crown for the 19th consecutive time. In a poll conducted by The Ring magazine, 19 of 20 experts surveyed chose Hopkins to win; only one picked De La Hoya. And of seven staff members at the magazine known as "The Bible of Boxing," six selected Hopkins to win.
In the round proposition, the odds are minus 160 that the fight will go its 12 full scheduled rounds; it's plus 140 that it won't go 12 full, according to the line at the Mirage and related properties.
In other props, De La Hoya winning by knockout is 9-2; De La Hoya by decision is 5-2; Hopkins by knockout is 13-10; and Hopkins by decision is 3-2, according to Mirage odds. It's a 12-1 shot the fight will end in a draw. (See the chart on this page for individual round propositions on when a knockout will take place.)
Stardust contest
Professional sports gambler Fezzik edged David Stratton this past weekend in the first round of the Stardust Invitational handicapping tournament. Fezzik and Stratton, the event's defending champion, both went 4-3 against the point spread in their seven selections, but Fezzik prevailed by winning his best bet, which serves as a tiebreaker.
Fezzik's top pick was the Detroit Lions plus 3 against the Chicago Bears. The Lions defeated the Bears, 20-16, Sunday.
The tournament features 16 handicappers competing for a $10,000 prize. At 9 p.m. this Friday at the Stardust, Vinnie Magliulo, sports book director for Wynn Las Vegas, scheduled to open next year, takes on oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro.
Hopkins said this week he does not plan to make a large public bet on himself in Saturday's highly anticipated showdown with Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand.
He said he now shies away from doing so because he believes a bet he made with veteran middleweight William Joppy might have affected the integrity of their bout last December in Atlantic City.
Before that fight, the two made a man-to-man bet on whether Joppy would last all 12 scheduled rounds. If he made it to the final bell, Joppy would collect $50,000 from Hopkins, according to the terms of the bet. If Hopkins won by knockout, he would get $25,000 from Joppy.
As it turned out, Joppy did go the distance, losing a lopsided unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards but collecting on the $50,000 wager.
Winning the bet came at a price for Joppy. He absorbed a series of devastating blows from Hopkins' fists, particularly during the final four rounds, and his face was grotesquely swollen afterward -- so much so that Hopkins said he was reminded of comic actor Martin Lawrence disguised in a fat suit as the title character in "Big Momma's House."
Hopkins said this week he was disturbed that Joppy might have put his health -- and possibly his life --in jeopardy in order to collect on the wager.
"Joppy almost lost his life in Atlantic City," Hopkins told the Sun. "It's never the fighter who quits, but the people around him and the corner should know when he's had enough. I don't want anybody to have their judgment clouded because of a bet."
In another big fight that linked Hopkins with gambling, against Felix Trinidad in 2001 he entered the ring with a temporary tattoo on his back advertising an Internet casino.
Hopkins reportedly received a $100,000 fee for wearing the tattoo, which he supposedly bet on himself as an underdog in the bout. He stopped Trinidad in the 12th round to become the undisputed middleweight champion.
Although making a bet in a Las Vegas sports book is quite different from a head-to-head bet with an opponent or an Internet casino venture, Hopkins said he's more comfortable these days keeping gambling separate from his exploits in the ring.
"I wouldn't want to put anyone in a position where because of a bet their manager or their promoter might act differently," he said. "I don't want to put anyone in a position that could cost them their lives because of a bet."
Fight odds
Hopkins-De La Hoya is being heralded as one of the biggest non-heavyweight fights of all time, and the betting action in Las Vegas figures to reflect that lofty status.
"I expect a ton of action on this fight," said Bob Scucci, sports book director at the Stardust. "It's been pretty good so far and I expect the action to get heavier throughout the week."
Hopkins is currently a minus 240 favorite at the Stardust, with a takeback of plus 190 on De La Hoya. (Bettors must lay $2.40 for each $1 they're trying to win on Hopkins. De La Hoya backers would win $1.90, plus their original stake, for each $1 they bet.)
"De La Hoya is one of those rare fighters who draws a lot of action no matter who he's in there against -- and it just so happens that this time he's fighting another very popular boxer in Hopkins," Scucci said.
Early this year -- before Hopkins and De La Hoya defeated separate opponents on a June 5 card at the MGM Grand -- Hopkins opened as a slight favorite, minus 115, against De La Hoya at the Mirage and its affiliated sports books (including the host property MGM).
Shortly after Hopkins convincingly beat Robert Allen and De La Hoya looked flat in a victory against Felix Sturm that same night, Hopkins was installed as a favorite of approximately 2-1 at sports books around town.
"It's been going back and forth," Scucci said. "We put it up a couple of months ago, and the early money was all on Hopkins. Then it started swinging toward De La Hoya, and most recently the action has been back on Hopkins."
Which fighter will get more support at the betting windows between now and the opening bell is up for debate.
Las Vegas sports handicapper Patrick Bartucci (patricksfreepress.com), who likes Hopkins to win the fight, thinks De La Hoya money will drive the odds on Hopkins down into the range of minus 170 or minus 180.
"Don't underestimate the money from Southern Californians coming into town for the weekend," Bartucci said.
Scucci, who did not offer a prediction on where the line will close, did say he expects to write plenty of tickets on the underdog as fight time draws closer.
"The sharp money is going to be on Hopkins," Scucci said. "But typically on the day of the fight, you see a lot of money on the underdog. I would expect on fight day, we'll be taking a lot of bets on De La Hoya."
Most observers, however, think Hopkins will successfully defend his middleweight crown for the 19th consecutive time. In a poll conducted by The Ring magazine, 19 of 20 experts surveyed chose Hopkins to win; only one picked De La Hoya. And of seven staff members at the magazine known as "The Bible of Boxing," six selected Hopkins to win.
In the round proposition, the odds are minus 160 that the fight will go its 12 full scheduled rounds; it's plus 140 that it won't go 12 full, according to the line at the Mirage and related properties.
In other props, De La Hoya winning by knockout is 9-2; De La Hoya by decision is 5-2; Hopkins by knockout is 13-10; and Hopkins by decision is 3-2, according to Mirage odds. It's a 12-1 shot the fight will end in a draw. (See the chart on this page for individual round propositions on when a knockout will take place.)
Stardust contest
Professional sports gambler Fezzik edged David Stratton this past weekend in the first round of the Stardust Invitational handicapping tournament. Fezzik and Stratton, the event's defending champion, both went 4-3 against the point spread in their seven selections, but Fezzik prevailed by winning his best bet, which serves as a tiebreaker.
Fezzik's top pick was the Detroit Lions plus 3 against the Chicago Bears. The Lions defeated the Bears, 20-16, Sunday.
The tournament features 16 handicappers competing for a $10,000 prize. At 9 p.m. this Friday at the Stardust, Vinnie Magliulo, sports book director for Wynn Las Vegas, scheduled to open next year, takes on oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro.
