The Unrivaled Basketball League just announced the rosters today. The teams were aelected using statistics and analytics. I am sure the league gave some consideration to some of the pairing the public thought were appealing combinations.
I used my expertise in the casino,sports betting and marketing industry to come up with opening odds to win the first 3x3 womens professional basketball championship.I looked at each roster and weighed the teams by position and popularity tocome up with the openig odds.
The Mist - This team is led by Breanna Stewart,who is argubaly the most well known player in fhe league and a WNBA Champion.She is accompanied by Jewell Loyd and Dijonai Carrington. The marquee of Stewart makes the Mist the favorite at -130.
The Rose-This team is led by WNBA rookie sensation,Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. Reese is immenesely popular and people will want to watch her play. She is joined by the WNBA best point guard in Chelsea Gray.Kahleah Copper is a prolific scorer and can spread the floor. The Rose will open at -130. The number will be lowered if most of the action is layed on the Mist.
As we approach the end of 2024,it is time to get ready to formulate an action plan for 2025. I will share my people, places and things to focus on that will grow your brand.These concepts are applicable to the following indutries. Tourism,Gaming amd Sports Betting are the primay areas that will be impacted. If you are able to incorporate any of these,you will see an improvement in your field of expertise.
Women- This is the audience that is getting the most attention.BetMGM cited an increase of 108% over year to year in wagers on the WNBA. The 2024 Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament drew a larger viewing audience than the Mens Yournament for the first time. The USA Womens Olympic Team led by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier won the Gold Medal. Those players have combined to start the Unrivaled Basketball League that will debut in January,2025 on TNT. The Caitlin Clark phenomenon has added more interest by women and men to professuonal basketball. There is conversation that the NBA All Star Game Weekend may feature a 3 point compeition between Steph Curry and Klay Thompson vs Sabrina Ionescu and Clark.The Taylor Swift effect has increased the amount of women that are watching the NFL and in particular,the Kansas City Chiefs.Beyonce will perform at halftime on Christmas Day during the NFL Game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.
Expect to see more wagers that are designed for women. 2025 will have more glam cam as the women will get attention for pre game walk in outfits. NIL deals will be offered to women at record numbers.The viewership,merchandise and the sports betting are direct corelations to the women athletes. Use the trends mentioned above to determine if your strategy has a female component so you are in tune to the audience.
I Gaming- The fact that 38 states have sports betting while only 4 have I Gaming is obviously a growth opportunity. When you factor the revenue generated by those 38 states is equivalent to the amount produced by the 4 states, you have a golden opportunity to make money.I do understand some of trepidation that states may have in advancing igaming legislation. There is a thought that this will destroy or at least cannibalize brick and mortar casino business. This is not the case in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.Business is still robust jn retail or onsite gaming.Most of the Sports Betting wagers are made on line. If more states were to offer IGaming, that trend will continue with some modifications. The patrons that play in the casino will continue and be the VIP style of player. The IGaming world will not be as appealing to that player.
Expect a breakthrough of IGaming legislation quth a neighboring state to follow. The trend toward convenience and tax revenue are too much to resist. I concepts that would enhance the spending wallet available to the operators of the IGaming space.
Mexico City and Brazil.- I highlighted both of these places because the interest the NBA and NFL have shown in Latin America. The expansion of Gaming and Sports Betting in those markets is a growth opportunity. While both places are known for tourism,festivaks and excellent cuisine. The introduction of two of themore popular sports leagues will add a new allegiance of fans that will buy merchanduse and bet on the games.Some residents of these places may be looking for business collaborations within the continental United States.
How does your brand connect with the cLatin American Culture? Are any of your managerial team bilingual? I would look at the SBC Summit Americas that will be held in Fort Lauderdale,Florida in 2025. That event could serve as an introduction to the market and some of the constituents.
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On Thursday evening,I was honored to judge the 2nd Annual Sports Analytics Competition at Temple University.The even lasted for approximately 2 and a half hours and had two divisions.There was an undergrate and graduate section.
Each group was given a subset of NFL data from 1980 - 2023.The information consisted of the winners and losers of each game,the total points scored and how the information translated to the outcomes against the spread.The contestants were given the task of scraping the data and looking for trends that would be appealing to an investment firm.
The groups cited,temperature,wind,home field advantage as important variables.They went further and examine the ATS by divisions and individual months during the season. Temple University is one of the few schools in the country that has several courses of studies that address Sports Gaming. While UNLV is the leader in offering gaming and sports related classes,Temple has carve out a niche that introduces the sports betting industry to this region.
If you are interested in sports gaming and how it relates to business, analytics,tourism and hospitality,please contact Yang Yang or George Diemer ,two professors at Temple University School of Hospiality and Tourism.
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#Temple University #sports #Analytics #SportsBetting #Casinos #Gaming
The G2E 2024 concluded over two weeks ago but the buzz is still reasonating around the globe.One of the highlights that many of the 25,000 attendees witnessed was the implosion of the Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
The largest gaming conference in the world continued to talk about the lastest innovations and ideas. The conference also has taken on advocating for diversity and inclusion. The panel about that discussed Out Executive in Gaming allow for conversation that LGBTQIA professionals could share their journey in the ihe industry. Breaking the Glass Ceiling cannot be done alone - highlighted the sponsors and that mentor and develop friutful relationships with people that merit opportunities but need someone to help them.
The Sports Betting captivation ranged from How a stand alone Sport Betting product is better than you think to the Future of Sports Betting. I want to share a perspective that is centered on what the public has gravitated toward. The business is primarily online.the wagers are largely in game and parlays are the largest source of revenue for the operators. Retail Sportsbooks must look for ways to compete with the Android and Apple users.
AI and Cashless Gaming are realities that the industry must embrace. AI will allow regulators,operators and vendors to incorporate computer science with their current framework. Cashless Gaming will save millions of dollars and expedite transactions between the patrons and the operators.
Some of the cooments I saw that highlighted their G2E Expierience were from some of my LinkedIn Network Tammi Barlow Marang- Vice President Global Responsible Gaming stated " I appreciated seeing and learning from more diverse voices in the education trackas they took the stage,representing the C-Suite on down delivering content. I also really valued the support shown by allies from around the world who attended the African Americans in Gaming networkong events sponsored by Penn National and MGM. 2024 was a great year for the G2E> Can;t wait until 2025."
Bill Rettig- Caesars Sportsbook Shift Supervisor stated,"The G2E was an enriching expierience.The presence of slot-playing influencers marked a shift in marketing strategies,highlighting the growing role of social media in Gaming.G2E provided invaluable insights into industry trends and fostered connections that will drive future colloborations."
The video that preceded this post was acknowleged by the following gaming professionals that I hold in high esteem. Bruce Harris,Alex Dixon,April Augustine,Jonathan MicjealsTricia Smylie ,Darien Davenport and Mary Cheeks.
All eyes on 2025 and the Global Gaming Expo!
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The WNBA Semifinals starts today with the top four seeds advancing. The New York Liberty will play against the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty swept the Aces in the regular season 3-0. TheAces are the two time defending WNBA Champions.The Liberty have the homecourt advantage with the first two games being played in the Barclays Center.
The Aces are led by 2024WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson. She was sekected as a unanamous choice.The Liberty are led by last year's MVP Breanna Stewart. The Aces led the WNBA in point average per game at 86.4.The Liberty weresecond with 85.6. The Liberty were in the top 5 of the following statistical catagories. New York was 2nd in rebounds and assists.
The Liberty are the betting favorite. They open at -160 to win the series and the money moved to -170. The game one odds are the Liberty favored by 4.5 and the total at 163.5.
The Minnesota Lynx are going against the Connecticutt Sun. The Lynx advanced to this round by defeating the Phoenix Mercury in two high scoring games. The Sun adavamced by defeating the Indiana Fever. The Sun were able withstand a 25 points performance from Caitlin Clark.
The Sun and the Lynx met last year in the playoffs with the Sun winnig the series 2-1. The Sun also won the 2024 season series against Minnesota. Two of the games wee decided by less than 3 poinus.
The Lynx is led by Napheesha Collier while the Sun is led by Alyssa Thomas. Both plauers have finshed in the top 4 in the WNBA MVP voting in 2024. They were also members of the 2024 USA Womens Basketball team that won the gold medal in Paris,France.
The Lynx are the series favorite qith the listed odds on FanDuel at -198.The Sun odds for winning the series are +166.The Sun made a mid season trade to acquire Marina Mabrey,an outstanding 3 point shooter. They also have DiJonai Carrington,who was voted the WNBA Most Improved Player in 2024.
The Lynx is favored in game one by 4.5 and the total is 154.5
Predictions- Aces in 4 and Sun in 5. A'ja can will her team to win. Collier will put up impressive numbers but Sun plays defense and gets balance scoring from 6 players.
Enjoy Collier and Stewart as they play in the Unrivaled League.Here is a clip!
The NFL Games to watch in week two are on Thursday,Sunday and Monday Night Football. The Thursday Night Football Game is on Amazon Prime.The Buffalo Bills will play the Miami Dolphins. Both teams are AFC East Rivals and won their home openers. The Bills have won 9 of the last 10 meetings between the two. Bills are underdog by 2.5. Miami is the home team/.
The Sunday Night Football Game has the Chicago Bears against the Houston Texans. The game is on NBC. The Bears nad a come from behind win against the Tennessee Titans. The Texans held on winning on the road by 2 points over the Indianapolis Colts. The Bear have the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft,QB Caleb Williams as their starter. The Texans are favored by 6 points. The game starts at 8:20 PM and Houston is the home team.
The Monday Night Football Game pits the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.The Eagles are the home team. Philly won their opener in Brazil by beating the Green Bay Packers 34-29. The Falcons lost their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers without allowing a touchdown.The Eagles are favored by 6.5.
My selections in these games take s me to the home teams. Buffalo struggled with the Arizona Cardinals. The Dolphins should score more than 20 points they put up against the Jacksonville Jaguars. QB Josh Allen has a injury to his non throwing hamd but is expected to play. Fins win a close game.
Thw Texans and Eagles should put up 24 or more points and easily handle the Bears and Falcons. The inexperience of Caleb Williams will be exploited. The rust,age and lack of mobility of QB Kirk Cousins will be on full display as the Eagles have extra time to prepare for the contest.
Expect big games from Tyreek Hill,Stefon Diggs and Saquon Barkley.
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The Top 1-0 NFL Teams
The top five 1-0 teams in the NFL are the Dallas Cowboys,SanFrancisco 49ers,Kansas City Chiefs,Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. $ of these teams covered against the spread and 80% of the 5 games went over.
The Top 0-1 NFL Teams
The teams that should bounce back after losing in the final seconds of their openers are the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. Key injuries to the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers keep them from making the cut.
The Worst 0-1 NFL Teams
The worst teams in the NFL include the Carolina Panthers.New York Giantsand the Las Vegas Raiders. The Panthers lost by over 30 points on the road. The Giants managed 6 points at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders lack of discipline and physicality on defense led to their loss on the road to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Avoid QBs Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers,Bryce Young and Daniel Jones as players to go over projected totals in passing yardage. Check their prop action for the best price of any of this group throwing an interception in week two.
The NFL starts this Thursday. So I decided to compare my NFL win total and rankings to two reputable media sources. My selections were made prior to seeing what Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports projected.This comparision enables you to see if my thoughts align or contrast with two highly repected publications.
I will start with Sports Illustrated and the rankings of the top 12 teams. My list includes of my 8 division winners,not including the Tampa Bay Bucs and 5 teams that I think will be wild card teams.I based my selections on the prognosis that 4 teams that were not in the playoffs in 2023 will be in the 2024 pairings.
Gaming Guy Rankings Sports Illustrated
1).Niners 1). Chiefs
2).Chiefs 2).Bills
3).Ravens 3).Jets
4).Dolphins 4).Ravens
5)Texans 5).Bengals
6).Eagles 6).Browns
7).Lions 7).Texans
8).Bengals 8).Niners
9).Packers 9).Rams
10).Steelers 10).Lions
11).Chargers 11).Packers
12).Rams 12).Eagles
With the NFLwin total,I decided to look at the lower end of the spectrum and teams not expected to contend for the Super Bowl.
We agreed on the Arizona Cardinals going over 6.5 wins. We disagreed on the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. The reporter projected both teams to exceed 5.5. I have the Chicago Bears going over 8.5 while CBS Sports has them winning 8 games.
