TRAMS: Just in time for Responsible Gaming Month

 This is design to get you or anyone of the millions of people that the American Gaming Association reports that engage in  sports betting.The last published reports indicates that over  25 million people enjoy some form of wagering on sporting events. The report also states that people between the ages of 18-24 are at a high risk of developing a gambling disorder.  The responsible gaming report from the AGA highlights, "the adrenaline of chance and the excitement of winning but concludes those feelings would not be plausible without a foundation of responsibility".

The Webster 's Dictionary definition of tram is a public transport vehicle that travels along rails and powered by electricity. I get the vision of Las Vegas Mccarran Airport going between terminals and to baggage claim. I now want share my new vertical that is just like the dictionary version of tram but able to accomodate thousands. Not only the young but the millenials and the baby boomers. All of those gorups engages in some form of wagering. Gambling studies indicate that demographicly,African Americans,Hispanics and Asians are high risk for gaming disorders Women are now wagering at a hiher rate than anytime in history.All of the generations and demographics mentioned  can enjoy gaming more effectively without being in jeopardize.

So without further adieu,I want to introduce my version of tram that is like you've never seen before.

TRAMS is an acronym that if applied in principal,will make the sports betting expierience fun and controllable. I will share it with you now.

Track  the teams,players,sports and leagues that you know and are interested in. You cannot follow all of them.But if you have a sub section of anything that you like or know, you.ve increased your chances because you have eliminated some choices.

Responsible methods are put in place as you open any account or enter a betting emstablishment. If you play online,those methods include limits on deposits,time on device and the amount of wagers. If you wager in brick and mortar places, do it without debit and credit cards.Pay all of your essential obligations to your creditors and your family before engaging with the game.

Alerts are the information highways that will keep you aware of whose playing,the weather conditions,injury reports and anything pertinent to making a selection. Follow news feeds and social media from the sports that captivate  you.Avoid the prompts from operators that are designed to stimulate a reaction from you to play a bet. Discipline keeps you in the game.

Market watch is looking at the numbers and the price associated with sports wagering. Here is an example. Before two teams play. visualize  what you think that point spread would be.Then examine the numbers that the bookmaker has posted. Final step is compare what operator is offers the best line and the best price. No difference than buying online from Amazon or EBay. Substitute a player for a team and apply the same idealogy.

Statistics should support any selection. Emotion and personal prefence are fine but prudent action calls for an analytic approach to identify trends. If you are able to find two stats that support your selection, you are ready to finalize your action.

                                                     And now you have TRAMS.

Each facet works in conjunction with each other. Practicing just one or two of the  methods will give minimal results.The foundation of the acroym is to game and wager responsibly. It doesn;t mean that you will win. It does mean that you will keep it fun! 

I am available to discuss how the application of this concept can benefit you or  a group you are affiliated with

Sports Betting-Inside the Numbers

 Sports Betting is growing exponentially in popularity.While it has always been part of the landscape in other countries,it is still in the developmental stage in the United States. Prior to the repeal of _PASPA six year ago,legal bets were limited to Nevada. That has now expanded to 38 states. So in an effort to understand the business,I will take you inside the numbers on difference levels.This will allow you to make smart and responsible decisions.

Most articles that you see on Sports Betting will give opinions on who will win the game or who will perform at what level during a contest. I am taking the perspective that the number attached to the event should mitigate the play. The play is the amount of the wager. An example is a star pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Ranger Suarez starting against the Oakland Athletics.The price to wager on the Phillies Money line for that game was -235. The money line is a wager that on who will win the game ,regardless of the score.While the Phillies are the best team reordwise in the MLB and the  A's are one of the worst,the price of taking the money line is exorbitant.The win on -235would bring you $100 and you would have $335 in your pocket. A loss would cost your $235.So you would have to win 3 bets at that money line number to recoup your initial loss. The Phillies loss the game 6-2. 

If you are deadset on making a wager at this price,an intelligent approach is to include the bet in a parlay. While the price will weaken the payoff ,the odds of you hitting the parlay have increased without the cash overlay.

We just went inside the number. Before lookung at the odds that are posted,have a price in your mind that is optimal to yourbankroll.Do not exceed that price regardless of the conditions associated with the teams.While Sports Betting is fun,it's more enjoyable when you are discipline and strategic. 

Check out another sports betting strategy in the videi.

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Black History Month and the NBA

During the NBA All Atar Weekend,the NBA is having the 1st ever NBA HBCU Classic on Saturday, Feb 19th. The teams participating are Morgan State University and Howard University, The NBA and AT&T will donate $100,000 to each school's atheletic department totaling $200,000. The game will be broadcast by TNT and ESPN2. The game will be attended by the NBA All Stars and the members of the 75th Anniversary Team. 

The NBA has shown that it understands the important responsibility they have to women and people of color. They recognize Black History Month and celebrate the HBCUs in a manner that will pay huge dividends beyond the money they donated. Every Professional Sports League should follow suit and find ways to pay homage to the ancestors that paved the way for the current players.  

If the NFL and MLB are watching, they should be formulating plans to do something.  Next year's Super Bowl game is played in February so there is an opportunity to celebrate Black History. The MLB normally starts spring training in February and celebrating Black History would create interest in their season.

If the leagues don;t evolve ,they will lose their appeal to women and people of color, There are so many entertainment options to chose from. No one can asume that the public will always patronize and support their brand or product. Diversity and Inclusion are the key components for all successful organizations. 

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Tribute to 3 Trail Blazers:

The month of January saw 3 iconic Black trail blazers transition from this earth. In the spirit of Black History Month, I want to acknowledge each of them. 

John Chaney was the legendary coach of Cheyney State and Temple University. Coach Chaney gave opportunities to inner city youthsto play Division One Basketball. He was one of the few coaches that would recruit  prop 48 players that were declared ineligible as freshmen. This rule was later changed because it was found to be discriminatory against black students because of the use of standardize testing that had cultural bias against minorities. Coach Chaney was a father figure to many of his players. He was instrumental in making the Atlantic Ten one of the top conferences in the country. 

Hank Aaron was the home run king of Major League  Baseball. He was able to surpass Babe Ruth record that has stood for decades. As he approved 714 home runs, he was besieged with hate mail and death threats. He kept the mail but never allow it to deter his pursuit of the record. He was playing in the deep South where discrimination was prevalent and a norm. Aaron was named to the MLB Hall of Fame and is still considered one of the best baseball players of all time.

Cicely Tyson was an actress and fashion model. She was known for her portrayal of strong black characters. Tyson refused to play stereotypical roles that demeaned people of color. Her stance cost her money and acting opportunities. Tyson felt it was more important to be a credit to her race and give an example of setting a standard that others could follow. She was nominated for an Oscar, won Emmys and NAACP Image Awards thru out her career that spanned 7 decades. 

If you think you are going threw it, think about the real struggles that these trailblazers went thru. Each of them raise their voices so you could be heard.

History and Why So Long

This past two weeks, there have been several notable accomplishments in the world of sports. The Florida Marlins hired Kim Ng as the first woman to become an MLB general manager. She has been in the conversation for GM jobs for more than a decade. She has interviewed for more than 6 teams since 2015.Ng was an assistant GM with the New York Yankees during a 4 year period. Under that tenure, the Yankees won 3 World Series and 4 AL pennants.

Last night. the NFL set history by having an all Black officiating crew during the Monday Night Football game between the Buccaneers and the Rams. Referee Jerome Boger led the crew, which also included umpire Barry Anderson, down judge  Julian Mapp, line judge Carl Johnson, side judge Dale Shaw, field judge Anthony Jeffries and back judge Greg Steed. The 1st Black official in any major sport was Burl Toler ,hired by the NFL in 1965.

                                                Now the Question. Why so long?

MLB was started in 1869 and is 151 years old. NFL hired it's 1st official of color 55 years ago. So it took collectively 206 years to find a qualify woman and 6 African Americans to run a baseball organization and officiate a professional football game. Studies have shown that the most successful organizations are the ones that embrace and advocate diversity. While accepting change is a not easy it is a necessity. Too often the same people get another chance after failing while another group gets overlooked and told you just missed the cut.

"It's easy to stay sleep but it is hard to be awoke." A quote from Sade Mims.  This statement challenges decision makers to accept the responsibility to make opportunities equal to all qualified applicants. 

                                                              What's the solution?

A resume that is gender and color free. No mention on the application of sexual orientation or ethnic origin. If these characteristics are removed, the decision makers are now looking at the educational history and the professional accomplishments of the job seekers. HR fact checks the applicant and ask them to submit to an assessment test. Then you get the best candidates going before a panel that will make the final decision. If someone is close but does not get the position, tell them what they can do to put them over the top when they apply again. The progressively thinking companies have manager training courses. They are able to institute a pipeline that levels the playing field for women and minorities.  A management team should be reflective of their clientele. If a business caters to 40% women patrons, the managerial and corporate team should have a representation that is fairly indicative of that clientele. These practices work in corporate America and Professional Sports.  You just have to be awoke to use them. 

The historical events of the past 2 weeks should not take another 206 years to happen again. 😎

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Sports Webinar: Become Better at Betting

It took approximately 6 weeks but here it is. Smart Responsible Gaming launched the website with the concept of doing a sports betting webinar. The timing is perfect because 3 of the 4 professional leagues are about to resume play. Most of the public had to find other ways of coping with out sports. 

We no longer have to watch Netflix, binge watch an entire television series that we missed or replays of games played earlier in the season.

Live sports will mean we can watch our favorite past times on a consistent basis. Included in that group are the millions pf people that bet on the games. The lack of action left a void for so many adults. It is our wish that if you are going to watch the game and bet on it, that you do it more effectively.

Our webinar will facilitate that for you. You will learn 3 principles that will improve your wagering strategy. If you are a novice, you will learn the terminology associated with sports betting. Our webinar will appeal to women. Women make up approximately 20% of the sports betting population.

We think that is a growth marketing opportunity. 

The date of the webinar is July 29th at 11:00 AM. The cost is $30.  This information will make you a smarter bettor that looks at statistics and analytics. It will require you to rely less on emotional attachments and more on probability. If you are prepared to do that and maintain more of your money as you bet on games  then this is how you sign up.

                                                         Webinar Registration

                              GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800 GAMBLER
                                         MUST BE OVER 21 YEARS OF AGE

Sports and Wagering Business This Week

This will keep you current with the industry. These post will include trends about the sports betting market and information about what state is planning to offer it next. This will be a winning situation for a sophisticated operator and his constituents.

New York approved sports betting and started accepting wagers this week. The sites include Rivers Casino Schenectady and Tioga Downs. Resorts World Catskills and Del Lago will have the capacity to take bets and are expected to announce their plans soon. All wagers must be made in person. There is no mobile sport betting component at this time. They are prohibited from taking bets on New York State collegiate sports teams and any college sports events held within the state.

Washington DC is still finalizing it's sports betting regulations. Once they are complete, expect retailers to apply for Class B licenses that will allow kiosks and sports betting windows in bars and event venues that serve food and alcoholic beverages. Once the application process starts the retailers will be highlighted by name and location. The stipulation in DC is Class B license holder can not be within the proximity of  two blocks from a Class A holder.

New Hampshire legalized sports betting last week, joining Rhode Island as the second state in the New England region to add sports bets to the gaming menu. The residents of New Hampshire can not bet on New Hampshire based teams. They do have a provision for mobile betting.

I can not stress enough that the future of sports betting is in the mobile and tablet side of the business. Unless you have an outstanding venue there is no reason to come place a bet with you that beats the speed of the mobile app. If you are in a jurisdiction where mobile is not an option then innovation is critical to your success.

If you want me in real time you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates! You can also see my post on Bettors Insider , the Delaware Valley's top site for sports betting and gambling.

Gaming Interview with ESPN's David Purdum: Sports Betting

A traditional newspaper journalist, David Purdum has covered the gaming industry, with a focus on sports betting, for the past seven years. He has followed New Jersey’s court battles with the sports leagues closely and covered the case for ESPN.com, The Linemakers on Sporting News, Sports Business Journal and other outlets. He has appeared on ESPN’s Outside the Lines and was a panelist on “US and European Methods to Combat Corruption and Match-Fixing in Sports” at the Sports Lawyers Association’s annual conference in 2013. He currently covers the industry for ESPN.com’s new sports betting site, ESPN Chalk.

In addition to his gaming coverage, Purdum also covers professional, college and high school sports for the Sports Xchange and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I follow David on Twitter and look forward to his updates. He is the leading gaming industry report
                                                                     for ESPN.

David is on top of the pulse of the online betting conversation as shown by his participation in I Gaming North America conference. He is part of the panel discussion on the progress report on the legalization of Sports Betting. I was able to get David to share some of his views prior to his session.

1). The NBA and MLB commissioners are receptive to the prospect of Sports Betting. What is the stance of the other major professional leagues?

The NFL and NCAA, at least publicly, have not softened their opposition to sports betting legalization. I believe--and NBA commissioner Adam Silver affirmed it--all the leagues are taking a close look at the benefits of legalization. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has acknowledged the need to take another look at sports betting, but has not been nearly as publicly supportive of legalization as either Silver or new baseball commissioner Rob Manfred.

Notice the two leagues that have come on board with legalization have new commissioners in Silver and Manfred. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract is not up until 2019.

 

2). What would the buy in be for each league to sanction Sports Betting? 

There are several models that have been considered. In Australia, for example, the leagues receive a commission off the amount of money won by the books on the specific sports. In that model, the leagues, indeed, would have a stake in who covers the spread. Obviously, that would not help the public’s perception of the games’ integrity. But it should. In Australia, if gambling-related corruption is discovered, the leagues are subject to losing their cut of the profits. It’s on the leagues to protect their sport’s integrity.

Two New Jersey politicians offered the NBA a .25 percent cut off the top of every wager. The problem with this model is that the margins on bookmaking are very slim. Giving another party a cut off the top will put a strain on the books to offer competitive odds and remain profitable. Australia experimented with giving a cut to the leagues off every wager and found that the books simply quit taking big wagers and pushed parlays and bad odds on customers.

If part of the goal of legalization is to bring the billions be wagered in the offshore market to a regulated environment, the legal books must be able to offer competitive odds.

Mark Cuban also mentioned charging the bookmakers licensing fees to use their data. In January, Silver said the NBA was not ready to announce which model they’re leaning toward.

 

 

3). Fantasy Sports Betting is growing at an alarming rate. Would a Sport Betting initiative slow that?

Not at all. Fantasy sports is embraced by the sports leagues, who helped get a carve-out in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, keeping fantasy sports legal. The legalization of traditional sports betting won’t have any direct impact on fantasy sports, in my opinion.

 

 

4). The UK and other European nations currently have sport wagering. Are they similar to what we have in Nevada?

Yes. In fact, several of the UK’s biggest sports books have entered or are trying to enter the Nevada market. William Hill was the first. It received its Nevada gaming license three years ago. Ladbrokes and Irish sports book giant Paddy Power have expressed interest.

 

5).Do you feel that a national sport betting referendum would impact Las Vegas? They currently have the monopoly on the market.

I do, but I think it will be mild. However, Vegas bookmakers and casino execs have been adamant that expansion would only benefit them. Some of the books have mentioned the willingness to expand outside of Nevada. So while it might not necessarily impact some of the casino companies, I can’t help but think some people who travel to Vegas for big events, like the Super Bowl, would consider other locations where sports betting is legal.

6). The consensus indicates that Sports Betting is coming, just a matter of when. If you were a betting man, what time frame would you give?

The over/under has been set at 4.5 years until we see expanded legalized sport betting in the U.S. To me, it’s all on the NFL. I’ve really learned just how powerful the league is. When it softens its stance, I believe we will see rapid movement toward legalization. I don’t think it is anywhere close to that point yet, though. Remember, Goodell’s contract is up in 2019.

 

 I would suggest you follow David on Twitter at @DavidPurdum. He is informative and connected to the beat of sports and gaming. His panel discussion at  I Gaming North America starts at 3:05PM -PDT. This event is being held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on 4/16/15. State Senator Lesniak is also a participant on this round table. As for me,

 

 

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The Marriage of Sports and Gaming

In the past week, two news items piqued my interest regarding the legalization of a national sports betting platform. One was a statement issued by Adam Silver, Commissioner of the +NBA. He was recently being interviewed in +ESPN, The Magazine and stated that he was engaged in discussions with other owners about the possibility of allowing wagering on NFL,MLB and NHL games. Here is a quote from that interview.

 

Silver says, "I have talked to the commissioners in the other leagues about it, and I leave it to them to make any public statements they want to make on it. I will say that certainly all of them ... have assigned people in their organizations to study the issue intensively."

 

 

This is not the 1st time Silver has mention his interest in expanding the reach of the game into casinos and betting establishments. This is a sign that he is definitely serious about what his agenda to transition sports to fit the new wave of fans. A national platform will be easier to monitor and regulate. Traditional gambling sites with brand names could introduce a product  that is socially acceptable but largely illegal. It will also provide a revenue that is currently not being tax to help fund programs that we are in need of.
 

 

 

The second statement was issued by Senator John McCain, from the State of Arizona. Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), speaking on "Capital Games" with ESPN's Andy Katz and ABC's Rick Klein, said Congress needs to hold hearings to discuss legalizing sports betting. The theme of the show is to offer the perspectives of policy makers on issues that relate to the world of sports

"We need a debate in Congress," McCain said. "We need to have a talk with the American people, and we need to probably have hearings in Congress on the whole issue so we can build consensus." giving his opinion on sports betting. Licensed sports betting, particularly on devices showing games, is the mechanism that will eventually allow all professional sports to profit.

Mobile and Live Betting Software

 

The timing of a Congress that is controlled by the party of a former presidential candidate gives the possibility of this getting past the discussion stage more of a chance than getting an interview from Marshawn Lynch. The probability of something being done this year is significantly lower than the likelihood of +50 Shades of Grey being the number 1 box office movie. However, several states have already introduced bills that will allow sport betting. They include New Jersey, New York, Indiana, South Carolina and soon, Minnesota. 

 

I have two suggestions that give the proposed marriage of sports and gaming consummation. I would like someone from the gaming world with a national profile to embrace the position of sports and gaming as being feasible. The state of Nevada has a blueprint that can be emulated nationwide. I would encourage the commissioners of the leagues to have a summit sometime within the next 6 weeks to give this concept traction. The NFL and MLB are not in season so the time is ideal for them. Include the MLS too. A tremendous large and diverse fan base with international proportions. Have the summit in  Las Vegas, Atlantic City or New York City. The logistics being the association with gaming and the location of the league offices.  I 'll revisit the status of this in a future post.

Happy Valentine's Day

                                                          
 

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