Professional football is the most popular sports betting product in America.
From now until the first Sunday in February when two teams meet in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the National Football League will be the main topic of conversation for gamblers nationwide, especially for residents in 12 states now offering legalized sports betting.
The state of Indiana is the latest jurisdiction to join the bookmaking club.
Eager sports bettors flocked to Horseshoe Hammond this past weekend and endured long betting lines for the first full weekend of football action at the Caesars Entertainment property.
Wait times of more than an hour were experienced by players wanting to legally risk 11 to win 10.
At times, more than 100 gamblers waited their turn to advance to one of six sports betting stations.
The flow of customers was steady from morning until night.
Self-serve kiosks were missing at Horseshoe Hammond, a convenience that neighboring Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, Indiana proudly featured.
Horseshoe Hammond did offer an excellent set of detailed betting sheets, direct from the home office at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, not available at most other sites in the state.
The overflow crowds pleased the marketing department at Horseshoe Casino, but the long lines were the product of an inexperienced staff of sports book employees.
Casino management should have anticipated problems in processing wagers, especially when first-time bettors ask questions of poorly-trained clerks.
That's double trouble.
EOG contributor BLUELINE, a cagey veteran of the sports betting wars, never considered waiting in line.
BLUE asked rhetorically, "Why would I ever place a wager here when I can point and click and get down in seconds?"
However, none of the 13 Indiana casinos, racetracks or off-track betting sites that participated in the September 1 launch currently offers mobile wagering platforms despite a green light from the state legislature.
It is expected mobile apps will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2020 after Indiana's betting outlets get their first taste of bookmaking.
Here's a tip for states introducing sports betting to an immature market: Hire an employee in charge of customer education to conduct smart 10-minute seminars every hour on the hour.
A short presentation, focused on the basics of placing a wager, would be followed by a snappy question-and-answer session designed to inform and entertain new customers.
The customer education employee could serve as a valuable asset for 12-24 months before transitioning into a sports book host or player development director, thus taking advantage of his/her familiarity with the casino's clientele.
Sports books in northwest Indiana are currently exploiting the absence of legal sports wagering in Illinois.
A quick survey of cars in three parking lots at different Indiana casinos showed license plates from the Land of Lincoln outnumbering Hoosier State plates by a ratio of 4:1.
Illinois recently passed a law to massively expand its gambling offerings which include the legalization of full-scale sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
Additionally, sporting venues in Illinois with a capacity of 17,000 or more will be allowed to offer sports betting.
Attend a game at Soldier Field and place a wager on the Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!
The sports betting rules in Illinois are similar to the early days of sports wagering in Nevada where wagers involving in-state college teams UNLV and the University of Nevada were once outlawed.
.
Current sports betting laws in Illinois unwisely prohibit wagering on college sports teams based in the state.
And for every day that passes without sports betting in Illinois, the cash-strapped state is losing revenue to border states Iowa and Indiana.
Think about the money lost when Illinois was not prepared to take action on the first NFL game of the year.
The Bears and Packers represent the richest rivalry in the 100-year history of the league and the betting handle in the Chicagoland area would have been brisk.
How many $20 bills would have been locked up by the house at Soldier Field with loyal fans laying 3 points with "Da Bears?"
Longtime season-ticket holder BLUELINE shared his perspective on the game.
BLUE took in the action from the second row of the upper deck at Soldier Field, a perfect spot to watch plays develop and view all 22 players at once.
The attractive tickets carry a face-value price of $130.
BLUE was disgusted by Chicago's lack of offensive firepower, citing the team scored only one touchdown over the last two games, a fourth-quarter score in a 16-15 playoff loss to the Eagles last January.
The sharp Bears observer placed the blame for a dull 10-3 loss mostly on Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who made some "deeply disturbing" decisions in the RPO (run-pass option) game.
Trubisky was running when he should have been passing and passing when he should have been running.
Good news and bad news for the Bears.
The good news: The team is only one player away from Super Bowl contention.
The bad news: The missing player occupies the most important position in the sport.
From now until the first Sunday in February when two teams meet in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the National Football League will be the main topic of conversation for gamblers nationwide, especially for residents in 12 states now offering legalized sports betting.
The state of Indiana is the latest jurisdiction to join the bookmaking club.
Eager sports bettors flocked to Horseshoe Hammond this past weekend and endured long betting lines for the first full weekend of football action at the Caesars Entertainment property.
Wait times of more than an hour were experienced by players wanting to legally risk 11 to win 10.
At times, more than 100 gamblers waited their turn to advance to one of six sports betting stations.
The flow of customers was steady from morning until night.
Self-serve kiosks were missing at Horseshoe Hammond, a convenience that neighboring Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, Indiana proudly featured.
Horseshoe Hammond did offer an excellent set of detailed betting sheets, direct from the home office at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, not available at most other sites in the state.
The overflow crowds pleased the marketing department at Horseshoe Casino, but the long lines were the product of an inexperienced staff of sports book employees.
Casino management should have anticipated problems in processing wagers, especially when first-time bettors ask questions of poorly-trained clerks.
That's double trouble.
EOG contributor BLUELINE, a cagey veteran of the sports betting wars, never considered waiting in line.
BLUE asked rhetorically, "Why would I ever place a wager here when I can point and click and get down in seconds?"
However, none of the 13 Indiana casinos, racetracks or off-track betting sites that participated in the September 1 launch currently offers mobile wagering platforms despite a green light from the state legislature.
It is expected mobile apps will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2020 after Indiana's betting outlets get their first taste of bookmaking.
Here's a tip for states introducing sports betting to an immature market: Hire an employee in charge of customer education to conduct smart 10-minute seminars every hour on the hour.
A short presentation, focused on the basics of placing a wager, would be followed by a snappy question-and-answer session designed to inform and entertain new customers.
The customer education employee could serve as a valuable asset for 12-24 months before transitioning into a sports book host or player development director, thus taking advantage of his/her familiarity with the casino's clientele.
Sports books in northwest Indiana are currently exploiting the absence of legal sports wagering in Illinois.
A quick survey of cars in three parking lots at different Indiana casinos showed license plates from the Land of Lincoln outnumbering Hoosier State plates by a ratio of 4:1.
Illinois recently passed a law to massively expand its gambling offerings which include the legalization of full-scale sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
Additionally, sporting venues in Illinois with a capacity of 17,000 or more will be allowed to offer sports betting.
Attend a game at Soldier Field and place a wager on the Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!
The sports betting rules in Illinois are similar to the early days of sports wagering in Nevada where wagers involving in-state college teams UNLV and the University of Nevada were once outlawed.
.
Current sports betting laws in Illinois unwisely prohibit wagering on college sports teams based in the state.
And for every day that passes without sports betting in Illinois, the cash-strapped state is losing revenue to border states Iowa and Indiana.
Think about the money lost when Illinois was not prepared to take action on the first NFL game of the year.
The Bears and Packers represent the richest rivalry in the 100-year history of the league and the betting handle in the Chicagoland area would have been brisk.
How many $20 bills would have been locked up by the house at Soldier Field with loyal fans laying 3 points with "Da Bears?"
Longtime season-ticket holder BLUELINE shared his perspective on the game.
BLUE took in the action from the second row of the upper deck at Soldier Field, a perfect spot to watch plays develop and view all 22 players at once.
The attractive tickets carry a face-value price of $130.
BLUE was disgusted by Chicago's lack of offensive firepower, citing the team scored only one touchdown over the last two games, a fourth-quarter score in a 16-15 playoff loss to the Eagles last January.
The sharp Bears observer placed the blame for a dull 10-3 loss mostly on Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who made some "deeply disturbing" decisions in the RPO (run-pass option) game.
Trubisky was running when he should have been passing and passing when he should have been running.
Good news and bad news for the Bears.
The good news: The team is only one player away from Super Bowl contention.
The bad news: The missing player occupies the most important position in the sport.
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