Top stories around our network this week
A season of football betting without any parlay action is like a wedding without bad dancing, or Thanksgiving dinner without dad jokes, or without Kramer. Sure, it’d be more refined that way, not nearly as silly, and maybe not as memorably fun.
Recreational bettors love parlays, because of the chances of making a big score from a small wager. It’s been known to happen. Media reports always surface about them, including from big-time bettors, too, like an Illinois auto dealer who just turned $65,000 into nearly $3 million by sweeping a six-leg parlay on PointsBet.
And if it’s possible to do so, the sportsbooks love them even more than Joe Q. Bettor. That’s because they retain a hold percentage that is often three or four times as high from parlay action as they do from straight betting. The sharps avoid the parlays, which are so hard to hit, but one way recreational bettors should emulate the savviest pros is by doing their line shopping with parlays just as with point spreads. A story this week explained just how wildly variable the returns can be from the same parlay wager on different sites.
Our network of reporters and websites is always looking to educate the public about smart betting, in addition to offering much, much more, as the past week’s articles show:
Oh, California, you’re so complicated
Read the fine print: Here’s a look at the California ballot
Proposition 26 isn’t just about legal wagering, and card rooms are scared
Gee, this is a lot of responsibility
Responsible gambling in ‘teenager position’ as 12-point pledge faces scrutiny
University of Memphis tackles problem gambling research
‘Before you bet’ quiz offers chance to self-check risk for problem gambling
But who’s responsible for this?
‘Crazy Eddie’ Antar’s nephew sues BetMGM over allegedly costly casino glitches
When in Vegas, do as the regulators say
Nevada regulators warn sportsbooks that reporting delays will not be tolerated
First the world, then Colorado
What bet365’s Colorado launch tells us about about the company’s U.S. plans