Bookmaker Regional Exposures December 30: Eastern PA, Louisville, Pittsburgh, San Fran
If you are a bookie or agent in one of these regions, you better be utilizing a Pay Per Head service as the exposure will be quite high. Pay Per Head services cut down on overhead while helping to boost profits through loss leaders like LIVE IN-PLAY WAGERING, prop bets, futures, customized lines to fit regional/client trends, a horse racing platform and online casino.
Eastern Pennsylvania Including Philadelphia, Allentown, Scranton
Bookies and agents throughout Eastern PA, and much of the state for that matter, will be cringing this weekend as the Penn State Nittany Lions come into the Fiesta Bowl seeing nearly 85% of the spread action.
"The books have this one between Penn State -2.5 and -3 with the College Football Betting Power Ratings suggesting the line should be -4.5, but who wants to cross the dreaded number 3 with this one?" asks Tony Cliente, Gambling911.com resident bookmaking expert. "This region is Code Red for books and agents operating there or with a strong client base from Philly and other portions of Eastern PA."
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Pittsburgh
As if having Eastern PA under the gun were not enough, Western Pennsylvania bookies and agents will be shaking in their shoes this weekend as well coming into Sunday's final NFL regular season week that pits Pittsburgh against Cleveland as a 6-point home favorite. The betting public believes Cleveland goes winless this season and simply does not show up for this one. Around 65% of the spread action was on the Steelers.
But talk about a wild line movement. Pittsburgh opened at -14 and that line had come down 8 points at some books.
"If you bet Cleveland at +14 early and now bet Pittsburgh at -6, the Steelers winning by 7 to 13 points pays both sides," Caliente notes. "This scenario will hurt a lot of books, especially those that cater heavily to Steelers fans."
The Steelers, 12-3, have already clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. They have an outside chance of securing home-field advantage, but for that to happen they would have to beat the Browns and the Jets would have to upset the New England Patriots in Foxboro.
The line collapsed on news that head coach Mike Tomlin will likely rest key players while we already know Antonio Brown is out with a calf injury.
"That's really undecided and unimportant at the beginning of the week for us," Tomlin said on Wednesday. "More important than anything is we lay a foundation of our plan and get going in terms of things we need to do to play well. That's always been our mentality. Those are things (who might be rested) we'll decide later in the week."
Louisville
Better have a Pay Per Head service if you're a bookie or agent catering to the Louisville, KY area Saturday as the Cardinals were seeing 76% of the spread betting action against Mississippi State in Saturday's Taxslayer Bowl.
Books have reacted accordingly, moving the line from -4.5 to -7, essentially following the action.
San Francisco
The 49ers appear to be turning things around, albeit late, and the betting public has taken notice. Nearly 80% of the spread action is on San Francisco for this Sunday late game.
They will face off against a Rams team (11-4) that has clinched the NFC West championship and at least one home playoff game with little else to play for here. As such, the 49ers find themselves a -4 road favorite in LA.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
