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With the Minnesota Vikings set to take on the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints Thursday night, the 2010 NFL season officially kicks off around 8 pm EST and so too does the football betting frenzy. Teams getting the most love early on include the Saints, Green Bay Packers and, remarkably, the San Francisco 49ers. The Indianapolis Colts were getting heavy lopsided action against the Houston Texans as well online.
In terms of teams to win their respective conferences, Jay Rood, director of race and sports for MGM Resorts International, tells the San Francisco Chronicle, early picks are the Patriots (not the over-hyped Jets), Ravens, Colts and Broncos in the AFC, and the Cowboys, Packers, Falcons and 49ers (we say this one with pride) in the NFC.
The economy has hit the sportsbooks just as it has most sectors. People will still bet but handle is down substantially over the last three years.
For example, the amount wagered on football the last two years has fallen from about $1.8 billion in wagers during 2007 all the way to $40 million last year.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
