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Sure it stung a little, by default the betting public will wager on the New York Yankees winning a World Series from the start of the regular season straight on through. But in this series, the Philadelphia Phillies managed two wins while the Yankees were often listed with odds near -200, guaranteeing a small profit for online sportsbooks with each game (one had to bet $200 to win $100 and the bookies kept the remaining juice).
The fact that the New York Yankees made the 2009 World Series helped to offset any losses for the online sportsbooks.
"That's because more people were betting on this World Series than any in recent years," explains Don Shapiro of Gambling911.com. "The Yankees are a huge public team and the Phillies also enjoy a strong loyal fan base of bettors."
Philadelphia loyalty was such that most games had the Yankees getting no more than 70 percent of the betting action.
Las Vegas bookmakers also benefitted from the Yankees/Phillies series.
"Baseball is a little odd," Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton Sports Book, told the New York Post earlier in October. It's not really a great betting sport . . . so any time we can get one or two of those popular teams playing, it will obviously create a better atmosphere in the book, as opposed to, say, the Rockies and Tigers playing."
Gambling911.com certainly noticed a strong interest in the 2009 World Series from bettors based on traffic numbers.
The 2009 Breeders Cup is also helping to boost revenues throughout the week.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
