Top 5 Bets of 2008
Last week we at Gambling911.com witnessed one of the best bets ever - Arizona getting pummeled in New England. What we knew was not a secret: The Cardinals had only won 3 of 22 games on the East Coast; they had nothing to play for after making it into the Playoffs early; and the weather was frightful to say the least - wind, brutal cold and snow.
So none of us were surprised when the Patriots completely manhandled Arizona. This was like taking candy from a baby.
But there were 5 big bets that really hurt the bookmakers in 2008 as Covers.com reports. These were the 5 big moneymakers for sports bettors.
The North Carolina Tar Heels - The Heels started the season 12-2 ATS and delivered an overall ATS mark of 22-8 in the regular season. North Carolina has struggled a tad to start this season, with just a 4-5 ATS mark, but don't be surprised to see the Tar Heels back in the money soon.
The Tampa Bay Rays - Who can argue the Rays were among the biggest surprise teams of 2008 (along with the Dolphins and Falcons we suppose). For sports bettors, Covers.com points out that the Rays went 97-65 for an MLB-best profit margin of 2,796 units. They also delivered a profit of 1,148 units on the run line. In other words, anyone gambling on the Rays throughout the city might not be worrying too much about the woeful economy this holiday season.
The Boston Celtics - They were already among the favorites to win the 2008 NBA Championship entering the season following a blockbuster trade. Nobody knew just how great this team would be however and that really helped the gambling public.
The New York Giants - Covers.com's Josh Nagel had this to say:
Over the past 12 months, no team has provided a more reliable return for your gambling dollar than the Super Bowl champion Giants. They kicked off the year with four straight underdog wins on their way to the title which started with a win against three-point chalk Tampa Bay and followed with major money line scores against Dallas and Green Bay as a 7.5-point dog. Of course, their upset of New England as a 12.5-point underdog was the coup de grace. The Giants backed up their monumental run by turning in another solid money-making season, going 12-4 straight up and ATS including a cover against Minnesota in Sunday's 20-19 loss.
And finally, Covers.com ranked any college team from Oklahoma as a top bet of 2008.
Together, the Sooners (11-1 straight up) and Cowboys (8-3) are a combined 18-5 ATS which includes the game they played against each other (the Sooners covered in the 61-41 win.) The Cowboys covered their first eight games to start the season before fumbling the cash a little at the end. Oklahoma's two ATS losses came back-to-back against Texas and Kansas. The Sooners have since cashed in six straight without making bettors break a sweat. Honorable mention in the state goes to Tulsa which started with a 6-1 ATS burst before stumbling to 7-5.
Covers.com is one of our favorite stats sites and it is the most popular. But our best bet of 2008 here at Gambling911.com was that New England Patriots blowout. We even went out and bought Jenny Woo a brand new Porsche for Christmas following that big win!
In her dreams.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
