Nope... don't gamble on games like that. ONly participate in a year long NFL pool that plays straight pickem.
The observations are from just looking and listening over the last several decades from friends and acquaintances that bet. I tell them what others have said, "every casino, hotel, tower, pool, fountain, statue, painting and mansion was built by guys thinking they could beat the house.".
Read the bio on the NBA ref and what he said about prior NBA final series and then you tell me. If you had 10's of millions of dollars on sports betting and it would only cost you a couple of hundred thousand dollars and maybe 2 gymnastic hookers to buy a couple of refs and 4-5 players that needed more cocaine, hookers or whatever just maybe that would be something that mobsters would try..
The straight players and believers in fairy tales can close their eyes to the weird calls that are made even with instant replay, but you have to remember what I'm saying. It's not about "winning" or "throwing the game"... it's about covering the point spread and being on the right side of the over and under.
So if the Pats and the Giants were supposed to get in a shoot out and the public went big, then the over and under is high and pressure would be to keep the score low. Since the Pat defense was pathetic.... how could you keep the score "low. Well... holding penalties, no fumble fumble-fumbles, ignoring holding on one team, no call pass interferences... or no touch pass interferences.... don't you wonder when the instant replay shows holding on almost any play but the one that they call and the player that it's called on is actually not holding or the announcer says, "gee, Terry, I didn't see a hold on that one..." or "man, he got away with some contact on THAT play didn't he?".
the refs can keep it as close or as far as they want. Add in some players especially in basketball and it's really easy to make book on the games.
It's not every game either, it's just a higher percentage.. say instead of random 50-50 your odds are 57-43... I'd take those and run to the bank. Now add on that you KNOW the over and under, then you've got 50% of a bet being a sure thing and the game is just a lot more in your favor.
Like I said, sports is entertainment... just like the NFL Pro Bowl. That was a fake game and that's why the commissioner got pissy about the boys playing hard. Cause it almost showed how you can almost make a game look real... but not quite.
You can believe that gambling and sports books have nothing to do with pro sports. I think it's nice. Kinda like my kids believing in Santa was nice. I just think that pro sports, the media and gambling has built a really big business that needs to be controlled in order to keep making money for the bosses. Nothing wrong with it in my eyes... just like a movie, television show or wrestling. Funny to watch but just entertainment.
I’m well aware of the amount of gambling, betting that takes place in the sports world. Like all sports nuts, I know a number people who constantly talk about the over and under and the odds. I have a relative that cost his family a small fortune betting on games. I just think it’s very difficult to rig pro games. Amateur athletes are far more susceptible to being bought off. What is the incentive for a modern pro athlete, where even scrubs make millions, to throw a game? You might get an isolated case here and there where a ref or a player might throw something, but I’m talking about a huge combined conspiracy with the whole league taking part. I know people who actually believe that takes place. When you ask them how something like that, with thousands of people involved, could possibly happen without someone leaking it out, they have no answer.