Three advance in Prague

Tennis Betting Lines

07/12/2010 - Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A trio of unseeded women, including Slovenian Polona Hercog, posted first-round wins Monday at the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event.

Hercog humbled German Tatjana Malek 6-4, 6-2 on the red clay at Stvanice.

In other Day-1 action, Sweden's Johanna Larsson leveled Czech wild card Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4 and Georgian Anna Tatishvili came from behind to beat Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova 0-6, 7-5, 7-5.

This week's top seeds are Czech favorite Lucie Safarova and Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru. Austrian Sybille Bammer topped this year's surprise French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in last year's Prague finale.

Hankoooki Tennis Betting News

<< Chivas USA's Braun earns MLS Player of Week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA forward Justin Braun was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 15 of the 2010 season on Monday. Braun scored both of his club's goals in its 2-0 win over th

<< Hanescu ousted in Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth seed and 2009 runner-up Victor Hanescu was an opening-round upset victim Monday at the Mercedes Cup tennis event. The Romanian Hanescu was knocked out by Swiss Marco Chiudinelli 7-6 (7-4), 6

<< Serra exits Bastad
Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth-seeded Frenchman Florent Serra was a first-round upset victim Monday at the Swedish Open. Italian Potito Starace stifled Serra 6-2. 6-2 on the red clay at Bastad Tennis Stadium. In other first-ro

<< Edoardo Molinari in top 20 of world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edoardo Molinari collected his first European Tour win Sunday at the Scottish Open and in the process, moved inside the top 20 of the world rankings. Molinari moved up 22 places to 19th this week.

<< Duquesne names two coordinators
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Saint Francis (Pa.) football coach Dave Opfar was named Duquesne's new defensive coordinator and Niel Loebig was elevated from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, Dukes coach Jerry Schmitt annou

Henry to New York exactly what MLS needs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In one of the worst-kept secrets in soccer, French striker Thierry Henry will be announced as Red Bull New York's second designated player at a press conference on Thursday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. What

ESPN's Berman honored with Pete Rozelle Award >>
Canton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - ESPN host Chris Berman has been recognized as the 2010 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio- Television Award. The award recognizes long-time exceptional contributions t

AL Notebook: Cano finally starting to 'get it' with Yankees >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't long ago that there were some people inside the New York Yankees organization who wanted to deal Robinson Cano. Some felt he was too lazy in the field. Others didn't like his approach at the plate. His harshest c

NL Notebook: Better late then never for Reds' Rhodes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There may not be a more random All-Star on this year's National League squad than left-handed specialist Arthur Rhodes. Then again, there may not be a more deserving player either. Forget the moonball he served up to Ryan

Canucks sign D O'Brien, three others >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks on Monday announced the signing of defenseman Shane O'Brien. O'Brien, 26, had two goals and six assists with a plus-15 rating in 65 games for the Canucks last season. He has

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.