Here are some fast facts when betting on the 2009 Confederations Cup Final:  USA vs. Brazil.

*This is the most bet on soccer (football) game in ages for US-facing online sportsbooks.  Tons of action was received this past week, mostly on Team USA.  A U.S. win in the 2009 Confederations Cup final will hurt those online sportsbooks catering to Americans whereas the European facing online bookmakers won’t feel the pinch unless Brazil wins.  The books were already hurt by USA’s shocking upset of Spain to the tune of US$900 for every US$100 bet.  Both Team USA and Spain were getting more action than any other side in any other sport, including all of Sunday’s baseball games.

*When betting on the 2009 Confederations Cup final, it is crucial to find the best payout odds.  For the US-facing books, Bookmaker.com had the best odds on USA, with the promise of a US$600 pay day on every US$100 bet.

*According to the Wall Street Journal, Since the 2002 World Cup, the London-based statisticians of Decision Technology have been modeling domestic and international soccer competitions to predict outcomes and assess team strength. Their work has proven consistently better than the bookmakers’ odds. And their conclusion? The U.S. is really pretty good. The U.S. national side ranks 14th in the world, ahead of, say, Portugal, a team that’s able to field the world’s most expensive soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo. The U.S. is 40 percent as good as the best national team. There is a 21.3 percent chance USA will beat Brazil, based on Decision Technology’s model. 

* The United States has beaten Brazil only once in 14 tries, and that 1-0 victory came in Los Angeles in the semifinals of the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

* The USA became the first team in Confederations Cup history to qualify from the group stage with three points and a negative goal difference.

* The defending champions are contesting their fourth Confederations Cup final. But if Brazil, a superstitious nation, believe in omens, then victory could come at a price. No Confederations Cup winner has ever gone on to win the next World Cup according to the BBC.

* Brazil are unbeaten in 15 games (W11, D4) and have won the last seven – their best run since an eight-match winning streak was ended at the 2006 World Cup.

* Brazil have won all 11 internationals they have played in Africa.

Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com

With the feature races at the Sunshine Coast catching his eye, IASbet bookmaker Mark Read has picked out a handsome investment in the 2009 Caloundra Cup, tipping the Brian Smith-trained Scattergun to win at big odds.

“Scattergun’s ($10) form is sound and he is drawn to get a very good run. In addition to his attractive price, Glen Colless has the ride which instils further confidence in my selection,” said Read.

“My worst result in this race would be the $3.80 favourite, Our Lukas. However, I feel he will struggle to dictate the pace which, combined with the fact that this is his first attempt at the 2,400-metre trip, should make punters hesitant about his prospects.”

Looking at the support card, Read believes the locals have the edge in the Glasshouse Handicap over 1,400-metres.

“The race is extremely open this year, with Voice Commander a $6.00 favourite. However, I’m banking on the Alan Bailey-trained Charming Rouge ($8.00) to take out this event. His run two starts back to Ortensia was highly encouraging, and he strips a lot fitter third up, with a strong draw.”

“My lay of the race is Mr Baritone, his $6.50 quote, from such an awkward draw, represents little value.”

According to Pro Football Talk, there are rumors circulating that Brett Favre is now "under contract" with the Minnesota Vikings.

The rumor that the source would neither confirm nor deny is that the Vikings already have signed Brett Favre, and that the team and Favre are waiting to release the news.

If accurate, this means that the Vikings have a signed contract that they have yet to submit to the league office.  Setting aside for now the question of whether league rules permit such tactics, it puts into perspective recent developments such as Favre’s use of "we" when discussing the matter with Artie Lange’s biatch, the visit by a Vikings trainer to Favre to check on his arm, and reports that coach Brad Childress wanted to see Favre participate in some of the offseason workouts.

These details all make much more sense if Favre already is a member of the team.

The other bit of information, which we also posed to the source who declined to confirm or deny the rumor, is that the Vikings already have green-lighted the production by Reebok of purple jerseys bearing the number 4 – and the five-letter name that isn’t pronounced like it’s spelled.

None of this news should be regarded as earth shattering, but it’s the clearest sign yet that, come early 2010, Favre will be conducting his third annual retirement press conference.

The oddsmakers have not made the Minnesota Vikings a "runaway" favorite to win the NFC North despite news that Favre could be signing with that team.

Sportsbook.com has three teams vying as the favorite to win the 2009 NFC North though the Vikings have slightly shorter odds at +160 compared to Green Bay’s +175 and the Chicago Bear’s +200.  For the record, the Detroit Lions came in with +1000 odds and Minnesota would pay $2000 for every $100 bet if they were to win the 2010 Super Bowl.

This is Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com. 

Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a $3 billion resort project on the Las Vegas Strip, filed for bankruptcy-court protection late Tuesday, the project’s owners said.

The filing comes after a protracted battle with a group of lenders who pulled out of an $800 million loan needed to finish building the hotel and casino resort — one of the most lavish planned for Las Vegas.

It has not been the best week for the Fountainbleau group, which holds an  ownership interest in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.  The Miami resort suffered damage this past Friday when part of its lobby ceiling collapsed during a storm that put much of Miami Beach under water.  This is after nearly $1 billion was spent on renovating the property, which reopened to much fanfare just two months ago.

Gambling911.com reports that the resort was fully operational as of Sunday but couldn’t help but notice the 8 foot area of missing ceiling tiles.  Damage totals were not immediately known.  

The online gambling companies aren’t always quick to alert Gambling911.com to payment processing problems.  Over the past two weeks there’s been a few coming to the surface.

"I am surprised we are not reading about Intabill on Gambling911.com," said one individual associated with the online gambling sector.

Intabill is an Australian based firm that a number of the Web betting companies have been utilizing. 

One doesn’t have to go far to find information on Intabill and its now infamous founder, Daniel Tzvetkoff. 

The company Tzvetkoff majority owns owes about $30 million to online US poker houses, according to James Mccullough of the Courier Mail. 

He drove a Lamborghini with the number plate "baller", owned a massive boat, chartered impressive jets, opened his own Fortitude Valley nightclub, Zuri, sponsored a V8 supercar racing team – and was busy amassing property and doing interesting side deals.

In between driving the Lambo he got around in a Ferrari 599, an Audi S6, a Range Rover and a Ford GT40. During regular trips to Las Vegas, where he is rumoured to have a house, he was again spotted in a Lambo.

Mr Tzvetkoff is young and good looking. He loves fine champagne and had a penchant for the very high life, although deep down he is a boy from Ipswich with Bulgarian parents.

In some IT sectors he was and still is described as a genius who created an enviable business through his main Australian company Intabill, based in Brisbane’s inner-west suburb Milton, of which he owns a two-third’s share and is managing director.

That company is owned by BT Projects Pty Ltd, whose three shareholders are listed as Tzvetkoff, local lawyer Sam Sciacca and an Alberta, Canada-based company called Rendel Investments.

In recent times Mr Tzvetkoff’s business has come back to earth with a thud. A few weeks back Intabill sacked 96 staff from its Milton head office. At the time Mr Tzvetkoff blamed the global economic crisis and said he was refocusing his company. Barely a dozen staff remain at Milton.

His prized Lamborghini and other flash European cars have now gone. His Hedges Ave mansion is believed to be back on the market.

Meanwhile, online poker sites like Full Tilt Poker have been saddled with bad checks from the processing venture, Instant eCheck.  This deposit and withdrawal method has since been yanked from Full Tilt and their competitor’s websites. It was also learned that some of the checks issued to players have been bouncing. 

For online poker there couldn’t be a worse time for all of this to be happening. 

"We in the midst of the World Series of Poker," said Gambling911.com’s Ace King.  "The main event is coming next month and ESPN will be televising the WSOP.  It’s a time when aspiring poker pros want to jump on board these websites."

The online sportsbooks haven’t exactly been immune to payment processing problems.

Just this week, Gambling911.com reported on Smart Banking Systems, which owes operators in Costa Rica hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher         

Now that Rachel Alexandra’s status for the Belmont Stakes Odds has been determined (she will not run), the focus turns to jockey Calvin Borel as he tries to do something that has never been done, win the jockey Triple Crown aboard two different horses, and this means that SBG Global has had to retool its 2009 Belmont Stakes betting odds. 

Borel won with Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby and with Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes.  Now he will get back on Mine That Bird in the Belmont.

"Now that the decision is made, I am excited to come to New York and ride Mine That Bird in the Belmont Stakes." Borel said.

Mine That Bird is going to be a solid favorite in Belmont Stakes Odds and that might put a little added pressure on Borel.  Recent history might not be on Borel’s side either as Belmont Stakes favorites have been a bust recently, including last years’ favorite Big Brown.

Mine That Bird is a big closer but that type of horse rarely wins the Belmont.  A horse with tactical speed does far better in Belmont Stakes odds.  In the last 30 years, 27 of the 30 winners were within two lengths of the leader at the top of the stretch.  That does not bode well for Mine That Bird who has come from the clouds in both the Derby and the Preakness.

"If you look at previous Belmonts, the horses closer to the pace tend to win," trainer Chip Woolley said, "People think just because it’s longer it will suit my horse better but history says you need to be closer to the pace so he’s got his work cut out for him. But as far as changing his style, we’re not going to do that. If you change his style he’s not going to finish and I’d rather be finishing than stopping."

Horse betting  at SBG Global.

The key to winning at the Belmont is timing everything just right which is where Borel will come into play.

"Not only is getting the timing right key but knowing where you are in the race and how much you have to make up is crucial because the track is so much deeper," Woolley said. "If you push the button too early, you sure can come up empty at the wire."

Not all deep closers have failed either, as in 2006 it was Jazil rallying to win after sitting last early in the race.

SBG Global !offered some of the best payout odds for the 2009 Kentucky Derby and they hope to do the same with the upcoming Belmont Stakes race.

Up to 295% in Total Bonuses from SBG Global !

Up to 200% Casino Deposit Bonus

Up to 60% Deposit Bonus                         

20% Buddy Referral                        

10% Casino Rebate

5% Horse Rebate

OnlineVegas.com, a US friendly online casino is offering a guaranteed $150,000 prize pool for their two-week May Flowers slots tournament. The tournament begins today and already has over 25,000 competitors.  

The prize pool is large and lucrative for the winner of the $150,000 May Flowers Guaranteed Freeroll tournament. The winner will take home $65,000 and with a field approaching 27,000 people for free, competition will be stiff for the grand prize. Second and third place isn’t all that bad either, second will walk away with $19,50011,750.  
while third will take home $

The tournament officially begins tonight at eight pm Eastern Time and concludes May 19th at the same time. Not to worry if you don’t come first, second or third; the first 500 competitors will receive a cash prize as they battle through the five-reel 25-payline slot game Cherry Blossoms.  

If you want to increase your odds of winnings, players have the option to rebuy in for $20. Players are required to have a balance of $125 in order to play in the tournament.  

So come visit OnlineVegas.com today and try your luck at $65,000!

Lawyers for the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) submitted their brief to the Kentucky State Supreme Court, opposing an attempt by Gov. Steven Beshear (D) to seize the rights to 141 Internet domain names.

In addition, iMEGA’s attorney’s have asked the court to review a video tape of the secret proceeding Gov. Beshear’s attorney’s used to get property seizure orders for the domain names, without notifying the property owners or giving them the opportunity to be represented.

iMEGA and a coalition of other groups had already prevailed over Gov. Beshear in a 2-to-1 majority decision from the commonwealth’s Court of Appeals back in January 2009. The appeals court blocked a lower court’s seizure orders. Gov. Beshear wanted the domain names, all related to gambling, to force online gaming firms to block Kentucky residents from using their sites, and to protect the commonwealth’s in-state gambling operations from competiton.

"We’re very confident the State Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion as the Court of Appeals," said Joe Brennan Jr., chairman of iMEGA. "It’s too bad Gov. Beshear wants to keep fighting, but since he’s not paying for his attorneys, I guess he doesn’t care how long this takes or how much he ties up Kentucky’s court with this doomed campaign." Gov. Beshear is represented by two law firms that have taken the legal fight on under a contigency contract, one that gives them up to one-third of any financial windfall that may result from the governor’s suit.

The effort to block Kentucky’s actions received support from a broad coalition of technology and Internet rights groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Club for Growth, eBay, Network Solutions, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC).

Briefs from groups opposing the Kentucky action are due to the State Supreme Court by June 1st.

Last week’s demonstrations by gambling operators protesting the unilateral parliamentary ban on all gambling in the Ukraine seem to have had the desired effect, with President Viktor Yuschenko stepping in to calm the situation.

Interfax news agency reports that the president has not yet signed the bill into law, and before doing so he has undertaken to discuss the matter further with representatives from the gambling industry. And the president brought new hope to gambling executives by referring to the ban as “temporary” in promising to forward the industry’s proposals back to parliament for further consideration.

“I have four days to take a decision,” Yuschenko said, adding that the legislation passed last week by the Verkhovna Rada was populist. He noted that he could have vetoed the law, but opined that this will not produce a lasting result.

“If I veto (the law), parliament will override the veto next day,” the head of state said, inviting indiustry officials to communicate with him and suggest alternative proposals.

The sponsor of the Poker Gaming Act of 2009, also known as Texas House Bill 222, officially suspended debate and voting on the bill. State Representative Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio), allowed the bill to die on the House floor rather than have it vetoed by Texas Governor and aspiring US Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry.

Rep. Menendez first introduced HB 222 in November of last year in an effort to declare poker a game of skill in Texas. The bill would have allowed for raked poker games to be established by the state’s Native American tribes, as well as charitable foundations, bars and business that currently allow for legalized gambling such as horse and dog tracks.

Under current Texas law, poker (including the popular Texas Holdem version of the game) is legal to play. However, the person or persons that run the game are not allowed to take a rake (a portion of the pot to cover their expenses) or charge admission. Also, all the money in the game must be distributed among the players.

Although Rep. Menendez or any other member of the House can re-introduce similar legislation in next year’s session, Gov. Perry has announced that he will veto any such bill that comes across his desk. Advocates for safe, legal games in Texas are looking at the next election in November 2010 to see if they can find candidates that will be willing to consider the issue.

TO AVOID LEGAL REDRESS UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW REPRINTERS MUST CITE THE NAME OF THE ABOVE ARTICLE’S AUTHOR AND THE AUTHOR OR EDITOR’S E-MAIL ADDRESS, AND THEY MUST LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE AS PRESENTED ON ITS PUBLISHING SITES (www.gamblingplanet.org and poker.gamblingplanet.org).

PrintSend to friend