Sports gambling in Florida is already a sucker's bet | David Whitley
Sports wagering quietly returned to Florida last week. As a public service, here is some foolproof advice for those considering placing a bet.
DON’T!
You’re probably going to lose. Or worse, become addicted and start embezzling company funds to bet on Florida to win the SEC.
Alas, millions of readers will ignore that warning. Sports gambling has boomed since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized it in 2018.
It’s largely been tied up in legal battles in Florida, but the Seminole Tribe reopened its Hard Rock gambling app last week. It took less than one day for someone to enter the “More Money Than Sense” sweepstakes.
He or she bet $426,000 that Kent State would beat Bowling Green, and another $1.12 million that the Golden Flashes would cover the 10.5-point spread. It should be noted that Bowling Green was 5-4 entering the game, while Kent State was 1-8.
That helps explain how Bowling Green won 49-19. The bettor might as well have built a bonfire out of 1.5 million $1 bills or donated it to Jimbo Fisher’s 401(k) plan.
I’m not saying every prospective gambler will end up in the gutter. But if you are considering gambling as a new hobby, you should follow a few guidelines:
Set a limit and stick to it. Understand the odds. Don’t let emotion cloud your judgment. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose.
And if you can afford to lose your shirt on a Kent State football game, please give your shirt to someone who really needs one…
Help Wanted: Leaky defense among questions for Florida football following loss to No. 19 LSU
Madame Diesel: Florida women's basketball lands Shaquille O'Neal's daughter, No. 33 recruit Me'Arah
Stud of the Week: Jimbo Fisher’s agent, Jimmy Sexton. He got Texas A&M to fully guarantee a buyout, and now his client has 77 million reasons to be grateful.
Stud II: Philip Rivers. Literally. The retired NFL quarterback welcomed his 10th child into the world last week…
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz threw 38 passes without an interception against LSU. Mertz has now gone 226 passes without a pick, breaking Tim Tebow’s school record of 203.
In related news, Florida’s defense has now gone 226 straight plays without tackling anybody…
In case you’re not aware, the Cricket World Cup is currently being contested in India. According to NDTV Sports, Pakistan’s Haris Rauf “scalped 16 wickets and picked just one maiden over,” against England last Saturday.
I have no idea what that means, but I believe it would get you arrested in at least 29 countries…
A LeBron James museum is opening next week in his hometown of Akron. Admission will be $23 (LeBron’s jersey number), though customers can buy cheaper “Load Management” tickets and skip every fourth exhibit…
Jimmy Sexton also represented Gus Malzhan when he got a $21.5 million buyout from Auburn, and Willie Taggart when got $18 million from FSU. Moral of the story: If you’re an athletic director looking for a coach and Sexton calls, immediately hang up…
An Ann Arbor sportswear store is selling “Michigan Vs. The World” gear. You can get a hoodie for $75, a knit cap for $45 and a Connor Stalions fake moustache, nose and glasses for $35. All proceeds go to the Jim Harbaugh Defense Fund…
True Fact: Philip Rivers’ house has a larger population than the entire continent of Antarctica…
Scalped Wicket Update: Pakistan coach Morne Morkel resigned Monday after his team was eliminated from the Cricket World Cup. He will reportedly get a $48 million buyout from Texas A&M…
Kudos to UF women’s basketball coach Kelly Rae Finley for signing Shaquille O’Neal’s youngest daughter, Me’Arah. That came just days after men’s coach Todd Golden got a commitment from the world’s tallest teenager, 7-foot-6 Oliver Rioux.
As far as we know, no other school has ever signed the daughter of a worldwide sports celebrity and an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records in one week…
Possibly True Fact: Jimbo Fisher’s buyout is larger than Antarctica’s annual GDP…
Museum Redux: LeBron James changed his number from 6 to 23 before the season. I’d like to believe it wasn’t so he could charge museum patrons an extra $16 to enter…
The U.S. Census Bureau reported last week the world’s population passed 8 billion in late September. The bureau projects the population to pass 9 billion by 2038, though it may be 2042 if Philip Rivers is put on the Physically Unable to Perform list…
That’s about all the space we have for this week’s Whitley’s Believe It or Not. Until next week, if you’re negotiating a job at McDonald’s, hire Jimmy Sexton. He’ll probably get you a $5 million buyout.
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidEWhitley
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Betting on sports in Florida is a losing proposition | | David Whitley
