Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Florida would become the last state to legalize sports betting. On May 19th, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new gaming contract with the Seminole tribes to bring legal betting to the Sunshine State. However, the deal is pending due to legal challenges. Essentially, sports betting is in legal purgatory as it awaits further federal approval from the Interior Ministry.
Fortunately for Florida sports bettors, news broke Wednesday that both DraftKings and FanDuel are spearheading an attempt to take sports betting into the hands of their citizens by lawmakers and the courts. The two big operators are trying to make sports betting an election initiative for the 2022 elections. To get to the polls, the initiative has to collect nearly 1 million signatures. Then it will have to get 60% of the vote in the 2022 elections to pass the law. According to multiple sources, the initiative has already been submitted and is expected to be adopted by the Florida Secretary of State in the coming days.
Florida has a population of around 21 million, making it the third largest state in the country. It’s also home to countless professional and college sports teams, as well as millions of rabid sports fans and bettors. If the Florida election initiative passes in 2022, it would be the biggest crown jewel to date in the widespread legalization of sports betting in America.
Now it’s Thursday where bettors have another loaded board to choose from, including 10 MLB games, 1 NBA playoff game, and 1 NHL playoff game. For an updated breakdown of Thursday’s betting promotions, be sure to tune in to the VSiN Market Insights Podcast with Josh Appelbaum. It will be released at 1 p.m. ET. I’ll be joining the Lombardi Line at 1:30 p.m. ET with Michael Lombardi and Patrick Meagher to offer a market update. I’ll also be meeting up with Danny Burke at rush hour at 7 p.m. ET to discuss late night action.
In the meantime, let’s discuss where the money goes for tonight’s NBA playoff game.
9:00 p.m. ET: Phoenix Suns at the Los Angeles Clippers
This is Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The suns lead the series 2-0. Phoenix won the season opener 120-114, making it a 4-point home favorite. Then Phoenix won Game 2 on a Summer Beater, shocking the Clippers 104-103, even though Los Angeles managed to cover as 4.5 point street dogs. Now the series is moving to Los Angeles. This game 3 line was opened at the consensus pick’em. It was revealed early Tuesday afternoon that Chris Paul was upgraded to likely and is expected to return to the line-up after an absence of two games due to COVID logs. We immediately saw respectable funds return the Suns with Paul, forcing the odds makers to make the Suns a 1-point road favorite. The next step will be crucial. When you see this line rise to -1.5 or higher it will indicate more Suns money in the market. If it drops back to a Pick’em or returns to Clippers, it is a sign that pro money is buying low from a desperate Clippers team in a must-win virtual game. The street favorites this postseason are 13-7 ATS (65%). Short favorites -5 or less are ATS 29-18 (62%). The Clippers play a popular Wiseguy system when teams come back home 2-0. Historically, supporting these desperate teams in the first quarter and first half has been profitable (Clippers are -0.5 for the first quarter and -1 for the first half). We also saw something come up about money when Paul was updated on likely. The grand opened at 218.5 and was bet on 221. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out for this game. Leading 2-0, the Suns -800 are favorites for the NBA finals (89% implied probability). The clippers are +550 outsiders.
Updated NBA title odds
Suns + 110 bucks + 145 falcons + 750 clippers + 1400
Remember to check the VSiN betting splits every day for money and ticket counts so you can see who the public is betting on.
