-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Cubs winning World Series would hurt Vegas casinos
Archive
Comments
Story
The Cubs have become a bear of a problem for sports oddsmakers
in this gambling mecca.
Chicago’s National League team, who last won a World
Series 95 years ago, are threatening to gain revenge on the Las
Vegas “house.” That is, the bookmakers who have taken
and cashed the betting money of hapless Cubs’ fans who put
their money where their hearts were … year after year after
year.
This could be that “next year” that lives in those
fans’ fantasies.
If so, it will be a nightmare for the oddsmakers.
“I can tell you the Cubs winning the World Series would be
a really bad result for the sports books,” said Tony Sinisi,
senior oddsmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. “Now
we’re at the point where there’s so much money bet on
the Cubs that they have become a huge liability to the sports
books.”
“The Cubs are the one team that got into the playoffs that
the house wasn’t rooting for,” agreed Art Manteris,
vice president of race and sports book operations for Station
Casinos, comprising 11 sports books in Las Vegas. “It may be
payback time for all of those fans who’ve lost money on the
Cubs in all those past years.”
Whether from the heart early in the season, or from the smarts
later on – realizing that Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Matt
Clement and Carlos Zambrano would be a formidable pitching rotation
in a short playoff series-bets on the Cubs have been building all
season long. Enough bets that sports books have been dropping the
odds drastically against the Cubs winning the World Series.
That’s the way oddsmakers hedge their bets and slow the
wagering action on a team. The Cubs, who were anywhere from 30-1 to
50-1 longshots on Opening Day, now rate 4-1 or better to win the
World Series.
It varies among casinos. At the Mandalay Bay Sports Book, for
example, odds on the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox (who haven’t
won a World Series in 85 years) were 7-2, behind only the New York
Yankees at 2-1.
Manteris and Sinisi said the Cubs, for reasons of sentimentality
and national exposure, always have been a popular team for
bettors.
The Cubs and Red Sox both appeal to fans’ heartfelt
wagers. But Boston was seen as a strong team on Opening Day while
the Cubs were not, Sinisi said.
“Prior was an unknown who became a huge factor,” he
said. “And who knew (manager Dusty Baker) would give them a
little jump?”
Even as the Cubs threaten to slug his business, Sinisi said,
“It’s hard not to root for them. It’s a great
story.”
Michael Hirsley
Chicago Tribune (KRT)