Significant sports stories inevitably impact the betting world, even if they involve a sensitive topic. That’s just the nature of the business because that’s exactly what it is. This business involves a great deal of money, and industry experts must approach unique variables just like they would an injury or any other development.
Hurricane Ian is impacting football games across the Southeast this weekend, which forced schools throughout the week to consider relocating or rescheduling them. In turn, oddsmakers and professional bettors had to adjust accordingly. Severe weather conditions could completely alter a game. Thus, nearly 10 games have had their totals lowered between six to eight points since they were first posted last Sunday. But ultimately, it’s still a guessing game and oddsmakers have protected themselves.
“Betting on weather seven days out is random, and the only one with an advantage is the big guy upstairs,” BetMGM vice president of trading Jason Scott told ESPN. “And to my knowledge, he doesn’t bet.”
However, on the other side of the counter, experienced and savvy bettors do have an advantage. That’s because they know how to optimize the fine print of this unique situation. Simply, there is no universal house rule for a game that changes venues or dates. Every sportsbook has its own policy, which they actually solidified during COVID-19.
Some operators void all bets if a game moves venues or days. Simple. Some declare action for any wager regardless of a change. That’s also easy. After that, it gets tricky. One book requires the game to be played within 100 miles, while another deems the bet valid, as long as the home team is still designated as the home team. If the game is rescheduled, a few books require the game to be played within seven or eight days of its original date. Another book’s house rules specify that all NFL games must be played by the following Wednesday.
Thus, if bettors do their homework and are armed with all the details while…
Source : espn
