Sports betting forum archive

European Tour golf betting resumes this weekend with the Hong Kong Open. Plenty of familiar faces will be in the mix, including Rory McIlroy, who is a 7/1 favorite to win the tournament.

McIlroy fared pretty well at the HSBC Champions tournament two weeks ago, finishing fifth. A couple weeks before that he picked up a 12th-place finish at the Egyptian Open on the Challenge Tour. That effort snapped a streak of three poor tournaments in which the Northern Ireland native failed to finish higher than 37th. Before that, McIlroy had been rolling with a third, ninth, and third-place finish, respectively. Perhaps he’s back on track.

Graeme McDowell is right behind McIlroy with 8/1 odds to win the Hong Kong Open. Also a Northern Ireland native, McDowell is coming off a third-place effort at last week’s Barclays Singapore Open. He was just 34th at the HSBC Champions, but McDowell won the Andalucia Valderrama Masters the week before that so, overall, he’s swinging the club pretty well right now.

Ian Poulter is next in line with 11/1 European Tour odds. The Englishman has been a pretty safe bet for the Top 20 over the past few months, cracking it in four of his last five outings. That includes a sixth-place effort at the Barclays Singapore Open last week.

Miguel Angel Jimenez rounds out the top four competitors with 12/1 Hong Kong Open odds. Like the other top challengers this weekend, Jimenez secured a Top-10 finish at the Barclays Singapore Open by placing eighth. Though he struggled at the HSBC Champions, the Spaniard placed seventh at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, giving him a pair of Top-10s in his last three outings.

Golf season is about over so get those bets down while you can at Bodog Sportsbook

Friday’s Auburn-Alabama matchup will once again be one of the biggest games of the year when it comes to lawful — and unlawful — gambling.

Sgt. John Barker of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department tells The Birmingham News that college football gambling “is bigger and more common than it’s ever been, from high schools to break rooms in industry.”

Birmingham FBI agent Paul Daymond says that his office is most concerned with the possibility of gamblers bribing athletes to influence the outcome of games.

According to Doug Segrest of The News, both Alabama and Auburn officials work to educate their athletes on the dangers of gambling. NCAA representatives have also made stops on campus to warn against players betting.

For the most part — unless it involves organized crime — law enforcement officials continue to look the other way when it comes to sports gambling. As they should. If I want to gamble my money for entertainment, that should be my right.

Personally, I enjoy sports betting. I just wish I was better at it.

As Atlantic City casinos and the state's horse racing tracks continue to die a slow — but rapidly accelerating — death, lawmakers continue to search for ideas to restore them to something approaching health. Or at least to make them more competitive with gambling operations across the borders in neighboring states. It's a big problem, for all New Jerseyans, because the revenue generated by gambling helps the entire state. So we all have a stake in the casinos' success.

Some of the answers, however, aren't that hard. One obvious step that we've been encouraging for years is to legalize sports betting in the state. Some lawmakers are increasingly clamoring for just that, and the latest push is to place a referendum on next November's ballot seeking public approval for sports gambling. A state Senate committee passed a resolution toward that end on Monday.

Officials urging sports betting claim the state is losing millions without it. Whether or not those figures are hyperbole doesn't really matter; simple logic tells us that bringing sports betting to the casions and horse tracks can only generate more gambling activity and more revenue.

And there's no meaningful downside. Old fears about fostering more of the "criminal element" and threatening the integrity of professional sports are terribly outdated. Sports betting is already everywhere these days, legal and illegal, and the "legitimate" version already is available just over the border in Delaware.

There's one big obstacle to overcome, even if the public does back the idea. A federal ban restricts sports gambling to four states — Nevada, Oregon, Mondana and Delaware. New Jersey could have signed on back in the early 1990s, but the state balked, and now it's out in the cold unless that ban is overturned. A lawsuit is attempting to achieve just that by claiming that it fails to treat all states equally and should be struck down on constitutional grounds.

New Jersey gambling thrived for many years because it had a virtual East Coast monopoly. Those days are long gone, and so too should be the outdated thinking of what kind of gambling does and doesn't belong in the state. Legalized sports betting should be part of New Jersey's future.

A charity challenge which seeks to become one of the cornerstones of mass sports participation as a result of the London 2012 Games has been launched.

Gold Challenge aims to raise £20 million for charity by the end of 2012 by getting people to test themselves in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Organisers hope that more than 100,000 will take part and work towards helping their chosen charity.

It is being billed as a "unique social enterprise".

Gold Challenge founder Dan Thompson is predicting the scheme will be an "outstanding success", adding: "My vision for Gold Challenge is twofold - to inspire people of every age and physical ability to play sport, and raise significant sums of money for charity.

"By harnessing the growing excitement around London 2012, we are in a unique position to deliver these two objectives."

Individuals or teams are being called to try five, 10, 20 or 30 groups of sports. To complete a sport, people will have to participate in at least three hours of coached activity.

A new website for participants - A Charity Challenge With Charity Fundraising And Olympic Sports - has gone live as a team of British athletes vying for a place at London 2012 attended the campaign launch at Lord's Cricket Ground.

The website gives a helping hand and training ideas by providing key information guides on the different sports. Participants can also upload their progress and performance on its Gold Challenge Tracker.

Gold Challenge is backed by Sport England, the British Olympic Association and ParalympicsGB.

Online bookmaker Sportingbet said it has seen an increase in punters gambling on-the-go amid the growing popularity of smartphones.

The Channel Islands-based company said the number of customers gambling from mobiles had increased ten-fold since it launched a special iPhone application six months ago.

Some 10,000 customers now actively gamble with Sportingbet from their phones, accounting for more than 7% of regular customers in its biggest markets. This growth is expected to continue as smartphones become more common.

The trend helped live betting on sporting fixtures rise 27% in the quarter to 31 October.

Total amounts wagered increased by 11% to £513.9 million, while underlying profits rose 17% to £11.3 million, aided by growth in online gaming in Australia.

The company is benefiting from the increased availability of broadband and growing confidence in the internet for financial transactions.

Earlier this month it said it had pulled out of merger talks with Sweden's Unibet but is still in talks with other parties.

Analysts think it is likely to join forces with a rival. It recently agreed to pay £21.3 million to the Unites States Department of Justice over online gaming, bringing to an end a long running legal issue that had been hanging over it and clearing the way for mergers and acquisitions.

It announced this month it had entered into a joint-venture with Russia's second largest bookmaker, First International Bookmakers Company.

With the online gambling laws murky at best in the US, there is one activity that all can agree is illegal, online sports betting. On Wednesday, four Utica, New York residents were arrested in conjunction with an illegal Internet gambling operation investigation.

Richard Dorsagno Sr., his wife Susan Dorsagno, and their son, Richard Dorsagno Jr., were all arrested and charged with various crimes related to the online sports betting operation. John Swift of Utica was also arrested, although authorities failed to say whether or not they arrests stemmed from the same operation.

When authorities executed search warrants at the residents of the Dorsgno's and Swift, they confiscated computers and cash. There was $25,000 taken from a safe at Dorsagno's residence, and authorities believed that the cash actually belonged to Swift.

Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara acknowledged that this was one of the more advanced illegal sports betting operations that has been investigated. McNamara pointed to the use of the Internet as an example of the difference between this case and most others the county has investigated.

Internet sports betting in most areas of the country has been around for at least a decade. Even land-based bookies have transferred some of their customers over to Internet sites in recent years, with authorities in various states seeking out and busting those associated with the activity.

The actual placing of bets has not been the problem for these bookies. The transfer of money in the US after the bets have been placed is where these bookies have gotten into trouble with the law. Most Internet sports betting sites are located offshore in countries such as Costa Rica and Panama, where the activity is regulated.

Swift and the Dorsagno's face charges ranging from misdemeanor counts of promoting gambling for all four of the accused, to a felony charge of first-degree possession of gambling records for Dorsagno Sr. and Swift.

The Dubai World Championship takes center stage on this week’s European Tour golf betting, and Lee Westwood is the favorite after a fine showing in his last tournament.

The Englishman is getting 6/1 Bodog golf odds to win at Dubai. He was very sharp in his most recent tournament, finishing second at the HSBC Championship a few weeks ago. In fact, in Westwood’s past four tourneys, he has two second-place finishes and an 11th-place finish, so he’s swinging the club pretty well late in the year.

Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy are tied with 12/1 odds to win the Dubai World Championship. Kaymer has been a force on the European Tour, racking up eight victories this season. The German has cooled since late October, though, including 21st and 30th-place finishes. He got back on track at the Barclays Singapore Open two weeks ago, placing 10th.

McIlroy is another golfer gaining some momentum. The Northern Ireland native finished sixth at the Hong Kong Open last week, which followed up a fifth-place effort at the HSBC Champions. Throw in a 12th-place finish at the Egyptian Open in late October, and McIlroy has been competitive in his past three starts.

Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter are tied with 14/1 Dubai World Championship odds. Also a native of Northern Ireland, McDowell might be the hottest golfer in the tourney. He has three Top-5 finishes in his last four tournaments, including a victory at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in late October. McDowell placed fifth at the Hong Kong Open last week.

Poulter, however, was the winner in Hong Kong. That shining finish followed up a sixth-place effort at the Barclays Singapore Open, and he was 13th at the HSBC Champions before that. Obviously, the Englishman has been heating up with each passing tourney.

The 2011 tennis season’s first major championship is still two months away but already it has lost its biggest star: Serena Williams.

Serena, regarded as the world’s top player despite not officially ranked as No. 1, would have been going for a threepeat in Melbourne but had to withdraw due to a foot injury. She has been sidelined since Wimbledon this summer due to what was called a cut on her foot that originally was downplayed as minor.

“As I continue to rehabilitate my foot after the second surgery last month, it is with the utmost regret that I am withdrawing from the Hopman Cup and the 2011 Australian Open Championships," Williams said in a statement. "As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage. While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly. This decision, though heavy on my heart, is the right one. I am praying for a healthy recovery and I promise my Aussie fans and my fans around the world that I will be back better than ever as soon as I can be."

Williams had surgery after cutting her foot on broken glass at a restaurant following her win at Wimbledon. She returned to practice in September, but twice put off her comeback before officially ending her 2010 season, including missing the U.S. Open.

Serena is the only player in the Open Era to win five Australian Opens (taking the title in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010). She was ranked No. 1 all of 2010 until Oct. 11, when Caroline Wozniacki took over. By missing the start of 2011, Serena is likely to fall out of the world Top 10.

It seems that actor Russell Crowe has been leading a double life as an Oscar-winning actor as well as the co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an Australian rugby team which he is trying to help make a household name in United States via a yearly World Cup Challenge – a global event to be held in Las Vegas.

He feels that Americans will accept rugby quite easily once high profile players are introduced. “I have in mind that rugby league can create in America the same type of opportunity that the Premier League has in Europe,” says Crowe to the Guardian UK.

Of course it will be accepted, it’s the ultimate testosterone challenge which should be quite interesting to fans of the NFL due to their similarities. “Rugby is so easily explained to NFL fans because of its defined periods of offence and defense,” he goes on to explain.

As far as Vegas is concerned, Crowe feels it's the ideal location for such a global event which is full of high profile investors and promoters. "There is a possibility that in a city like Las Vegas, home to many world-class promoters, a sponsoring partner could be found to present the competition. Vegas is a very popular travel destination and has many travel options for interested spectators. I point to boxing fixtures as proof of how many people are willing to travel there for a sporting event," said Crowe to the Sydney Morning Herald.

As for now, the push is to hold the World Cup Challenge competition in Las Vegas, where top rugby leagues from the NRL and the Super League will compete at the end of the season. This event will hopefully be held in Vegas in hopes of raising awareness for the sport that Crowe loves and hopes the U.S. will too.

It’s been a long time coming, but the Davis Cup Final has arrived. The tournament began way back in March, but France and Serbia have advanced to the final and will determine which country earns tennis supremacy. Serbia is a heavy favorite on Bodog's tennis betting odds at 2/5, while France checks in at 15/8.

Both teams have enjoyed impressive runs to the final. France has cruised through the tournament with relative ease. It opened with a 4-1 victory over No. 8 Germany before ousting top-ranked Spain 5-0. The French then posted another shutout by topping No. 5 Argentina 5-0.

Serbia has had to work a little harder for its spot in the final. The country began with a 3-2 win over No. 3 United States. The Serbs followed up with a 4-1 win over No. 6 Croatia before facing another nail biter, this time beating the second-ranked Czech Republic 3-2.

Strategy and matchups will play a key part in determining a winner. Michael Llondra is hoping for a rematch against Serbia’s top player, Novak Djokovic. Llondra is a doubles specialist, but he recently upset Djokovic at the Paris Masters earlier this month.

France captain Guy Forget must announce Thursday who will go alongside his top-ranked player, Gael Monfils. With Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sidelined with an injury, the final spot will go to either Llondra, Gilles Simon or Richard Gasquet.

Regardless, Djokovic is unconcerned if he must face Llondra again. He blamed the surface for the recent loss and pointed out he’s beaten the Frenchman before.

Djokovic is a major weapon for Serbia. He’s won all five singles matches he’s played for the Serbs. Like Forget, Serbia captain Bogdan Obradovic has kept mum about who his No. 2 player will be — either Viktor Troicki or Janko Tipsarevic.

Serbia has one other edge — home-court advantage. The final is being played in Belgrade.

Don Meredith and Howard Cosell were the two voices of Monday Night Football in the seventies when football started to become the ratings giant that it is today. Meredith and Cosell, through their words, were as instrumental as any two people in ushering in the era of sports betting in America.

On Sunday, Meredith passed away at the age of seventy-two. According to Meredith's wife, Susan, the former NFL legend suffered a brain hemorrhage and lapsed into a coma before his death. Susan and her daughter were at Meredith's side at the time of his passing.

Back in the seventies, Meredith was one of the pioneers of ex-football players entering the broadcasting world. His stint on Monday Night Football produced some of the best calls and moments in Monday night history. There are still calls that replayed on a weekly basis from those telecasts.

At that time, football was playing second fiddle to baseball in the US. That trend carried on until the early nineties, when football started to surpass baseball in terms of loyal fans. Monday Night Football has been one of the driving forces behind the sports betting era that is currently at its height.

In the years since Meredith and Cosell shared the broadcast booth, sports betting, specifically NFL betting, has become a multi-billion dollar industry. It has come so far that now most gamblers are placing their bets on the Internet, and idea that was not even thought of back in the seventies.

Many former friends and teammates have already come out and spoke of how Meredith was a one of a kind person. Susan described her husband as "kind, warm, and funny," Monday, and also added, "We lost a good one."

Boxing betting fans get a chance to see a pair of heavyweights go at it this weekend, as Wladimir Klitschko will defend his collection of belts against Dereck Chisora, with Klitschko a big favorite on Bodog's boxing odds.

Klitschko owns the IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine belts. The Ukrainian has a ridiculous 55-3 record (49 knockouts), and he hasn’t lost since 2004, when he was knocked out by Lamon Brewster in the fifth round. Since then, it’s been nothing but dominance for Klitschko, as fight fans clamor for a battle between him and his brother Vitali.

Chisora, an Englishman, is the British and Commonwealth champion. Many observers are rather unimpressed he’s being given a title shot. Chisora has just 14 career fights under his belt.

All of them were victories, including nine knockouts, but the biggest victory on his resume was a second-round knockout over Danny Williams – who is a shell of his former self. To be fair, though, the matchup speaks more about the lack of available fighters in heavyweight boxing than it does about Chisora himself.

And Chisora is not without talent. He’s showed some flashes already, and taking this fight certainly shows some guts. He was last seen taking the Commonwealth belt from Sam Sexton, and many regard it as Chisora’s best fight to date.

Klitschko’s pros and cons have been dissected ad nauseum over the years. He has a brilliant jab and is a master at dictating the fight. Klitschko can be pressured if an opponent can get in close and land some blows, but that’s a rarity to see these days.

It will be especially difficult for Chisora. He yields five inches in height and seven inches in reach to Klitschko. As always, he’ll have a puncher’s chance — but his odds of winning are slim.

The best boxing odds and props are at Bodog Sportsbook

Lawmakers in New Jersey have done all of the preliminary work necessary and have come to the conclusion that in order to stay as the top gaming state in the Northeast, sports betting needs to be legalized. Now, voters will get to voice their opinion on the issue.

Assembly and Senate legislators have decided to place an amendment on the ballot in 2011 that would ask voters to change the current sports gambling laws in New Jersey. If approved, sports betting could begin at state casinos and racetracks, if a federal ban in overturned.

Back when casino gambling was starting to branch out in the US in the early nineties, a federal ban was put in place regarding sports betting. Only four states at the time opted out of the ban, keeping their options open in the future. New Jersey was not one of those states.

Senator Raymond Lesniak has been the biggest supporter of expanded gambling in New Jersey, and he has spearheaded an effort to have the federal law overturned. A lawsuit has been filed, and Lesniak is hoping that the law is found unconstitutional. That outcome would have to come down before any sports betting that takes place in New Jersey.

In addition to sports gambling, Lesniak is also pushing Internet gambling regulations in the state. Atlantic City casinos would be the main beneficiaries of the online gambling law changes, and the state would increase their tax revenue from these casinos by millions of dollars each year. Sports betting and online gambling both appear to be on the fast track to approval by state legislators.

New Jersey lawmakers believe that currently, gamblers are being abused by underground bookies. By creating a safe environment for gamblers to place their bets, the state not only would benefit from a reduction in crime, but also would reap the benefits of the added tax revenue.

Atlantic City casinos have been hurt in recent years by the economy, and sports betting and online gambling are looked upon as sources that could rejuvenate the city's gaming industry. If both were legalized, New Jersey would also stay ahead of Pennsylvania and other Northeastern states in terms of gaming revenue.

Golf fans can get a healthy dose of European Tour golf betting this weekend as the South African Open Championship gets underway. Two golfers — Ernie Els and Tim Clark – are tied with 8/1 odds to win the tourney.

Els didn’t have his best game at the Dubai World Championship a few weeks ago, finishing 28th. He was much sharper in his tournament before that, the HSBC Champions, where he placed sixth. That was the only Top-10 finish for Els in his last five outings, and he’s yet to record a victory this season.

Clark, meanwhile, has been even worse. He was 25th at the HSBC Champions — his best finish since placing 12th at the U.S. Open back in June. Clark has three career European Tour wins, and none have come this season. He’ll need a major turnaround to get things going this weekend.

Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel are tied with 10/1 odds to win the South African Open Championship. Goosen finished 39th at the Dubai World Championship, which followed up a sixth-place effort at the HSBC Champions. That effort gives Goosen two top-six finishes in his last five tournaments; he was third at the Bridgestone Invitational.

If you’re looking for a hot golfer, Schwartzel might be your man. He was oh-so-close at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last weekend, finishing second. Schwartzel has probably played more golf than anybody lately, as he started four tournaments in November plus the Dunhill last week.

Louis Oosthuizen and Thomas Aiken round out the South African Open’s top competitors; each have 25/1 golf odds to win this weekend. Oosthuizen was 69th at the Alfred Dunhill, though he has a 13th and fourth-place finish in his past four tournaments. Aiken was fifth at the Alfred Dunhill and 13th in Dubai, giving him three finishes among the top 20 in his last five tourneys.

Yes, there is still golf ongoing. So bet on this Euro Tour event at Bodog Sportsbook

The WBC light heavyweight championship is on the line Saturday night as Jean Pascal defends his belt against Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. Pascal is a -250 favorite, while Hopkins checks in as a +250 underdog.

Pascal, 28, is 26-1 in his career with 16 knockouts. The Canadian stands 5’11 with a 67-inch reach, and he’s looking to make a name for himself with a big-time win on Saturday. He’ll have the crowd on his side, as the fight takes place at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City.

That could be a major factor. Pascal’s last fight was in Canada, when he surprised just about everybody by upsetting Chad Dawson. The fight wasn’t entirely convincing, though.

Pascal has also been criticized for having plenty of flaws in his game. Though he shows plenty of athleticism, stamina is a serious issue. Many observers believe Pascal ran out of gas during the second half of the fight but that Dawson failed to take advantage. Had Dawson pushed the issue, some believe, Pascal would have blown the fight.

Hopkins likely needs no introduction. Still going at 45 years old, the American has a career record of 51-5-1 with 32 knockouts. At 6’1 and with a 75-inch reach, he will have a considerable reach advantage over the shorter Pascal.

This is Hopkins’ first true test in a long time. He tore apart Kelly Pavlik in October 2008 but took 14 months off after that. The vet then fought a tune-up against Enrique Ornelas before fighting Roy Jones Jr. That highly anticipated fight fell flat, as both fighters looked old, sluggish and disinterested. It was a terrible bout and doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence for Hopkins heading into Saturday.

Hopkins’ biggest weapon is his experience, of course. He’ll trail Pascal in speed and punching power, but he’ll know how and when to attack. That’s especially important considering the champ’s recent stamina issues.

It's a knockout: Bodog Sportsbook has the best fight props

Jean Pascal is a winner!

Athletics Australia has laid down the law to outspoken sprinter John Steffensen, labelling his comments about the sport's governing body as "insulting".

The 2006 Commonwealth Games 400m champion has been banned from worldwide competition until mid-February after an independent panel ruled his comments about the Delhi Games selection process breached AA regulations.

Last year Steffensen said he was being discriminated against by AA's refusal to grant him a guaranteed spot on the Delhi Games team as he recovered from back surgery.

He also later accused AA of "bullying, egotism and an outdated approach".

But while he eventually won selection for the Delhi Games, he pulled out a month prior to the event as a protest against Athletics Australia.

AA chief executive Dallas O'Brien said he hoped his organisation and Steffensen could have a meaningful working relationship.

But he warned Steffensen that athletes couldn't just say anything they wanted publicly about the sport's governing body.

"It was insulting. He's part of our sport and it's like any sport - you might not always agree with the processes but you can't go around putting it down," O'Brien told AAP.

"It's a message that he just can't go around doing that."

Steffensen's three-month ban - officially for bringing the sport into disrepute - was backdated to start from the date the hearing was held in mid-November.

It means he will be free to compete again from February 16.

The ban is unlikely to seriously impact upon Steffensen, who wasn't scheduled to compete during the domestic athletics season over summer.

He will still be able to compete in the national titles in Melbourne in April, which double as selection trials for next year's world championships in Korea.

Senator Harry Reid may have tipped his hand too early to get federal online gambling laws changed, but that does not mean that Nevada casinos will be left out in the cold. The Nevada Gaming Commission made an important decision recently that will bring Internet gaming to the state sooner rather than later.

The Commission gave approval to the Leroy Group for their Leroy App that allows Nevada residents to place sports bets from their mobile phones. The app currently has been approved for the Blackberry, while the Android app is pending approval.

"The approval of the Leroy's App the creation of a new market segment for sports wagering and I am proud to be a part of its creation here in the United States," said John English, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Public Affair for American Wagering.

The Nevada Gaming Commission was successfully convinced that the application had the technology to recognize when a gamblers was inside state lines. That was key to the approval process, with Nevada having different laws than other states when it comes to gambling.

"The Nevada regulators placed significant challenges on American Wagering to provide a means of offering account wagering on a mobile device whereby we could verify that the bettor was in the state," said English. "We rose to the challenge and succeeded."

Nevada legislators may also soon take up the task of regulating online casinos. Senator Reid pushed for online poker regulations on a federal level and most opponents pointed to the idea that the bill was payback for the gaming operators who supported Reid's re-election campaign. In Nevada, legislators will not face as strong opposition in their efforts to regulate Internet casinos.

Fans are already gearing up for next year’s golf betting. One of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind is the odds to win the U.S. money list in 2011, and few seasoned golf bettors will be surprised to see a familiar name at the top of the list.

Yes, Tiger Woods is getting 1/1 odds to win the U.S. money list in 2011. Woods suffered a tumultuous 2010, playing in just a dozen tournaments and ranking 72nd on the money list at $1,294,765. That’s seriously disappointing considering Woods finished atop the list in nine of the last 13 years, including five of the past six. He hadn’t finished worse than fourth in over a decade. Most signs point to a Tiger resurgence in 2011, however. Woods notched a pair of Top-6 finishes in his final two PGA events of the year. More importantly, with his messy divorce finally behind him, Woods can finally focus on golf again.

Phil Mickelson is next in line with 8/1 odds to win the 2011 U.S. money list. Mickelson is still searching for his first victory atop the money rankings, though he’s usually in the mix. He placed sixth in 2010 with $3,821,733. Lefty won just a single tournament all year, though, and his effort was a slight drop off after finishing third, third, and second on the money list over the last three years. Perhaps the return of a healthy and motivated Tiger will bring out the best in Mickelson.

Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson are each tied with 14/1 odds to win the 2011 U.S. money list. Furyk was the runner-up this season after finishing with $4,809,623. He’s been very consistent over the past six years, reaching the Top-10 five times (he finished 12th in 2008), including a pair of second-place finishes.

Johnson has gotten better over the last three years. He placed 42nd in 2008, 15th in 2009, and followed it up with last year’s fourth-place finish.

Steve Stricker rounds out the top five competitors with 22/1 odds to win the 2011 U.S. money list. Stricker has reached the Top-5 in three of the last four years, including fifth place in 2010. He’s a little more inconsistent, though, as he has a 23rd and a 34th-place finish in the last five years.

Matt Kuchar won the 2010 money list, but he clocks in with just 33/1 odds to win this year. He certainly improved quite a bit from the previous year, when he finished 24th, but he also benefited from playing in more events (26) than most.

Get all your golf odds and props at Bodog Sportsbook.

There aren't many times in the year when junior hockey is at the forefront of the sports betting public's attention, but with no bowl games on the schedule today and the NFL playoffs a few days away, the gold medal game between Team Canada and Team Russia at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is the cream of the crop.

Bet on Team Canada or Russia with Bodog.

Not only does the match up feature a handful of the NHL's top prospects squaring off for international bragging rights, it features perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of international sports.

According to Bodog's online sportsbook, Team Canada is the -500 favorite to walk away with the victory while Russia promises a +350 payout. With Sweden and the United States currently duking it out for bronze, it's hard to imagine a more intense day in hockey. Get your World Juniors odds now.

Last year the Canadians fell in overtime of the gold medal game to the USA, will this year mark a quick return to glory? Star center Brayden Schenn has led the team in points so far with 16 through six games. Now just two points shy of the all-time lead for points by a Canadian in the tournament, Schenn can make history with a big night.

To bet on the World Juniors, get in the game with Bodog's online sportsbook. Think Canada can hold off after an impressive victory over the Americans in a semifinal matchup on Monday? Russia needed overtime and eventually a shootout to get past the favored Swedes in their last performance.

Get all your World Juniors betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook. Always know the odds.