Gambling Traffic Trends
Here you will find the most authoritative trend analysis from the world of gambling, including sports betting and poker, even from the world of bookmakers. These are trending topics, dated. If it's hot in the world of gambling, it's here at Gambling911.com. For a real time look at the hot trends on Gambling911, go here.
X and BetMGM to Forge Partnership
(Trending January 27 All Day) - While this story gained traction via our X social media feed (not surprisingly), it performed especially well among our industry friends at LinkedIn where we amassed some of our highest impression counts in such a short period of time.
So is sports betting coming to Twitter? Wait and see. Details of this arrangement are not yet known.
MGM Former Exec Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Tied to
(Trending January 25 All Day) - We've been covering the reported investigation in Vegas executives ties to an LA area bookie, Wayne Nix, for the past several months now. So it shouldn't have come as any surprise that news related to this investigation began trending Thursday morning, even before the guilty plea by a former MGM executive was even announced.
Scott Sibella, 61, has pleaded guilty to one count of failure to file reports of suspicious transactions. Sibella served as president of the MGM Grand from August 2017 until February 2019.
As a result, MGM will be paying a staggering $7.45 million.
Something tells us this isn't the last we'll be hearing about this investigation.
Nix was charged in March of 2022 with running an illegal bookmaking business in his home state.
A former minor league baseball player, Nix was charged with one count of conspiring to operate an illegal sports gambling business, and one count of filing a false tax return.
But Nix's client base consisted of professional athletes and, quite possibly, high paid company suits.
Just to give Gambling911 readers some idea of how big an operation this was, Celebrity Financial LLC, dba Sherman Oaks Check Cashing, was charged with failing to maintain an effective money laundering program related to it cashing at least $18 million in checks from the illegal sport gambling business at its San Fernando Valley check cashing store.
Nix's bookmaking business made headlines when a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Yasiel Puig Valdés, agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge for lying to federal law enforcement officials about bets on sporting events that he placed with Nix' sportsbook.
New England Patriots Player Kayshon Boutte Arrested for Underage Gambling
(Trending January 25 Afternoon) - The arrest of former LSU Tigers football standout Kayshon Boutte may not be a death knell for sportsbook league partnerships but it's sure to raise more eyebrows with state regulators while some companies could fear licensing restrictions.
He is accused of using an alias to illegally bet on sports while he was underage, Louisiana State Police said in a news release.
Boutte placed over 8,900 wagers, at least 17 of which were on NCAA football games and least 6 of which were on LSU football. The idea that he could place that many bets without the sportsbook, or sportsbooks, he wagered at not being able to detect he was doing so under an alias is quite shocking.
NHL Rape Allegations Impact on Team Futures
(Brewing January 24) - This story developed on Wednesday afternoon. Players from the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames took abrupt leaves of absences this week and hours later we learn these individuals were asked to turn themselves into London, Ontario authorities as part of an investigation into a sexual assault that took place a few years back. This story is likely to explode further as authorities say they will hold a press conference next month. One of those implicated is Flyers goaltender Carter Hart.
New Hampshire Primary Betting
(Brewing January 21-22) - Surprisingly there has not been a whole lot of interest in betting on the early GOP Iowa Caucus or New Hampshire Primary, perhaps a result of folks believing both were in the bag for former US President Donald Trump. We believed there could be more interest in New Hampshire with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley having a shot here.
The Voiding of Samuel Deebo Prop Bets
(Trending January 21 Evening) - DraftKings decision to refund San Francisco 49ers star Samuel Deebo following an injury in Sunday's game set off a firestorm as gamblers (presumably those with Deebo props) wanted other sportsbooks to do the same. The problem here is that Deebo was already putting up stats prior to his injury. Other DraftKings customers questioned why the inconsistencies, nothing that they failed to offer refunds on previous players injured early on in games.
NFL Teams Next Head Coach Odds
(Trending January 15) Almost immediately following two of the NFL Wildcard games there were odds released on the next head coach of both the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.
While the Eagles imploded, that team's head coach does seem relatively safe.
Getting rid of the Cowboys head coach, Mike McCarthy, seemed almost inevitable after that team was embarrassed by Green Bay on Saturday.
BetOnline had Bill Belichick as the 1-2 favorite to land the Cowboys head coach job next.
But by midweek Cowboys owner Jimmy Jones made it official that McCarthy will be returning.
"I'll be honest with you: The only thing I worry about is my family," McCarthy said. "I'm extremely confident in who I am. I can't say that enough. So I'm confident in what we've done here and I have great confidence where we're going. That's really how the meeting ended. And not only where we're going but we've got work to do. The job's not finished yet. And we both know that."
Crimson Tide - Nick Saban Retires
(Trending January 10 - January 11 AM) Some really good surges in traffic as we were quick to jump on board the Crimson Tide next head coach with the bombshell news that Nick Saban would be retiring. In particular Dan Lanning as that next coach betting odds piece generated some good traffic into Thursday morning before Bill Belichick sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
The Quiet Before the Storm
Not a whole lot trending on Tuesday January 9. The Epstein List betting continues to generate traffic however. Here is a peak at one brief moment in time from last week.
FanDuel Won't Void Gabe Davis Bets
(Trending January 7 Evening) The Bills clinched a playoff berth but they may have lost star wide receiver Gabe Davis following an injury against the Miami Dolphins Sunday night. Davis entered Week 18 with 45 receptions for 746 and seven touchdowns. He’d played more offensive snaps (948) than any Bills wideout. His status remained unclear as of Monday afternoon.
When it came to gamblers, many were furious that FanDuel had opted not to void Davis prop bets.
"Gabe Davis got hurt on the first play of the game, are his prop bets going to be voided?," one person asked.
Gambling911.com previously reported on how FanDuel violated its own policy this fall by when it voided bets on an NBA player who only appeared briefly in a game while failing to do the same for another popular player who exited a game after approximately three minutes.
This story received a nice surge in traffic Sunday night primarily via Twitter.
Blake Snell Next Team Odds
(Trending January 1 - January 6) Betting on where MLB player Blake Snell lands next season has generated some interest.
With the San Diego Padres slashing payroll, there is a good chance Snell does not return.
And while the LA Dodgers come in as near co-favorites with the San Francisco Giants at 5/2 odds, reports surfaced this week that the franchise has little interest in Snell.
“The Dodgers are showing interest in seemingly every pitcher but Snell," reported John Hayman of the New York Post.
Epstein List Fever Cooling Down?
(Trending Period December 25 - January 5) It's beyond crazy to think that something like the client list of an infamous late sex trafficker could be among the hottest betting events in our nearly 25 year history, but that's exactly what went down over this entire week.
Things are starting to cool down a bit as of Friday but the readership is still several times more than a typical Gambling911 article. This is usually one of our slower weeks with the NFL regular season winding down and bowl season concluded. Go figure.
Jim Harbaugh Futures
(Trending January 2 - January 5) - BetOnline released odds on Michgan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh heading to the NFL and, more specifically, the LA Chargers. This one was gaining almost immediate traction as the Wolverines head to the national title game next week versus Washington.
Speculation has heightened since Jim hired the same NFL agent who represents Tom Brady last week.
Additionally, Harbaugh is now nearly the odds-on favorite to become the next head coach of the Chargers. His odds have gone from 9/1 to 3/2 in just a few weeks.
There were also odds on Jim and his brother John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, both winning championship titles over the next two months.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather Odds
(Trending Period January 4) This fight had yet to be made official but both fighters are ensuring it will go off. SportsBetting.ag released odds on Thursday Mayweather going off as a -225 favorite while Pacquiao came in as a +175 underdog.
Who's on the Epstein List?
(Trending Period December 25 - January 4) SICK! Yeah Jeffrey Epstein was a sick man for sure but we're talking traffic for the odds that were available on whose names will be appearing on the infamous client list. By Tuesday, traffic for this event was set to eclipse any non sports event betting ever in our history. That trend continued right through Wednesday little sign of letting up. Tuesday and Wednesday were the 1st and 2nd most trafficked day at G911 since August 2017. If we were grading this as a Hurricane from a Category 1 to 5, 5 being the strongest, this would be a 6.
We know the story is huge because the Epstein List has topped Twitter trending for three days now. And apparently the full list won't be released until the end of this month. WHOA!
BetOnline removed the odds earlier last week. It's unclear as to why. Some have speculated the "deep state" got to them. Others think the offering may be too offensive due to the crimes Epstein was involved in. More likely than not, BetOnline suspects names on the list leaked and suspicious betting patterns may have been observed.
The list was expected to be released on Tuesday.
McGregor vs. Chandler
(Brewing January 2) Gambling911.com anticipates some good traffic over the coming days with BetOnline releasing odds for this June fight overnight Monday. BetOnline opened Conor McGregor as a -150 favorite vs. Michael Chandler at +130, but 95% of the early wagers came in on Chandler at +130 so the odds have moved closer to a pick ‘em as a result.
We Want Our Lions Moneyline Bets Refunded
Pay out my #lions money line bet https://t.co/2tvjB6rUrS
— Nick #LFGM (@nicocongi) December 31, 2023
(Trending Period December 30 - January 2) Good luck with THAT! Following a suspect call that resulted in the Dallas Cowboys squeaking by with a victory against the Detroit Lions, who should have won, we took to our active Twitter page to ride the trend that included such phrases as "NFL Rigged". Our coverage of that play that killed the Lions money line bets certainly delivered some readers for a good two hours Saturday night. Surges in traffic for this story continued throughout Sunday December 31.
By New Year's Day this story had overtaken the Epstein List betting coverage, not an easy task by any means. Make no mistake about it, this and the Epstein list betting dominated news coverage here at Gambling911.com on New Year's Day in particular, both helping to more than double our daily traffic, that combined with a nice dose of New Year's Day bowl traffic.
Liberty vs. Oregon Fiesta Bowl Betting Preview
(Trending January 1 Morning) - Oddsmakers had No. 8 Oregon's Bo Nix with an Over/Under of 316.5 passing yards for this Fiesta Bowl game versus undefeated No. 18 Liberty as this preview gained some serious traction the hours leading up to the Noon ET time game.
The hour leading up to the game, this one had overtaken all other hot trending topics.
New Year's Eve Bowl Game Previews
(Trending Period January 1) In particular we had some decent traffic coming in for the early game between Liberty and Oregon.
The GG Poker Super User Scandal
(Brewing January 1 - January 2) - This one has the potential to be huge. For now, however, the story only seems to be hot within a few select tight knit poker community forums. Traffic is limited here at Gambling911.com, which is pretty surprising considering how explosive this story could become. We'll continue to monitor.
Perhaps we were a little late to the party as the controversy kicked off Christmas Day and we only began covering it late Friday December 29. Gambling911.com relies on tips so, should you have information related to this story or want us to know about updates, contact us here.
The basic premise of this scandal is that a super user was detected on the GG Poker site, they claim he exploited a client vulnerability and players are left with more questions than answers.
It's a story that appears to be in its infancy nonetheless. Gambling911 has seen increased inquiries for stories related to Daniel Negreanu, who is a GG Poker ambassador, most notably Mike Matusow defending Daniel Negreanu over sexual misconduct allegations we had completely forgotten about from last year.
New Year's Eve Bowl Game Previews
(Trending Period January 1) In particular we had some decent traffic coming in for the early game between Liberty and Oregon.
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State
(Trending Period December 30 Morning) - This game went off at 12 pm ET but proved to be the most trafficked bowl game thus far, maybe because both teams were still pretty much intact unlike nearly every single other bowl game this season.
Heavy traffic was observed on our Ole Miss vs. Penn State Peach Bowl betting coverage the three hours leading up to this big game.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
