While most of the world is still unfortunately in mostly stay-at-home mode, we are also entering a period in which our entertainment options are going to increase significantly. This is especially true for online bettors, as we’re going to see numerous opportunities to place have some fun and place some bets online.
Super Bowl 55, one of the biggest betting events of the year, will be upon us in less than a month. The NCAA Tournament, colloquially known as March Madness, is a punter’s paradise, and it begins about a month and change afterward. To tide us over until then, we’ve got online slots to play.
According to Jacob Atkinson from sosgame.com, demo mode allows players to play the slot for free before trying the real money version. It’s a good warm-up, or initiation into the real thing. Consider it practice, like taking a course on finance, where you build a hypothetical stock portfolio, before then putting real money in and playing the market. Stock trading is a lot like online casino games and online slots, it’s all gambling to some effect.
Which brings us to the first of the two major betting events on the horizon- Super Bowl 55, which will take place Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. As it stands right now, the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are the favorite to win the Super Bowl, backed at about +220 or 11/5. Right behind them are the Green Bay Packers, usually priced at about +420 or 21/5.
The top two teams, mentioned above, would meet as respective champions of the NFC and AFC, and with it a rematch of the very first Super Bowl back in 1967.
And then, about six weeks later, the NCAA Tournament begins on March 18. The best betting three weeks on the sports calendar, it runs until April 5 and it will be staged entirely within the state of Indiana. As it stands right now, mid-major in classification only Gonzaga is the favorite. However, Villanova isn’t far behind, and Baylor is right behind them.
Two of the next three, Wisconsin and Iowa, hail from the Big Ten, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on that conference, as the next national champion may emerge fron the Midwestern league. Illinois and Michigan gave the league four of the top ten, odds-wise. And we haven’t even mentioned Michigan State yet, because that’s how the deep the Big 10 really is.
It’s something to consider come March- the depth and strength of this particular conference.
Will a Big Ten team win it all- largely due to the grind they faced during the regular season, possibly toughening them up?
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.