If sports historians attach an asterisk to the records of 2020, it should denote only that professional athletes and leagues performed so well under pandemic restrictions, two top insiders said Tuesday.
The NBA’s playoffs-in-a-bubble and MLB’s fan-less games presented both sports “in the purest form,” said former NFL all-pro Richard Seymour.
Longtime sportsbook operator Jay Rood said many players performed at a higher level, because “they were there for business,” without the constant travel and other distractions of a typical season.
Their comments came in a “Fireside Chat” that ended the first day of SBC’s Betting On Sports America Digital conference.
Rood is COO of Bet.Works and a member of the U.S. chapter of SBC’s Sports Betting Hall of Fame. Bet.Works, which provides sports-betting platforms to operators in New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana, and Colorado, formally agreed last month to be acquired by Bally’s Corp.
Seymour, a semifinalist for the NFL Hall of Fame, is an investor in Bet.Works and became a member of its advisory board in 2019. He played defensive tackle from 2001 through 2012 with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. He was on three Super Bowl champion teams with the Patriots and named to seven Pro Bowls. He was traded to Oakland in 2009 and became the league’s highest-paid defensive player in 2011.
Marc Brody, senior vice president of business development at Bet.Works, moderated.
Rood said leagues have made matches as safe as possible, but the virus poses special problems for determining proper odds in NFL games. For example, all four of the Denver Broncos’ quarterbacks were ineligible for Sunday’s game with the Saints because of the league’s COVID protocols.
“It really makes it difficult to manage your liability,” he said. “A game goes from four-and-a-half (point spread) and is legitimately bet up to two-and-a-half. And then the news breaks that they’re not going to have any quarterback that’s had any experience whatsoever doing anything in the NFL.
“Now that number goes up to seventeen.” The Saints won 31-3.
Rood said oddsmakers are posting their lines on upcoming games later than usual and must depend more on “whispers” about player availability. Some also impose lower betting limits on just-opened games.
“Trying to broaden your net of information is critical at this point to be able to understand how to manage it better,” Rood said. “The good news is that we’re all in the same boat.”
Seymour said athletes like routines, but those who are able to adjust to changing scenarios are most effective.
“As a competitor, you always want to whup the guy in front of you. Locking in on your craft is first and foremost. Some of the things we can’t control; we just try to move forward as best we can.”
Rood said the pandemic raises potential problems for sports-betting customers as well. For example, Ohio State has one of the top college football teams this year, but might not qualify to play for the national championship. That might lead to what he called “temper situations” about refund requests and house rules.
“It’s a big problem,” he said. “You don’t want your players to feel like you’re getting something over on them, but you also don’t want players to get something over on you. It’s a very fine line.”
Brody predicted legal sports betting in the United States will see “massive growth” in the next two or three years. He described it as a recession-proof, high-growth industry with a $50 billion market cap.
Rood agreed. “We’re marrying sports – America’s pastime – with betting, America’s historic pastime. And we’re just scratching the surface now.”
