{"id":153530,"date":"2020-10-27T16:46:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T23:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=153530"},"modified":"2020-10-27T18:23:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T01:23:40","slug":"return-of-big-ten-football-provides-shot-in-arm-for-sportsbooks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/return-of-big-ten-football-provides-shot-in-arm-for-sportsbooks\/","title":{"rendered":"Return of Big Ten Football Provides \u2018Shot in Arm\u2019 for Sportsbooks"},"content":{"rendered":"

College football is back. Not that it had been absent, with the SEC and ACC among the conferences playing through the COVID-19 pandemic. But the debut of the Big Ten Conference season<\/a> last week provided a lift to sportsbooks.<\/p>\n

\"Wisconsin
Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed 20 of 21 passes in a victory over Illinois on Friday in Madison, Wis. Mertz reportedly has tested positive for COVID-19, meaning he\u2019ll be sidelined for at least the next three games. (Image: Mark Hoffman\/USA TODAY Sports<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the return of Big Ten football has definitely made the season feel more official. For the first couple months, it has felt if something was off, and I think this may have been the missing piece,\u201d<\/strong> Matthew Metcalf, the sportsbook director for Circa Sports, told Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe action we saw the past weekend on the Big Ten games was significant, despite none of these teams having played a game yet. The Wisconsin game [against Illinois] on Friday night significantly impacted our handle and was a great way to start the weekend.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

By next week, the college football schedule will really have an air of normalcy, as all the major conferences will be back on the field. The Mid-American Conference kicks off its season on Wednesday, Nov. 4. A few days later, the Pac-12 Conference will start its season with a full Saturday slate of games.<\/p>\n

Double the Fun<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With that, the number of games available for betting will have gone from about 25 to more than 50, said Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook.<\/p>\n

College football has always been popular in Nevada. Obviously this year with so few games for the first seven weeks, the handle was down,\u201d <\/strong>Salmons told Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Big Ten is always the first- or second-most popular conference, so the return of them was huge. Getting MAC games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights will be very good for business, as well as the Pac-12 returning. It\u2019s a big deal here and we are very happy to have it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This week\u2019s slate of games lacks a signature showdown. There\u2019s only one Top 25 matchup, with No. 3 Ohio State at No. 18 Penn State. Meanwhile, No. 9 Wisconsin\u2019s game at Nebraska is in jeopardy because of COVID. Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz and his backup reportedly are among members of the Badgers who have tested positive.<\/p>\n

Loving the MACtion<\/h2>\n

The Big Ten wasn\u2019t the only conference to belatedly start its season. So did the Mountain West<\/a>. That conference\u2019s late kickoffs mean more opportunities for bettors.<\/p>\n

The return of the Big Ten was huge, no doubt about it. Even though the SEC claims to be the king and has won a few more national titles than most lately, the Big Ten\u2019s still huge business for us,\u201d<\/strong> said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State \u2013 those are huge-bet games. To have them back was a big shot in the arm. The first five weeks, we were done at 5 o\u2019clock our time. Now, with the Mountain West, we have some 7:30 games. The combo of the two is really good.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bogdanovich joked that a JV game, if the only game on TV at the time, would get bettors\u2019 interest. Hence, the made-for-TV nature of the MAC schedule makes it made for gambling as well. When its season starts next week, all six games will be played on Wednesday, and all six will be on TV. The following week, the six games are split between Tuesday and Wednesday and, again, are all on TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe MAC\u2019s the perfect example. If it\u2019s Tuesday and Wednesday and it\u2019s on TV, they\u2019re betting it,\u201d <\/strong>Bogdanovich said. \u201cThe MAC\u2019s got good football. All you\u2019ve got to do is look at the NFL. Up and down the rosters, there\u2019s MAC kids on it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the SEC and ACC have played through the COVID-19 pandemic, the debut of the Big Ten last week provided a lift to sportsbooks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":153528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[81757,80967,80969,81847,81848,81846,81752],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReturn of Big Ten Football Provides \u2018Shot in Arm\u2019 for Sportsbooks - Casino.org Return of Big Ten Football Provides \u2018Shot in Arm\u2019 for Sportsbooks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While the SEC and ACC have played through the COVID-19 pandemic, the debut of the Big Ten last week provided a lift to sportsbooks. 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