Lyon misses chance to join leaders

Soccer Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon missed out on a chance to join Bordeaux and Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by St Etienne.

With the top two teams in the league both having drawn their respective games earlier in the day, Lyon took the pitch knowing that three points would be enough to see them climb to the top.

However, a 38th-minute goal from Emmanuel Riviere put Lyon behind and they weren't able to recover until 10 minutes from time, when Lisandro Lopez pulled the home side level.

Gonzalo Bergessio set up the opening goal with a cross that was met by a diving header from Riviere, who put the ball well out of the reach of Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

St Etienne netminder Jeremie Janot needed to be on top of his game in the second half as Lyon heaped on the pressure but was only able to beat the keeper once as Lopez nodded home the equalizer to keep his team within two points of the top spot.

Bordeaux's struggles in the league continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Monaco, stretching their winless streak to three games.

The club still sits on top of the table on goal difference, and they have a game in hand after top-three sides Montpellier and Auxerre played to a 1-1 draw.

Auxerre entered the game having won its last four matches and they went ahead just before the break with a goal from Dennis Oliech. However, Alberto Costa's goal in the 66th minute was enough for Montpellier to claim a share of the points and keep them one point above their opponents.

PSG got a big 4-1 win over Sochaux as Mevlut Erding scored a hat trick, Lorient downed Lens, 1-0, with the lone goal coming from Sylvain Marchal in the 79th minute, Nice beat Le Mans, 1-0 and Boulogne recorded a 3-1 win at Nancy.

Gambliung Soccer Betting News

<< Gilardino's brace carries Fiorentina past Napoli
Naples, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of second-half goals from Alberto Gilardino handed Fiorentina a 3-1 win over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday. Ezequiel Lavezzi broke a scoreless deadlock early in the second half t

<< Bengals sign S Williams
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals and safety Roy Williams have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal on Saturday. The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the eight-year veteran will be coming back with t

<< Turner, Buckeyes drop Illini in 2-OT to reach Big Ten final
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner continues to steal the show in Big Ten Tournament, scoring 11 of his game-high 31 points in a pair of overtime sessions to lead No. 5 Ohio State to an exciting, 88-81, victory over Illinoi

<< Bears capture second straight MEAC title
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Thompson paced the Bears with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Morgan State captured its second straight Mid- Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 68-61 win over South Carolin

<< Texas A&M deals Nebraska first loss in Big 12 semis
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danielle Adams poured in 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as 11th-ranked Texas A&M spoiled third-ranked Nebraska's bid for a perfect season with an 80-70 victory in the semifinals of the

MRI on Gerald Wallace's ankle comes back negative >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An MRI on Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace's left ankle came back negative on Saturday. The results showed Wallace does not have any fractures or ligament damage, but rather a left ankle and mid-fo

Weight done for season >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islander captain Doug Weight will miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery. The 39-year-old tore the rotator cuff and labrum in his left shoulder

Mississippi State downs Vandy, heads back to SEC final >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Stewart had 14 points and eight rebounds to help Mississippi State upend No. 20 Vanderbilt, 62-52, for a return trip to the SEC Tournament title game. Jarvis Varnado was his usual domina

Mallorca stumbles at Getafe >>
Getafe, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mallorca's troubles away from home continued on Saturday as the club suffered a 3-0 defeat at Getafe. Mallorca entered the weekend in fourth place, level on points with Sevilla and only four behind third-p

Odysseus rallies to win Tampa Bay Derby >>
Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odysseus, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, rallied down the stretch to win Saturday's $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. In recent years, the event has become an important prep for the Triple Crown r

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com - The World's Leading Online Sportsbook

For more than 11 years now, MySportsbook.com has been the World’s BEST online sports book website, providing a safe and secure place for sports wagering. Our world-class level of experience and industry sportsbook expertise is unmatched.

Offering a wide array of sports to wager on, MySportsbook.com leaves no stone unturned in our search to provide you with great football betting lines and online blackjack options. From teasers to parlays, from futures to wacky propositions, we add more game excitement than any other sportsbook. Fully licensed in two gaming jurisdictions, MySportsbook.com is open and eager to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Whatever the sporting event, this online sportsbook has you covered. Enjoy some of sport’s most memorable moments that much more with MySportsbook.com. With increased interest, follow the game-winning field goal, the walk-off homerun, the buzzer-beater or the hole-in-one shot. Bank on that clutch glove save, the upset TKO or an incredible Hail Mary pass. MySportsbook.com quenches your thirst for action.

To visit this online blackjack got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.