North Carolina Expands Legal Sports Betting in the State

 North Carolina is the next state with legal online sports betting in the US market. The Tar Heel State had retail sportsbooks in tribal gaming casinos, but state lawmakers expanded legal sports betting to commercial sportsbooks. 

After Jan. 8, 2024, North Carolina plans on launching sportsbook operators both in retail settings and online with websites and mobile betting apps. One of the retail sportsbooks will be in Bank of America Stadium hosting the Carolina Panthers.

Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the post, North Carolina is Next In Line to Legalize Online Sports Betting.

Saturday's Belmont Stakes Odds & Predictions

* Previously Published at Doc's Sports Service

Forte (5-2)

This Kentucky-bred colt was a 3-1 favorite for the Kentucky Derby back in May, but an injured foot caused him to scratch in that event. Forte is a 5-2 favorite for the Belmont Stakes and his 8.22 rating from Horse Racing Nation is the highest in the nine-horse field. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he won two major prep races at Gulfstream Park including the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 8. Sired by Violence, Forte should be leading the way in the stretch run of the Belmont Stakes and he will probably finish first or second at the wire. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is leading him out of the sixth gate for this race.

Percent to Win: 35%

Tapit Trice (3-1)

At 3-1 odds on the morning line, Tapit Trice is the second-favorite for the Belmont Stakes by a slim margin either up or down the list of entries. He is starting at the No. 2 gate with jockey Luis Saez getting the ride. Tapit Trice finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby in his first race in the Triple Crown series, but he won the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8 with a speed rating of 102. Also trained by Todd Pletcher, Tapit Trice is a solid contender that could make things interesting at the wire, if the breaks go his way.

Percent to Win: 15%

Angel of Empire (7-2)

Breaking from the No. 8 gate with Flavien Prat as his jockey, Angel of Empire should get off with a clean start for this race. He finished third in the Kentucky Derby and trained for the Belmont Stakes while taking a break for the Preakness Stakes. The Pennsylvania-bred colt finished first at Oaklawn Park in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby as a major prep race for the Triple Crown series and he should finish first or second in the 1 ½ miles on dirt in the Belmont Stakes.

Percent to Win: 35%

National Treasure (5-1)

After finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in the beginning of April, National Treasure bypassed the Kentucky Derby to focus on the Preakness Stake at 1 3/16 miles on dirt. The won the second leg of the 2023 Triple Crown series in 1:55.12 over Blazing Sevens and Mage. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by veteran jockey John Velazquez, National Treasure is fourth in line at 5-1 odds to win this race. Increasing both distance and grade in the Belmont Stakes, he is also surrounded by first-rate talent in the field.

Percent to Win: 5%

Hit Show (10-1)

As a live longshot at 10-1, Hit Show has drawn the No. 7 gate for the Belmont Stakes with jockey Manuel Franco on board. He finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby with a much more crowned field and bypassed the Preakness Stakes to train for this event.  The three-year-old colt placed second in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes as a prep race for the Triple Crown series. With Brad Cox as his trainer, Hit Show could be right in the middle of the lead for the stretch run of the Belmont Stakes. I have him finishing third in this race.

Percent to Win: 10%

The Belmont Stakes Bonus Pick

$50 on Angel of Empire to Win

$25 on Forte to Place

$25 on Hit Show to Show

Five Players to Win the 2023 US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club North Course

Previously published at Geek Brand Media

A Favorite

Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to win the 2023 US Open at +750 and Jon Rahm is No. 2 in the world. However, my pick to win the US Open as a favorite is Brooks Koepka at +950. Koepka shot up the list of the odds on with winning the US Open after a first place showing in the PGA Championship in May. He was part of the final paring at Augusta National Golf Club in the Masters and finished tied for second.

Koepka has the game for majors in tournaments, placing in the top five in eight of his last 18 events. He has a history for success in the US Open, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

A Few Contenders

My Number One contender to win the 2023 US Open is Xander Schauffele at +1700. He joined the European Tour in 2018 and, in January of 2019 on the PGA Tour, he won the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. More recently, Schauffele tied for seventh in the 2021 US Open before placing 14^th in the US Open last year. He tied for 10^th in the 2023 Masters to start this season’s majors tournaments.

Viktor Hovland is a Norwegian golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. At +1900 odds, he is one of the legitimate contenders to win the 2023 US Open. Hovland won the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club to raise his stakes to win this tournament. The 25-year-old has not been a factor in recent US Open tournaments over the past few years, but he has finished in the Top 10 in three other major tournaments in a row going back to the 2022 Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.

From 2019 and 2023, Jordan Spieth has finished in the Top 5 of two Masters, one PGA Championship and one Open Championship. The only major tournament that he is not represented is the US Open. Spieth won the 2015 US Open Championship, but his best effort in the last five years was a tie for 19^th in 2021. With +2400 odds to win this US Open, he is one of the legitimate contenders that can make an appearance Sunday in the last few rounds.

One Live Longshot

Adam Scott has played consistently in the US Open for the last four years. He tied for seventh in 2019 and he made the Top 50 in 2020 to 2022. Scott’s best performance in the US Open was a back-to-back Top 10 finish in 2014 and 2015. At the age of 42, he is a live longshot (+9000) to win this year. Scott has finished fifth in the Well Fargo Championship and eighth in the AT&T Byron Nelson in May of this year.

 

Colorado, Ohio and Virginia Lead the Way in Legal US Sports Betting

Colorado, Ohio and Virginia had impressive April figures to lead the way in legal sports betting in the US market. Colorado surpassed $12 billion in betting volume in only three years, Ohio was sixth in country in April for the sports betting handle and Virginia was the ninth state to go over $10 billion since May of 2018.

These three states are a testament for building a legal sports betting industry both now and in the future. Colorado is one of three states (along with Nevada and Arizona) to lead the way in the Western states. Ohio is sat to make a great start as a Midwestern state. Virginia is a shining star for the Mid-Atlantic. 

Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the post, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia Highlight Legal Sports Betting in the US Market. 

2023 NBA Finals Top 3 Prop Bets

Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat Total Games

Nuggets vs. Heat: 5 Games +185

Nuggets vs. Heat: 6 Games +250

Nuggets vs. Heat: 7 Games +250

Nuggets vs. Heat: 4 Games +420

NBA Finals Scorer Leader

Nikola Jokic +110

Jimmy Butler +170

Jamal Murray +260

Michael Porter Jr. +6500

Caleb Martin +6500

Aaron Gordon +20000

NBA Finals Popular Parlay Props

Nikola Jokic to average 30+ points  +160

Jimmy Butler to average 30+ points +160

Posted by FanDuel.com

2023 Early CFL Championship Odds & Predictions as of May 31

 Posted by DraftKings.com

Winnipeg Blue Bombers+250

Toronto Argonauts +500

Hamilton Tiger-Cats +550

British Columbia Lions +550

Calgary Stampeders +650

Montreal Alouettes +1200

Saskatchewan Roughriders +1200

Ottawa RedBlacks +1500

Edmonton Elks +2000

The CFL Championship odds and predictions are posted at Doc's Sports Service 

A State-by-State Guide of Legal US Sports Betting

 Here is Doc's Sport Service's state-by-state guide of legal sports betting in the US. The post is The Legality of Sports Betting in the US: A Comprehensive Guide to State-by-State Regulations.