Hambletonian to remain at Meadowlands

Horseracing Betting Lines

01/17/2012 - East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Harness racing's premier event, the Hambletonian, will continue at The Meadowlands through 2014.

An agreement has been reached between the Hambletonian Society and Meadowlands leaseholder Jeff Gural.

As part of a three-year agreement to keep the mile race for three-year-old trotters at the New Jersey track, beginning in 2013 the race will revert to same-day heats to determine the race finalists. The Hambletonian has been held at The Meadowlands since 1981 and elimination heats have been conducted a week before the final.

"We look forward to continuing the long relationship that the Meadowlands has had with the Hambletonian Society," emphasized Gural. "I am thrilled that they have agreed to revert to the previous format of two heats on the same day, which I think will increase the excitement of the event dramatically."

This year's Hambletonian will be held on Saturday, August 4 with a final purse of $1.5 million. The 2013 edition will have a guaranteed purse of $1 million.

"We look forward to a new era with Jeff Gural," said Tom Charters, president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society. "The Hambletonian has flourished under the management of the NJSEA over the years and we feel confident that growth will continue with the New Meadowlands LLC and the changes we are making to the race. We think returning to heats will be exciting for the fans, particularly those onsite at The New Meadowlands facility on a day that is always the sport's greatest showcase."

Beginning in 2014 older trotters will be able to compete in a new event, the $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity. The new race will be conducted at 1 1/8-miles with as many as 16 trotters allowed to start.

Baskteball Horseracing Betting News

<< Ravens need more from Flacco, Rice
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Flacco and Ray Rice have been waiting three years to get back to this spot, and if the Baltimore Ravens hope to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001, they'll need their dynamic duo to ta

<< Servia lands ride for 2012
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oriol Servia will drive for Dreyer & Reinbold during the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season, the team announced on Tuesday. Servia finished fourth in IndyCar points last year, driving for New

<< Pirates, Karstens agree to one-year deal
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year deal with pitcher Jeff Karstens, thus avoiding arbitration. Karstens finished 2011 with a 9-9 record and a 3.38 earned run average, the best of his career, in

<< Illinois State adds six mid-year transfers
Normal, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Illinois State football coach Brock Spack announced on Tuesday the addition of six mid-year transfers, including five from Football Bowl Subdivision programs. All six players are eligible immediately and can par

<< Counsell joins Brewers front office
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have named former infielder Craig Counsell as a special assistant to the general manager. Counsell wrapped up a 16-year big league career in 2011 with the Brewers, for whom he pla

Colts fire Jim Caldwell >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have fired head coach Jim Caldwell. More to follow.

Baltimore avoids arbitration with Johnson >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with pitchers Jim Johnson, Darren O'Day and Dana Eveland on one-year contracts, avoiding arbitration. Johnson, 28, appeared in a career-high 69 games

Yankees avoid arbitration with Chamberlain, Robertson >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have agreed to terms with pitchers Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson on one-year contracts, avoiding arbitration. Chamberlain's 2011 season was cut short due to Tommy John surgery. T

Red Sox ink Ellsbury to 1-year deal >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a contract for the 2012 season. Ellsbury is coming off a bounce-back season after injuries limited him to 18 game

Fisher set to rebuild Rams >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Fisher was officially introduced as the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday and said he is ready to get the franchise "back on the map." Fisher will take over a Rams team that was 2-14 u

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.