Alcaraz finally completes Wigan move

Soccer Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan have finally completed the signing of Paraguay's World Cup defender Antolin Alcaraz from Club Brugge on a three-year deal.

The 27-year-old center back stood out in South Africa, heading home his side's opening goal of the finals during a 1-1 draw with Italy.

Latics manager Roberto Martinez is delighted that the transfer has finally been sealed after Alcaraz was granted a work permit following a meeting at Wembley Stadium.

Speaking to the club's official website, Martinez said: "It is fantastic news that we can finally confirm the arrival of a defender who I feel was one of the very best at this summer's World Cup.

"This is a massive boost for the club and we are thrilled to welcome him on board."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Jazzsportd Soccer Betting News

<< Oakland Raiders 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 28th SITE: Napa Valley Marriott, Napa Valley, CA CAMP OBJECTIVES: Raiders fans are grateful that the JaMarcus Russell experiment is over, but that doesn't mean they'll have great patience if Jason Ca

<< Royals disable DeJesus, recall Gordon
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have placed outfielder David DeJesus on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb. DeJesus suffered the injury and left Thursday's game against the Yankees after crashing in

<< Baltimore Ravens 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 26th (Rookies), July 28th (Veterans) SITE: McDaniel College, Westminster, MD CAMP OBJECTIVES: If you're only as strong as your weakest link, than the Super Bowl-hopeful Ravens have some critical summ

<< Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 30th SITE: Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA CAMP OBJECTIVES: The Steelers' season could hinge on how they play in the four (or six) games that Ben Roethlisberger is serving his suspension, and inas

<< Houston Texans 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATES: July 30th SITE: Methodist Training Center, Houston, TX CAMP OBJECTIVES: If the Texans wish to build off last year's 9-7 finish and make the playoffs for the first time in team history, they will need to

New York Jets 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATES: July 29th (Rookies), Aug. 1st (Veterans) SITE: SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY CAMP OBJECTIVES: Expectations are sky-high for the 2010 Jets, but unforeseen struggles or injuries during training camp could al

Jacksonville Jaguars 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 29th SITE: Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, FL CAMP OBJECTIVES: The two biggest questions for the Jaguars are who is going to catch the football, and who is going to help prevent other t

Miami Dolphins 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 30th SITE: Miami Dolphins Training Facility, Davie, FL CAMP OBJECTIVES: As is appropriate for a team that finished in the bottom half of the league in most meaningful defensive categories last season

Indianapolis Colts 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: Aug. 1st SITE: Anderson University, Anderson, IN CAMP OBJECTIVES: Colts fans who know they're going to see a lot of backup quarterback play in the preseason will at least receive a unique twist on that s

Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 29th SITE: Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO CAMP OBJECTIVES: With a pair of esteemed new coordinators in Charlie Weis (offense) and Romeo Crennel (defense) now in the fold, Chiefs su

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.