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Gambling911.com recently revealed how some gamblers in Delaware have found a loophole in the state law governing NFL wagering, which is legal at the state's three racetracks.
The law doesn't allow bets on single NFL games, just parlays of three NFL games or more.
But by wagering on a series of parlays that all contain a common bet, bettors have discovered, one can effectively make a wager on a single NFL game.
But it's all not necessary.
Without changing the existing law, Delaware's racetracks could effectively offer wagering on single NFL games, simply by manipulating the game pointspreads.
Here's how it could work:
Under the state law, a bettor must wager on a minimum of three NFL games, in a three-game parlay, and all three wagers must cover the pointspread in order for the bettor to win money.
But since the law makes no mention of how the pointspreads must be set, or by who, the tracks are free to use whatever pointspreads they choose on their NFL parlay cards.
So far they've used the regular pointspreads set by Las Vegas oddsmakers.
But suppose from now on, all parlay cards make the home team on each Sunday night game a 99-point favorite and the home team on each Monday night game also a 99-point favorite.
Since no team in NFL history has ever been beaten by 99 points, it's a safe bet that both visiting teams will cover the spread each week, as each would be getting 99 points.
Bettors would mark those two games as two games of the three they must parlay--then they're free to pick a third game to wager on, effectively a straight bet on that single NFL game.
Since under state law the Delaware tracks are free to set their own odds, they would change the payoff on a three-game NFL parlay from 6-1, which it now is, to 11-10, the normal vigorish used in Vegas sportsbooks.
Voila!
Delaware gamblers could effectively bet on single NFL games, and at the usual odds of $11 to win $10.
So why don't the Delaware tracks let them?
Most likely, because the tracks couldn't get away with it.
Even though, technically, the scheme follows the letter of the law, it would violate what in legal jargon is called "the spirit of the law," which in this case is to ban single-game NFL wagering.
But who knows?
It's never been tried, and a loophole is a loophole, especially if it's one like this that's the size of a Mack truck.
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
