Cook Report Shifts North Carolina Towards Harris
- Cook Report now lists North Carolina as "Toss Up".
- Poker pro Damien LeForbes pleads guilty to sports betting case tied to MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani ex-interpreter and at least one Vegas casino.
- Fresno State a huge liability to beat Michigan outright in college football Week 1.
- Russell Wilson still favored to be starting QB in Pittsburgh in Week 1 but his odds have shifted dramatically.
Politics
Cook Report Shifts North Carolina Towards Harris
While BetOnline still has the Republican candidate for U.S. President, Donald Trump, at -170. The well regarded Cook Report has moved from "Leans Republican" to "Toss Up" in North Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee.
“Despite the optimism and hype, [President] Biden was never able to keep this race [in North Carolina] close. By the time he dropped out of the race in late July, the president was trailing Trump by almost seven points,” Cook Editor-In-Chief Amy Walter wrote in an analysis Tuesday. “Today, however, the Tar Heel State looks more competitive than ever.”
While noting that Trump had not lost any ground since Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Walter wrote Harris and Trump are in a dead heat at about 45.7 percent support each, whereas he had previously led Biden in FiveThirtyEight’s average with 45.6 percent support to Biden’s 38.7 percent, per the analysis.
“In other words, the race is tightening, not because Harris is cutting into Trump’s vote, but because Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are coming home,” Walter wrote.
Harris remained a -120 favorite at Betonline.
Crime
Poker Pro Damien LeForbes Pleads Guilty in Sports Betting Scheme Tied to Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter
Professional poker player Damien Leforbes has plead guilty in federal court to running an illegal sports betting operation and money laundering.
Leforbes, according to sources, is connected with Matt Bowyer, the bookie who accepted millions in bets from Ohtani's ex interpreter He is the third California man to plead guilty in this matter.
The complaint alleges that, over a nearly three-year period, LeForbes’ sports betting business brought in millions through illegal wagers across Nevada and California, with at least part of the business relying heavily on a Las Vegas casino.
College Football
Fresno State Outright Win Over Michigan Among Week 1 Biggest Liabilities
The payout should Fresno State go on to beat ranked Michigan would be $860 for every $100 bet and sits as the second biggest liability at BetOnline heading into Week 1 of the 2024 college football season.
But the likelihood of a team listed as a +20 or greater dog winning a college football game outright likely won't keep bookmakers up at night.
2024 Week 1 Starting Quarterback Odds for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin says the Steelers quarterback competition will continue while Jerod Mayo hinted that the Patriots would name their man by the end of the week.
Many are expecting rookie Drake Maye to take the reins, but the odds tell a different story.
And the QB battle in Pittsburgh has been a rollercoaster. Russell Wilson initially surfaced as a huge -1000 favorite to start in Week 1, then dipped all the way down to -200 at the start of the preseason, but is now back in the driver's seat.
