Bad week gets worse for Rangers

Soccer Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After being forced into administration and subsequently docked 10 points this past week, Rangers misery was compounded on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

The deduction of points leaves Rangers 14 back of red-hot Celtic, which can extend that advantage further on Sunday with a win at Hibernian.

Ally McCoist's side was eager to start well and almost did when Lee McCulloch's header was cleared off the goal line by Killie's Garry Hay.

But the visitors took the lead in the 12th minute when defender Dorin Goian slipped, allowing Dean Shiels to beat goalkeeper Allan McGregor with a low shot.

The home side had a goal called back for offsides before being dealt another blow as Sasa Papac earned himself a straight red card for a poor challenge on Liam Kelly.

McCulloch thought he had equalized midway through the second half for Rangers, but his headed goal was brought back for a foul in the build up, leaving Rangers with its first home defeat of the league season.

Motherwell 3, Hearts 0

Motherwell, Scotland - Motherwell closed the gap on second-place Rangers with a 3-0 home victory against Hearts which moves the club to within six points of the Glasgow side.

The hosts scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the first half to seize control of the match as Keith Lasley's shot took a deflection off of Hearts defender Andy Webster and found the back of the net for an own goal.

Jamie Murphy made it 2-0 when he headed home a cross from Lasley, who was sent off early in the second half after collecting a second yellow card.

But Nicky Law only added a third goal the rest of the way for Motherwell, which still has a game in hand on Rangers and could make the race for second place an interesting one.

Dunfermline 1, Inverness 1

Dunfermline, Scotland - Dunfermline could have moved off the bottom of the league table on Saturday but conceded a second-half goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Inverness.

Joe Cardle put Dunfermline in front on the stroke of halftime when Martin Hardie's free kick crashed off the crossbar and was finished on the rebound by the midfielder.

But Inverness claimed a point with 15 minutes to play when Nick Ross was on hand at the back post to sweep home a low cross from Jonathan Hayes.

Dunfermline is now level on points with Hibernian at the bottom of the league, but Hibs has two games in hand.

Dundee United 0, St. Mirren 0

Dundee, Scotland - Dundee United and St Mirren played to a 0-0 draw at Tannadice Park on Saturday in a match that saw few scoring chances.

St Mirren has drawn four of its last five games to move 10 points off the bottom of the table while Dundee United remains two points above its opposition in the middle of the league.

The best chance for either side came in the closing minutes for St Mirren when a good cross from Dougie Imrie for substitute Nigel Hasselbaink failed to be finished off by the Dutchman, who should have scored.

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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.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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