on this Tim Donaghy shit
- Thread starter EXTRAPOLATER
- Start date
Effect of gambling on games
Sports gambling expert R. J. Bell, president of sports betting information site ******, tracked every game Donaghy worked from 2003 to 2007. He discovered that during the two seasons investigated by the NBA, the teams involved scored more points than expected by the Las Vegas sports books 57 percent of the time. In the previous two seasons, this only happened 44 percent of the time. According to Bell, the odds of such a discrepancy are 1 in 1,000, and there was "a 99.9 percent chance that these results would not have happened without an outside factor." He also found 10 straight games in 2007 in which Donaghy worked the game that the point spread moved 1.5 points or more before the tip ? an indication that big money had been wagered on the game. The big money won every time ?another indication that "something (was) going on". However, Bell suggested that there was no way anyone who wasn't in on the fix could have known that something was amiss about Donaghy's actions during a game; he said it would have been another year at the earliest before anyone could have caught on.[21]
Handicapper Brandon Lang told ESPN that it is fairly easy for a crooked sports official to fix a game, despite Stern's insistence that Donaghy was a "rogue official". According to Lang, an official can directly influence the outcome of a game 75 percent of the time if he has money on the game. For instance, Lang said that a crooked NBA referee can fix the total score by calling enough fouls to get both teams in the bonus. When a game is being fixed, Lang said, the officials should be the prime suspects because the players are making too much money to risk their future. Lang also believed a bookie connected to the mob turned Donaghy in to the FBI.[22]
[from wikipedia]
Sports gambling expert R. J. Bell, president of sports betting information site ******, tracked every game Donaghy worked from 2003 to 2007. He discovered that during the two seasons investigated by the NBA, the teams involved scored more points than expected by the Las Vegas sports books 57 percent of the time. In the previous two seasons, this only happened 44 percent of the time. According to Bell, the odds of such a discrepancy are 1 in 1,000, and there was "a 99.9 percent chance that these results would not have happened without an outside factor." He also found 10 straight games in 2007 in which Donaghy worked the game that the point spread moved 1.5 points or more before the tip ? an indication that big money had been wagered on the game. The big money won every time ?another indication that "something (was) going on". However, Bell suggested that there was no way anyone who wasn't in on the fix could have known that something was amiss about Donaghy's actions during a game; he said it would have been another year at the earliest before anyone could have caught on.[21]
Handicapper Brandon Lang told ESPN that it is fairly easy for a crooked sports official to fix a game, despite Stern's insistence that Donaghy was a "rogue official". According to Lang, an official can directly influence the outcome of a game 75 percent of the time if he has money on the game. For instance, Lang said that a crooked NBA referee can fix the total score by calling enough fouls to get both teams in the bonus. When a game is being fixed, Lang said, the officials should be the prime suspects because the players are making too much money to risk their future. Lang also believed a bookie connected to the mob turned Donaghy in to the FBI.[22]
[from wikipedia]
The last two lakers games - does anyone doubt that the refs had some kind of understanding that they were not going to call anything less than a karate chop a foul? Both ways? Does anyone who watched those game disagree? I bet mostly totals and watch this stuff closely. I don't know the precise mechanism, but it is very clear from the referees' behavior that there are game in which they tacitly or explicity reach an agreement among themselves, perhaps as a result of a communication from the head office, to take a hands-off approach. The clock ran nearly continuously in the first half yesterday. The refs simply would not give Bryant or Duncan a foul inside, no matter how they were hacked. That has to be a conscious decision on the part of the crew, arrived at before the game, or an instruction it is following.
NEW YORK (AP)?Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players ?affected the outcome of games,? his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded.
Donaghy?s attorney made the assertions in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, in which he argued that his client should be sentenced to probation because he fully cooperated with prosecutors and has been undergoing treatment for his gambling addiction.
The attorney also suggested that Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials and about a referee that passed ?confidential? information to an unidentified coach.
The attorney, John F. Lauro, wrote that the U.S. attorney?s office for the Eastern District agreed to plea agreements with other defendants in the case, even though his client told investigators about NBA matters outside of the government?s initial investigation. Lauro said the disparity in treatment could not be fully explained because prosecutors have ?surrounded this case with a cone of silence.?
The U.S. attorney?s office said Tuesday it has no comment.
In a footnote, the attorney suggested that the NBA might have ?pressured? the attorney?s office ?into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim?s conduct.?
?The letter filed today on Mr. Donaghy?s behalf contains an assortment of lies, unfounded allegations, and facts that have been previously acknowledged, such as the fact that certain NBA referees engaged in casino gambling in violation of NBA rules,? said Joel Litvin, the NBA president for league and basketball operations, in a statement. ?The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time.?
The veteran referee pleaded guilty last year to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated.
While citing Donaghy?s commitment to his family, charitable activities and positive feedback for his career as a referee prior to his ?tragic fall from grace,? his attorney said that his client?s ?aberrant conduct? can only be understood in the context of his gambling addiction, a ?crippling disease, which prevented him from exercising complete rational self control.?
Lauro wrote that Donaghy is taking steps to get treatment for his condition, including therapy with a gambling counselor and attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
?Without a doubt, Tim made significant errors in judgment, but he also tried to right the wrongs of his conduct by assisting the government and seeking treatment for his disorder,? Lauro wrote.
Donaghy is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14. By law, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though the term could be much lower under sentencing guidelines.
Donaghy?s attorney made the assertions in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, in which he argued that his client should be sentenced to probation because he fully cooperated with prosecutors and has been undergoing treatment for his gambling addiction.
The attorney also suggested that Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials and about a referee that passed ?confidential? information to an unidentified coach.
The attorney, John F. Lauro, wrote that the U.S. attorney?s office for the Eastern District agreed to plea agreements with other defendants in the case, even though his client told investigators about NBA matters outside of the government?s initial investigation. Lauro said the disparity in treatment could not be fully explained because prosecutors have ?surrounded this case with a cone of silence.?
The U.S. attorney?s office said Tuesday it has no comment.
In a footnote, the attorney suggested that the NBA might have ?pressured? the attorney?s office ?into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim?s conduct.?
?The letter filed today on Mr. Donaghy?s behalf contains an assortment of lies, unfounded allegations, and facts that have been previously acknowledged, such as the fact that certain NBA referees engaged in casino gambling in violation of NBA rules,? said Joel Litvin, the NBA president for league and basketball operations, in a statement. ?The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time.?
The veteran referee pleaded guilty last year to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated.
While citing Donaghy?s commitment to his family, charitable activities and positive feedback for his career as a referee prior to his ?tragic fall from grace,? his attorney said that his client?s ?aberrant conduct? can only be understood in the context of his gambling addiction, a ?crippling disease, which prevented him from exercising complete rational self control.?
Lauro wrote that Donaghy is taking steps to get treatment for his condition, including therapy with a gambling counselor and attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
?Without a doubt, Tim made significant errors in judgment, but he also tried to right the wrongs of his conduct by assisting the government and seeking treatment for his disorder,? Lauro wrote.
Donaghy is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14. By law, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though the term could be much lower under sentencing guidelines.
NBA Referee Tim Donaghy - Strong Evidence of Game-Fixing
by RJ_Bell on 05/17/2008 11:15 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy actually bet on the games he officiated, but hard numbers suggest he did more than that.
Las Vegas, Nevada (5/17/08) - As more information is released on the Tim Donaghy sports betting scandal, the more incriminating the facts become. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Goldberg said in a letter filed Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court that former NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on about 14 games that he personally officiated during the 2006-07 season.
Compare that admission to the following fact: The first 15 games of the 2006-07 refereed by Tim Donaghy that had big enough betting to move the point spread by at least 1.5 points were UNDEFEATED against Las Vegas meaning that the big money gamblers won a 15 of 15 times on his games. The odds of that happening randomly are 32,768 to 1 said RJ Bell of *******.
Tim Donaghy officiating style statistically changed during the 2005/06 and 06/07 seasons. During the two years prior (i.e., 03/04 and 04/05) he called significantly less fouls than the average NBA referee (his games scored more than Las Vegas expected only 44% of the time). During his last two seasons he called significantly more fouls than average (his games scored more than Las Vegas expected 57% of the time). The odds of this change happening randomly are approximately 19 to 1.
Now consider what must be believed in order to conclude that Tim Donaghy did not fix the games that he both officiated and bet on: first, that a person troubled enough to provide inside information to criminals was able to referee games in which he had a financial interest in the outcome without any bias. We also must believe that information alone allowed big bettors to beat Las Vegas 15 straight times. And finally we must believe that Donaghy becoming a much more active referee his final two years is a mere coincidence rather than evidence of an effort to increase his influence on games.
Keep in mind that a single call can affect the outcome of a pro basketball game. During the 06/07 season alone, 13 games refereed by Tim Donaghy fell within A SINGLE POINT of the Las Vegas point spread. In his final two seasons as a referee, the winner of 14 NBA games refereed by Donaghy was decided by a single bucket or less.
RJ Bell of ********* said: "Over 50 BILLION dollars is gambled on the NBA each season. If not a single call was affected by Donaghy's bets, then we have the whole story. But if calls were affected, the true story is one of game-fixing, and thus much bigger."
MEDIA NOTE: Print, radio, TV, and Internet media should feel free to quote any information above. Please attribute: RJ Bell of *******. RJ Bell is available for any follow-up questions or media appearances at: *********
About RJ Bell of ********* (do not post links to tout sites on the forum:admin) , has been featured on CBS News with Katie Couric, ABC News with Charles Gibson, Nightline, Sportscenter, Outside the Lines (ESPN), First Take (ESPN2), ESPN.com, ESPN National Radio, Yahoo, AOL.com, CNN.com and in Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, LA Times, Newsweek.com, Maxim, and Forbes.
by RJ_Bell on 05/17/2008 11:15 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy actually bet on the games he officiated, but hard numbers suggest he did more than that.
Las Vegas, Nevada (5/17/08) - As more information is released on the Tim Donaghy sports betting scandal, the more incriminating the facts become. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Goldberg said in a letter filed Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court that former NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on about 14 games that he personally officiated during the 2006-07 season.
Compare that admission to the following fact: The first 15 games of the 2006-07 refereed by Tim Donaghy that had big enough betting to move the point spread by at least 1.5 points were UNDEFEATED against Las Vegas meaning that the big money gamblers won a 15 of 15 times on his games. The odds of that happening randomly are 32,768 to 1 said RJ Bell of *******.
Tim Donaghy officiating style statistically changed during the 2005/06 and 06/07 seasons. During the two years prior (i.e., 03/04 and 04/05) he called significantly less fouls than the average NBA referee (his games scored more than Las Vegas expected only 44% of the time). During his last two seasons he called significantly more fouls than average (his games scored more than Las Vegas expected 57% of the time). The odds of this change happening randomly are approximately 19 to 1.
Now consider what must be believed in order to conclude that Tim Donaghy did not fix the games that he both officiated and bet on: first, that a person troubled enough to provide inside information to criminals was able to referee games in which he had a financial interest in the outcome without any bias. We also must believe that information alone allowed big bettors to beat Las Vegas 15 straight times. And finally we must believe that Donaghy becoming a much more active referee his final two years is a mere coincidence rather than evidence of an effort to increase his influence on games.
Keep in mind that a single call can affect the outcome of a pro basketball game. During the 06/07 season alone, 13 games refereed by Tim Donaghy fell within A SINGLE POINT of the Las Vegas point spread. In his final two seasons as a referee, the winner of 14 NBA games refereed by Donaghy was decided by a single bucket or less.
RJ Bell of ********* said: "Over 50 BILLION dollars is gambled on the NBA each season. If not a single call was affected by Donaghy's bets, then we have the whole story. But if calls were affected, the true story is one of game-fixing, and thus much bigger."
MEDIA NOTE: Print, radio, TV, and Internet media should feel free to quote any information above. Please attribute: RJ Bell of *******. RJ Bell is available for any follow-up questions or media appearances at: *********
About RJ Bell of ********* (do not post links to tout sites on the forum:admin) , has been featured on CBS News with Katie Couric, ABC News with Charles Gibson, Nightline, Sportscenter, Outside the Lines (ESPN), First Take (ESPN2), ESPN.com, ESPN National Radio, Yahoo, AOL.com, CNN.com and in Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, LA Times, Newsweek.com, Maxim, and Forbes.
Rasheed: ?I still don?t think they Cavaliers beat us, we beat ourselves,? Wallace said. ?And I think we also fell victim to that personal NBA thing where they are trying to make it a world game and get television ratings. They wanted to put their darling in there the NBA Finals and they did, and look what ended up happening. ?This game ain?t basketball anymore, its entertainment,? Wallace said. ?Its starting to get like the WWF. There ain?t no real wrestling anymore either. Its all fake.?
Betting scandal cloud lingers
NBA remains slow at providing answers
By MATT YOUMANS
REVIEW-JOURNAL
David Stern
NBA commissioner mostly tight-lipped on Tim Donaghy betting scandal
A dark cloud of suspicion shadows his game, which was struck last summer by a crooked referee and a gambling scandal, and the reaction from NBA commissioner David Stern remains a smug expression of disbelief.
Instead of answers and apologies, Stern continues what might be perceived as an arrogant display of denials and finger pointing.
Something was rotten inside the NBA, and that is the only truth plainly evident more than 10 months after the FBI announced an investigation of former referee Tim Donaghy.
Details of tainted games and the level of corruption still are mostly a mystery. As the case's facts are slowly filtered for public consumption, questions persist about a possible basketball game-fixing scheme that demands full disclosure.
"I'm sure the NBA is hoping it goes away," Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Ken White said. "They want to try to keep it as quiet as possible."
For several months, the Donaghy controversy was almost a forgotten issue. It resurfaced last week, when Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Goldberg filed a letter in a New York federal court saying Donaghy bet on more than 100 games he officiated over four seasons from 2003 to 2007.
Donaghy was fired by the NBA last year after he admitted to providing inside information to help gamblers wager on games. He said he recommended bets to gamblers and received $5,000 for his correct selections.
"Donaghy bet on numerous games that he worked," Goldberg wrote in his letter. "The government's investigation revealed that Donaghy provided picks for anywhere from 30 to 40 such games for each of those three seasons (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06). During the 2006-07 season, Donaghy bet on approximately 30 games, including about 14 games that he refereed."
The case has no direct link to Las Vegas. Sports wagering is tightly regulated in Nevada, but no state officials claimed knowledge of the FBI investigation when the initial allegations became public July 20.
Still, those in Las Vegas who bet on or book the NBA might doubt the legitimacy of some games.
"The bottom line is people want there to be integrity in the games, and the games (Donaghy) was involved in, obviously that wasn't the case," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.
Donaghy's actions have been damaging to the NBA's image, yet few doubt the league's perception among bettors and fans can be repaired.
The time to forgive and forget is not now, however. If the gambling issue extends beyond Donaghy to other referees and league personnel, as he has implied, more trouble might be on the horizon.
Donaghy pleaded guilty to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 14.
Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, said the former referee told investigators in the betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players "affected the outcome of games."
Lauro also suggested Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials, and the attorney asserted the league might have "pressured" the U.S. attorney's office "into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim's conduct."
Stern denied those claims and derided Donaghy's character, calling him an "isolated criminal."
Joel Litvin, the NBA president for league and basketball operations, issued a statement this week saying Donaghy's claims to investigators were "the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time."
Amid the accusations and legal wrangling, Donaghy is disgraced and the NBA is staging its playoffs under a dark cloud that is not disappearing anytime soon.
The NBA long has been a feeding ground for conspiracy theories, so Stern's league is not working on a perfect record. Last year, there were suspicions about teams tanking games late in the season to improve their draft status, and within the past decade other referees ran afoul of the law.
INSIDE THE BETTING NUMBERS
Donaghy left fingerprints on his work, but in which games did he potentially affect the outcome, and how did he do it?
White, a former bookmaker who serves as LVSC's chief operating officer, has looked for those answers. He researched betting trends involving the former referee and sent his report to the NBA last fall.
"They never called back to discuss it or anything," White said.
Conducting his own investigation was R.J. Bell of Las Vegas-based ********. Bell studied moves in betting lines and outlined 19 games that Donaghy refereed during the 2006-07 season that could raise red flags.
"At every stage of the controversy, the NBA only has been willing to admit what was readily obvious," Bell said. "And at every stage it has gotten bigger.
"As more information is released on the Donaghy scandal, the more incriminating the facts become."
Bell found 15 games refereed by Donaghy last season in which the consensus betting line from Las Vegas and offshore books moved by at least 11/2 points, and the line move was correct each time.
"I feel real confident in those games being rock solid," Bell said. "The big-money gamblers won 15 of 15 times on his games. The odds of that happening randomly are 32,768 to 1."
On Jan. 17, 2007, the Phoenix Suns opened as 4-point road favorites over the Houston Rockets. The Suns closed as 51/2-point favorites and won, 100-91. The total dropped from 203 to 1991/2, and that move also was correct as the final score of 191 fell under the total.
On March 21, the Milwaukee Bucks opened as 61/2-point home favorites over the Los Angeles Clippers. The closing number was 3, and the line move was correct as the Clippers won, 104-103.
On April 7, the Orlando Magic opened as a 101/2-point home favorite over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Magic closed as a 12-favorite and won in a 116-89 blowout.
Donaghy was part of the officiating crew for those games, and Bell said it must be more than a coincidence that the moves in the betting lines for the 19 games he highlighted proved to be sharp decisions by gamblers.
Bell said Donaghy's "officiating style statistically changed" during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
During the two previous seasons, Bell said Donaghy "called significantly less fouls than the average NBA referee" and his games scored more points than the betting totals 44 percent of the time. In the past two seasons, Bell said Donaghy "called significantly more fouls than average" and his games scored more points than the betting totals 57 percent of the time.
"Consider what must be believed in order to conclude that Donaghy did not fix the games that he both officiated and bet on: First, that a person troubled enough to provide inside information to criminals was able to referee games in which he had a financial interest in the outcome without any bias," Bell said.
"We also must believe that information alone allowed big bettors to beat Las Vegas 15 straight times. And, finally, we must believe that Donaghy becoming a much more active referee his final two years is a mere coincidence rather than evidence of an effort to increase his influence on games."
White said his studies focused on wagering patterns and his findings differed from what Bell outlined. White said there were cases of more wagering activity than usual on some totals.
"We didn't find anything on the sides," White said. "I think it's mostly totals."
Bell said during the 2006-07 season, 13 games refereed by Donaghy fell within one point of the Las Vegas line.
White dismissed that statistic as insignificant, saying, "When you're fixing games, you don't want it to fall one point close to the number. You don't want to take that chance."
With no hard evidence available on specific games Donaghy might have influenced, speculation has been rampant. Two other games officiated by Donaghy last season raised concerns.
Donaghy's work in the Miami Heat-New York Knicks game on Feb. 26, 2007, was under close scrutiny.
New York opened as a 3-point home favorite, and the line closed at 41/2. The Knicks shot 39 free throws to the Heat's eight and won, 99-93.
The highest-profile game on Donaghy's resume was Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals between Phoenix and San Antonio on May 12, 2007. The Spurs were 4-point favorites and won, 108-101.
Donaghy was part of a three-man crew, and assigning blame solely to him for what was considered one of the worst-officiated games of that NBA season is unfair. Of course, when highlighting a small number of games or isolating trends, a case could be made against most referees.
The FBI's case is ongoing, and while the public waits for more to be revealed, Stern has attempted to minimize the problem by repeatedly insisting all is said and done.
"From the beginning, the initial statements that came out -- it was isolated, no other referees were involved -- were kind of ridiculous," said Steve Cofield, an ESPN Radio host in Las Vegas. "I think there's a lot more to the story.
"The NBA has done a nice job of somehow managing the story. Does the NBA have that much pull where they can go to federal prosecutors and say, 'Keep quiet.' That's the problem. There's too many questions."
INTEGRITY OF THE GAME
In more than two decades as a Las Vegas bookmaker, Walker has seen the passing of game-fixing scandals in college basketball and college football. But the integrity of NBA games rarely was questioned before Donaghy's face was recognizable.
"I haven't been overly concerned about the NBA," Walker said. "I hate to say nothing ever happened."
An off-court issue involving NBA referees arose in 1998, when respected veteran Joey Crawford was one of eight referees charged with filing false income tax returns. Crawford and the others were accused of downgrading first-class airline tickets purchased by the league and pocketing the difference without reporting the income tax. Crawford quickly was reinstated by Stern.
Gambling and NBA players also have been known to mix.
In 1993, Stern cleared former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan after an investigation into Jordan's off-court gambling activities. Stern said there was "absolutely no connection" between the investigation and Jordan's first retirement that year.
It was reported last week that former NBA star Charles Barkley owed a $400,000 gambling debt to Wynn Las Vegas. Barkley admitted to a gambling problem and settled the debt.
In a more relevant on-court issue, the integrity of some games late in the 2006-07 season was doubted by many league observers, including Las Vegas bookmakers and bettors.
There were concerns about teams tanking games to gain a more favorable position in the draft lottery. For some teams, the last month of the season disintegrated into what seemed like an attempt to cover up a desire to lose and hopefully win a shot at a higher draft pick.
One example was the Boston Celtics' 92-84 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on March 21, 2007. The Celtics, 81/2-point home favorites, led by 15 points at halftime. But coach Doc Rivers left his five starters on the bench as his team blew the lead.
Boston, which finished with the league's second-worst record, stood to benefit more by losing the game. Asked about his strategy, Rivers said, "I was not throwing the game, or anything like that."
The theory that the betting public might fear fixed NBA games this season turned out to be unfounded. Walker said it has been business as usual for the sports books.
The game is thriving despite the negative publicity created by the Donaghy controversy.
"I thought it would be a black eye this year, but it really hasn't affected NBA wagering at all," Walker said. "I haven't heard too many people talk about it, which is a good thing. I think the public is treating it as an isolated incident."
But Cofield is not inclined to let the NBA off the hook so easily. He said Stern owes the public a better explanation, not a cover-up operation.
"We need some legitimacy on this for the bettors," Cofield said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NBA remains slow at providing answers
By MATT YOUMANS
REVIEW-JOURNAL
David Stern
NBA commissioner mostly tight-lipped on Tim Donaghy betting scandal
A dark cloud of suspicion shadows his game, which was struck last summer by a crooked referee and a gambling scandal, and the reaction from NBA commissioner David Stern remains a smug expression of disbelief.
Instead of answers and apologies, Stern continues what might be perceived as an arrogant display of denials and finger pointing.
Something was rotten inside the NBA, and that is the only truth plainly evident more than 10 months after the FBI announced an investigation of former referee Tim Donaghy.
Details of tainted games and the level of corruption still are mostly a mystery. As the case's facts are slowly filtered for public consumption, questions persist about a possible basketball game-fixing scheme that demands full disclosure.
"I'm sure the NBA is hoping it goes away," Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Ken White said. "They want to try to keep it as quiet as possible."
For several months, the Donaghy controversy was almost a forgotten issue. It resurfaced last week, when Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Goldberg filed a letter in a New York federal court saying Donaghy bet on more than 100 games he officiated over four seasons from 2003 to 2007.
Donaghy was fired by the NBA last year after he admitted to providing inside information to help gamblers wager on games. He said he recommended bets to gamblers and received $5,000 for his correct selections.
"Donaghy bet on numerous games that he worked," Goldberg wrote in his letter. "The government's investigation revealed that Donaghy provided picks for anywhere from 30 to 40 such games for each of those three seasons (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06). During the 2006-07 season, Donaghy bet on approximately 30 games, including about 14 games that he refereed."
The case has no direct link to Las Vegas. Sports wagering is tightly regulated in Nevada, but no state officials claimed knowledge of the FBI investigation when the initial allegations became public July 20.
Still, those in Las Vegas who bet on or book the NBA might doubt the legitimacy of some games.
"The bottom line is people want there to be integrity in the games, and the games (Donaghy) was involved in, obviously that wasn't the case," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.
Donaghy's actions have been damaging to the NBA's image, yet few doubt the league's perception among bettors and fans can be repaired.
The time to forgive and forget is not now, however. If the gambling issue extends beyond Donaghy to other referees and league personnel, as he has implied, more trouble might be on the horizon.
Donaghy pleaded guilty to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 14.
Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, said the former referee told investigators in the betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players "affected the outcome of games."
Lauro also suggested Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials, and the attorney asserted the league might have "pressured" the U.S. attorney's office "into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim's conduct."
Stern denied those claims and derided Donaghy's character, calling him an "isolated criminal."
Joel Litvin, the NBA president for league and basketball operations, issued a statement this week saying Donaghy's claims to investigators were "the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time."
Amid the accusations and legal wrangling, Donaghy is disgraced and the NBA is staging its playoffs under a dark cloud that is not disappearing anytime soon.
The NBA long has been a feeding ground for conspiracy theories, so Stern's league is not working on a perfect record. Last year, there were suspicions about teams tanking games late in the season to improve their draft status, and within the past decade other referees ran afoul of the law.
INSIDE THE BETTING NUMBERS
Donaghy left fingerprints on his work, but in which games did he potentially affect the outcome, and how did he do it?
White, a former bookmaker who serves as LVSC's chief operating officer, has looked for those answers. He researched betting trends involving the former referee and sent his report to the NBA last fall.
"They never called back to discuss it or anything," White said.
Conducting his own investigation was R.J. Bell of Las Vegas-based ********. Bell studied moves in betting lines and outlined 19 games that Donaghy refereed during the 2006-07 season that could raise red flags.
"At every stage of the controversy, the NBA only has been willing to admit what was readily obvious," Bell said. "And at every stage it has gotten bigger.
"As more information is released on the Donaghy scandal, the more incriminating the facts become."
Bell found 15 games refereed by Donaghy last season in which the consensus betting line from Las Vegas and offshore books moved by at least 11/2 points, and the line move was correct each time.
"I feel real confident in those games being rock solid," Bell said. "The big-money gamblers won 15 of 15 times on his games. The odds of that happening randomly are 32,768 to 1."
On Jan. 17, 2007, the Phoenix Suns opened as 4-point road favorites over the Houston Rockets. The Suns closed as 51/2-point favorites and won, 100-91. The total dropped from 203 to 1991/2, and that move also was correct as the final score of 191 fell under the total.
On March 21, the Milwaukee Bucks opened as 61/2-point home favorites over the Los Angeles Clippers. The closing number was 3, and the line move was correct as the Clippers won, 104-103.
On April 7, the Orlando Magic opened as a 101/2-point home favorite over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Magic closed as a 12-favorite and won in a 116-89 blowout.
Donaghy was part of the officiating crew for those games, and Bell said it must be more than a coincidence that the moves in the betting lines for the 19 games he highlighted proved to be sharp decisions by gamblers.
Bell said Donaghy's "officiating style statistically changed" during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
During the two previous seasons, Bell said Donaghy "called significantly less fouls than the average NBA referee" and his games scored more points than the betting totals 44 percent of the time. In the past two seasons, Bell said Donaghy "called significantly more fouls than average" and his games scored more points than the betting totals 57 percent of the time.
"Consider what must be believed in order to conclude that Donaghy did not fix the games that he both officiated and bet on: First, that a person troubled enough to provide inside information to criminals was able to referee games in which he had a financial interest in the outcome without any bias," Bell said.
"We also must believe that information alone allowed big bettors to beat Las Vegas 15 straight times. And, finally, we must believe that Donaghy becoming a much more active referee his final two years is a mere coincidence rather than evidence of an effort to increase his influence on games."
White said his studies focused on wagering patterns and his findings differed from what Bell outlined. White said there were cases of more wagering activity than usual on some totals.
"We didn't find anything on the sides," White said. "I think it's mostly totals."
Bell said during the 2006-07 season, 13 games refereed by Donaghy fell within one point of the Las Vegas line.
White dismissed that statistic as insignificant, saying, "When you're fixing games, you don't want it to fall one point close to the number. You don't want to take that chance."
With no hard evidence available on specific games Donaghy might have influenced, speculation has been rampant. Two other games officiated by Donaghy last season raised concerns.
Donaghy's work in the Miami Heat-New York Knicks game on Feb. 26, 2007, was under close scrutiny.
New York opened as a 3-point home favorite, and the line closed at 41/2. The Knicks shot 39 free throws to the Heat's eight and won, 99-93.
The highest-profile game on Donaghy's resume was Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals between Phoenix and San Antonio on May 12, 2007. The Spurs were 4-point favorites and won, 108-101.
Donaghy was part of a three-man crew, and assigning blame solely to him for what was considered one of the worst-officiated games of that NBA season is unfair. Of course, when highlighting a small number of games or isolating trends, a case could be made against most referees.
The FBI's case is ongoing, and while the public waits for more to be revealed, Stern has attempted to minimize the problem by repeatedly insisting all is said and done.
"From the beginning, the initial statements that came out -- it was isolated, no other referees were involved -- were kind of ridiculous," said Steve Cofield, an ESPN Radio host in Las Vegas. "I think there's a lot more to the story.
"The NBA has done a nice job of somehow managing the story. Does the NBA have that much pull where they can go to federal prosecutors and say, 'Keep quiet.' That's the problem. There's too many questions."
INTEGRITY OF THE GAME
In more than two decades as a Las Vegas bookmaker, Walker has seen the passing of game-fixing scandals in college basketball and college football. But the integrity of NBA games rarely was questioned before Donaghy's face was recognizable.
"I haven't been overly concerned about the NBA," Walker said. "I hate to say nothing ever happened."
An off-court issue involving NBA referees arose in 1998, when respected veteran Joey Crawford was one of eight referees charged with filing false income tax returns. Crawford and the others were accused of downgrading first-class airline tickets purchased by the league and pocketing the difference without reporting the income tax. Crawford quickly was reinstated by Stern.
Gambling and NBA players also have been known to mix.
In 1993, Stern cleared former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan after an investigation into Jordan's off-court gambling activities. Stern said there was "absolutely no connection" between the investigation and Jordan's first retirement that year.
It was reported last week that former NBA star Charles Barkley owed a $400,000 gambling debt to Wynn Las Vegas. Barkley admitted to a gambling problem and settled the debt.
In a more relevant on-court issue, the integrity of some games late in the 2006-07 season was doubted by many league observers, including Las Vegas bookmakers and bettors.
There were concerns about teams tanking games to gain a more favorable position in the draft lottery. For some teams, the last month of the season disintegrated into what seemed like an attempt to cover up a desire to lose and hopefully win a shot at a higher draft pick.
One example was the Boston Celtics' 92-84 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on March 21, 2007. The Celtics, 81/2-point home favorites, led by 15 points at halftime. But coach Doc Rivers left his five starters on the bench as his team blew the lead.
Boston, which finished with the league's second-worst record, stood to benefit more by losing the game. Asked about his strategy, Rivers said, "I was not throwing the game, or anything like that."
The theory that the betting public might fear fixed NBA games this season turned out to be unfounded. Walker said it has been business as usual for the sports books.
The game is thriving despite the negative publicity created by the Donaghy controversy.
"I thought it would be a black eye this year, but it really hasn't affected NBA wagering at all," Walker said. "I haven't heard too many people talk about it, which is a good thing. I think the public is treating it as an isolated incident."
But Cofield is not inclined to let the NBA off the hook so easily. He said Stern owes the public a better explanation, not a cover-up operation.
"We need some legitimacy on this for the bettors," Cofield said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Opening Line
Want to bet that sports has a gambling problem?
by John Canzano, JohnCanzano@aol.com
POSTED: May 26, 2008
Sports and GamblingOREGON -- Nine years ago, a recovering compulsive gambler from New Jersey named Arnie Wexler was summoned to the NBA offices by the league security staff. He was working as a gambling counselor, running an intensive treatment program with his wife. Wexler spent four hours meeting with league officials.
Said Wexler: "They told me they had a problem, and they insinuated that all kinds of things were going on."
Three days later, he had a second meeting, and the NBA security staff told him they were considering having him meet with coaches, officials and players from all teams over a three-month period in early 2000. Wexler's job would be to determine how widespread the league's problem with gambling might be.
The study never happened.
"The league put the kibosh on it," Wexler said. "I was told higher-ups didn't want this going public."
So, yeah, nevermind what the NBA thinks, I'd love to hear more from disgraced game official Tim Donaghy. Also, in light of Charles Barkley's $400,000 casino debt, and what we're learning about Pacman Jones' gambling habit, what all sports leagues need to do is stop being ignorant and start getting proactive. Exactly how pure are the games, really?
Wexler, who counseled former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter and late Monday Night Football executive producer Chet Forte, said he talks with Donaghy at least once a week. He's privately counseled a major league baseball player who was making $800,000 a year but had a $25,000 debt in Atlantic City he couldn't pay. Also, Wexler said he's worked with an NFL kicker, and he's counseling another NBA game official with a gambling compulsion.
"I think all sports are in denial," Wexler said, "but especially the NBA."
Do the executives who run the leagues hear any of this? Are they paying attention? Do they realize the stakes and understand that being proactive rather than reactive is the right thing to do when it comes to gambling?
Gambling is recreational for most people. Psychologists will tell you that only about 3-5 percent of those who wager become compulsive gamblers, but also, that athletes and high-achievers are predisposed because they're competitive, have unreasonable expectations, distorted optimism and high levels of energy. When those compulsive gamblers get in trouble, there's not just personal damage and family problems, but it also directly threatens the purity of the games.
Serious sports leagues should be proactive in identifying potential problems. They should be concerned with what we're learning. Instead of trying to label Donaghy a rogue official, those charged with running sports should be interested in protecting the integrity of the game and its participants. I suppose it's easier to make Pete Rose the exception, but maybe what we should do is consider that his ability to casually phone in wagers from the clubhouse was symptomatic of widespread ignorance from baseball officials.
We don't know how big a problem gambling is in sports. We don't know how many officials, coaches or players might be influencing the outcomes of games. Unlike drug addiction or alcohol abuse, when you're an abusive gambler there are no track marks, no dilated pupils, no smell, no slurring, no stumbling around.
How Donaghy hid out for so long, fixing so many games, sort of makes you wonder.
"When gambling controls you, instead of you controlling it, that's when you have a problem," Wexler said. "And sport has a problem."
The leagues spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to control image. It's why the substance-abuse programs across all sports amount to a joke. But now we're not just talking about an athlete, coach or official abusing his body, but potentially abusing the public's trust.
Any form of an in-house gambling-abuse program isn't going to solve anything. I suppose refusing to publicly acknowledge that there are concerns about gambling in sports would keep things tidy and quiet, but it's the silence that's helped perpetuate the danger. There's a need for independent, objective, effective management and protection.
The NCAA, which conducts its own preventative program, should contract that to an independent outside source. The NFL, which hired Wexler to address players and their families in 1994, needs to explore a more substantive program. And Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NBA need to stop being gutless and start being real.
Said Wexler, "There's all kinds of gambling going on. I have e-mails from athletes here, and have had private conversations that I can't divulge, but I'm telling you, it's huge."
That worry anyone else?
Want to bet that sports has a gambling problem?
by John Canzano, JohnCanzano@aol.com
POSTED: May 26, 2008
Sports and GamblingOREGON -- Nine years ago, a recovering compulsive gambler from New Jersey named Arnie Wexler was summoned to the NBA offices by the league security staff. He was working as a gambling counselor, running an intensive treatment program with his wife. Wexler spent four hours meeting with league officials.
Said Wexler: "They told me they had a problem, and they insinuated that all kinds of things were going on."
Three days later, he had a second meeting, and the NBA security staff told him they were considering having him meet with coaches, officials and players from all teams over a three-month period in early 2000. Wexler's job would be to determine how widespread the league's problem with gambling might be.
The study never happened.
"The league put the kibosh on it," Wexler said. "I was told higher-ups didn't want this going public."
So, yeah, nevermind what the NBA thinks, I'd love to hear more from disgraced game official Tim Donaghy. Also, in light of Charles Barkley's $400,000 casino debt, and what we're learning about Pacman Jones' gambling habit, what all sports leagues need to do is stop being ignorant and start getting proactive. Exactly how pure are the games, really?
Wexler, who counseled former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter and late Monday Night Football executive producer Chet Forte, said he talks with Donaghy at least once a week. He's privately counseled a major league baseball player who was making $800,000 a year but had a $25,000 debt in Atlantic City he couldn't pay. Also, Wexler said he's worked with an NFL kicker, and he's counseling another NBA game official with a gambling compulsion.
"I think all sports are in denial," Wexler said, "but especially the NBA."
Do the executives who run the leagues hear any of this? Are they paying attention? Do they realize the stakes and understand that being proactive rather than reactive is the right thing to do when it comes to gambling?
Gambling is recreational for most people. Psychologists will tell you that only about 3-5 percent of those who wager become compulsive gamblers, but also, that athletes and high-achievers are predisposed because they're competitive, have unreasonable expectations, distorted optimism and high levels of energy. When those compulsive gamblers get in trouble, there's not just personal damage and family problems, but it also directly threatens the purity of the games.
Serious sports leagues should be proactive in identifying potential problems. They should be concerned with what we're learning. Instead of trying to label Donaghy a rogue official, those charged with running sports should be interested in protecting the integrity of the game and its participants. I suppose it's easier to make Pete Rose the exception, but maybe what we should do is consider that his ability to casually phone in wagers from the clubhouse was symptomatic of widespread ignorance from baseball officials.
We don't know how big a problem gambling is in sports. We don't know how many officials, coaches or players might be influencing the outcomes of games. Unlike drug addiction or alcohol abuse, when you're an abusive gambler there are no track marks, no dilated pupils, no smell, no slurring, no stumbling around.
How Donaghy hid out for so long, fixing so many games, sort of makes you wonder.
"When gambling controls you, instead of you controlling it, that's when you have a problem," Wexler said. "And sport has a problem."
The leagues spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to control image. It's why the substance-abuse programs across all sports amount to a joke. But now we're not just talking about an athlete, coach or official abusing his body, but potentially abusing the public's trust.
Any form of an in-house gambling-abuse program isn't going to solve anything. I suppose refusing to publicly acknowledge that there are concerns about gambling in sports would keep things tidy and quiet, but it's the silence that's helped perpetuate the danger. There's a need for independent, objective, effective management and protection.
The NCAA, which conducts its own preventative program, should contract that to an independent outside source. The NFL, which hired Wexler to address players and their families in 1994, needs to explore a more substantive program. And Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NBA need to stop being gutless and start being real.
Said Wexler, "There's all kinds of gambling going on. I have e-mails from athletes here, and have had private conversations that I can't divulge, but I'm telling you, it's huge."
That worry anyone else?
Phil Sheridan's Conspiracy Theory
Phil Sheridan touches on the NBA's conspiracy theories that have resurfaced after Derek Fisher's foul of Brent Barry in the Lakers-Spurs series.
I'm a huge Sheridan fan, but unfortunately this column is like all too many about the league-influence on referee calls. Sheridan raises the issue under the guise of generic fan suspicions, gently touches on evidence to bolster these beliefs but then winds up defending the leagues - in this case, again the NBA - by picking apart one questionable call and by suggesting that it is unthinkable or inconceivable that a league would risk its reputation to tilt games for TV ratings (i.e., money).
Alas, Sheridan falls into the same old traps as so many others.
One, Stern does not send "encrypted messages dictating the outcome of games." No, that is too blatant. Sheridan needs to understand how these things are done in Washington. It's called "plausible deniability."
I always have to laugh at the radio half wits who complain that no "smoking gun" has ever emerged about a commissioner's complicity in influencing games. As if Stern would ever dare to put on paper (much less utter) some instructions like, "Crawford, make sure the Lakers win tonight."
No, the messages are much more subtle and deniable. Ref assignments, vague comments, etc. Those within the league, in this case the refs, get the message loud and clear. But the actual words are harmless or can be argued to be misconstrued if a ref ever tried to make it public.
Second, Sheridan writes,
"The key to a successful conspiracy is to make everything look as if it's on the level. Second, if the motive for all this is to set up a Boston-L.A. matchup to boost TV ratings, then why push the Spurs to the brink of elimination in Game 4?
I would say, precisely. Stern wants to give the appearance that everything is on the level. How easy it is to fix an early game in a series - like game 4. The series has yet to fully play out and the details of games 5 and 6 will easily displace the controversy of game 4. And isn't it preferable to fix an early game than a game 6 or 7 when everyone KNOWS the series is on the line. As it is, the NBA has tilted the series to the Lakers by giving them one game and only requiring them to win 3 of the next 6. Again, the NBA isn't blatantly "fixing" games per se, but they are tilting the playing field in favor of certain teams by certain calls being made or not made.
Interestingly, Sheridan glosses over "poor officiating" after "too many big games" but doesn't cite even one example.
Here's one: Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings 2002 conference finals (see a theme among this incidents?) By general consensus the worst officiated NBA game in the 21st century. The game in which the Kings' two centers (Divac and Pollard) both fouled out, the Lakers shot 27 free throws to the Kings 9 in the 4th quarter, and was so bad even Ralph Nader demanded an investigation at its conclusion.
Finally, Sheridan doesn't mention the elephant in the room. The rampant suspicion that the NBA and Stern fixed the 1985 draft lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. If you want to discuss sports conspiracies, that is the incident from which the NBA has never really recovered and which has ultimately led to such deep-seated fan skepticism.
Indeed, Sheridan is wrong to conclude that the fans won't watch if it is ever proved the games are fixed. Crooked ref Tim Donaghy has already shown that. No, the real risk to the integrity of the game itself is the constant whispers - to the point they are published by respected columnists in papers like the Inquirer - that the integrity isn't real.
Phil Sheridan touches on the NBA's conspiracy theories that have resurfaced after Derek Fisher's foul of Brent Barry in the Lakers-Spurs series.
I'm a huge Sheridan fan, but unfortunately this column is like all too many about the league-influence on referee calls. Sheridan raises the issue under the guise of generic fan suspicions, gently touches on evidence to bolster these beliefs but then winds up defending the leagues - in this case, again the NBA - by picking apart one questionable call and by suggesting that it is unthinkable or inconceivable that a league would risk its reputation to tilt games for TV ratings (i.e., money).
Alas, Sheridan falls into the same old traps as so many others.
One, Stern does not send "encrypted messages dictating the outcome of games." No, that is too blatant. Sheridan needs to understand how these things are done in Washington. It's called "plausible deniability."
I always have to laugh at the radio half wits who complain that no "smoking gun" has ever emerged about a commissioner's complicity in influencing games. As if Stern would ever dare to put on paper (much less utter) some instructions like, "Crawford, make sure the Lakers win tonight."
No, the messages are much more subtle and deniable. Ref assignments, vague comments, etc. Those within the league, in this case the refs, get the message loud and clear. But the actual words are harmless or can be argued to be misconstrued if a ref ever tried to make it public.
Second, Sheridan writes,
"The key to a successful conspiracy is to make everything look as if it's on the level. Second, if the motive for all this is to set up a Boston-L.A. matchup to boost TV ratings, then why push the Spurs to the brink of elimination in Game 4?
I would say, precisely. Stern wants to give the appearance that everything is on the level. How easy it is to fix an early game in a series - like game 4. The series has yet to fully play out and the details of games 5 and 6 will easily displace the controversy of game 4. And isn't it preferable to fix an early game than a game 6 or 7 when everyone KNOWS the series is on the line. As it is, the NBA has tilted the series to the Lakers by giving them one game and only requiring them to win 3 of the next 6. Again, the NBA isn't blatantly "fixing" games per se, but they are tilting the playing field in favor of certain teams by certain calls being made or not made.
Interestingly, Sheridan glosses over "poor officiating" after "too many big games" but doesn't cite even one example.
Here's one: Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings 2002 conference finals (see a theme among this incidents?) By general consensus the worst officiated NBA game in the 21st century. The game in which the Kings' two centers (Divac and Pollard) both fouled out, the Lakers shot 27 free throws to the Kings 9 in the 4th quarter, and was so bad even Ralph Nader demanded an investigation at its conclusion.
Finally, Sheridan doesn't mention the elephant in the room. The rampant suspicion that the NBA and Stern fixed the 1985 draft lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. If you want to discuss sports conspiracies, that is the incident from which the NBA has never really recovered and which has ultimately led to such deep-seated fan skepticism.
Indeed, Sheridan is wrong to conclude that the fans won't watch if it is ever proved the games are fixed. Crooked ref Tim Donaghy has already shown that. No, the real risk to the integrity of the game itself is the constant whispers - to the point they are published by respected columnists in papers like the Inquirer - that the integrity isn't real.
Ill give you 10 to 1 peaches. Let me know and i will give Agent my password. Hurry tho these accounts don't stay up long. Here is a rough draft tho. So sad how nobody believes anyone on this site.
50916260 5/22/2008 09:58PM Wager Won 200.00 -212.50 50917447 5/22/2008 10:30PM Wager Won 53.00 -159.50 50919747 5/22/2008 11:48PM Wager Won 600.00 440.50 50920032 5/22/2008 11:49PM Wager Won 270.00 710.50 50920033 5/22/2008 11:49PM Wager Won 270.00 980.50 50920082 5/22/2008 11:49PM Wager Won 510.00 1,490.50 50920544 5/22/2008 11:49PM Wager Won 100.00 1,590.50 50920546 5/22/2008 11:49PM Wager Won 100.00 1,690.50 50957241 5/24/2008 10:26PM Wager Won 120.00 1,810.50 50957244 5/24/2008 10:26PM Wager Loss 112.50 1,698.00 50959795 5/24/2008 11:20PM Wager Won 250.00 1,948.00 50960573 5/24/2008 11:21PM Wager Won 200.00 2,148.00 50960574 5/24/2008 11:21PM Wager Won 200.00 2,348.00 50961165 5/24/2008 11:27PM Wager Won 59.00 2,407.00 50961945 5/24/2008 11:40PM Wager Won 25.00 2,432.00 50962278 5/25/2008 00:28AM Wager Loss 100.00 2,332.00 50962296 5/25/2008 00:28AM Wager Won 25.00 2,357.00 50973706 5/25/2008 04:51PM Wager Won 242.00 2,599.00 50976025 5/25/2008 05:54PM Wager Won 206.00 2,805.00 50983011 5/25/2008 11:02PM Wager Won 200.00 3,005.00 50984628 5/25/2008 11:03PM Wager Won 200.00 3,205.00 50985658 5/26/2008 00:12AM Zero balance debit 3,205.00 0.00
I'm always happy, Vinnie! BTW, these are posts from searching google blogs for a couple hours. There is basically NOTHING substantial written or apparently known about Donaghy and this mess apart from the ttwo news articles we've all seen. I cannot find any intelligent commentary.
Donaghy is portrayed as a yuppie and a guy who gets into it with various people, not disincluding postals, neighbors and six-year-olds.
Note that one of the two betting experts says he thinks it was totals that Donaghy was pushing, not sides.
Note that one of the two betting experts says he thinks it was totals that Donaghy was pushing, not sides.
Sponge-man... come clean: you advised Hillary on her cattles futures, right?
Just joshing ya.
Sponge, I just want you to tell these nit-wits how the NBA made sure Boston embarrassed Detroit on their own court last night? You know.......so both Boston and LA could be "well rested", and put on a good show for everyone in The Finals?
Anyone can tell me how they did on last weeks games........I want a guy who can tell me about last night's!
Anyone can tell me how they did on last weeks games........I want a guy who can tell me about last night's!
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OK Sponge, it looks like you MIGHT have gone on a pretty nice run here but the problem is that it is VERY unlikely that even half of these bets were on the NBA. I straightened out your account info a bit so that it is actually legible and it seems like you made eight separate winning bets on a single game on May 22nd which was Game 4 of the Detroit/Boston series. Then you made seven separate wagers on May 24th which was Game 5 of the same series and then another seven wagers the next day on Game 6 of the Lakers/Spurs series.
Are you really claiming that you placed 21 separate wagers on just three NBA games and went 19-2? That?s pretty bold to claim that record after the fact and expect anyone to really buy it.
