Merger Could Boost Indycar Betting

June 18, 2008

If NASCAR betting is as powerful as a jet airplane turbo and betting on Formula One racing has been as steady as a Mercedes transmission, then IndyCar betting - with the notable exception of the Indianapolis 500 - traditionally has been about as potent as a lawn motor engine.

Open wheel proponents, who recently ended their debilitating 12-year feud when the Indy Car League and the Champ Car World Series put aside their differences to merge into the IndyCar Series this year, will be hoping to get back some of those fans who, like drivers such as Dario Franchitti, Pablo Montoya and Sam Hornish, have deserted to NASCAR over the past two or three years. Left unsaid is that the sport also would benefit greatly if motor racing betting fans returned to the fold as well.

On the latter point, sportsbooks can’t be blamed for not doing their part, establishing a future book for the 2008 IndyCar season that began in Miami, March 29, in addition to posting individual racecar odds for each the sport’s 16 events. Television, an incalculable and invaluable component to the ultimate success of any sports betting promotion, also will do its part with ABC (7), ESPN (2) and ESPN2 (7) dividing the neck twisting broadcast duties.

The IndyCar Series also has a not-so hidden weapon in 100-pound Danica Patrick, the raven-haired driver who attracts viewers (and, hopefully, bettors) with her cover-girl good looks and feisty racetrack demeanor.

Let’s look at the major contenders for the 2008 IndyCar Series Championship (future book odds in parentheses):

Scott Dixon (7/2): Dixon, who lost the 2007 IRL title to Franchitti by 13 points when he ran out of gas on the last lap of the last race of the season, got off to a quick start with a fortuitous victory in the season opener in Miami. Dixon, the 2003 champion, has 11 career wins and finished in the top five 13 times in 2007.

Tony Kanaan (4/1): The 2004 IRL champion has won a dozen races on the open wheel circuit and appeared headed for another triumph when he was involved in an accident while leading on lap 193 of the 200-lap Gainsco Auto Insurance event, March 29.

Dan Weldon (9/2): A teammate of Dixon’s from the strong Chip Ganassi stable, Dixon won both the IRL title and Indy 500 in 2005 and was second in 2006. He has 10 career victories.

Helio Castroneves (9/2): The reigning “Dancing With the Stars” champion also is pretty good on wheels, counting back-to-back Indy 500 triumphs in 2001-02 among his 12 victories.

Marco Andretti (12/1): A third generation driver with one of the sport’s most famous pedigrees, Andretti slipped a bit last year after winning a race and finishing second in the 2006 Indy 500 at age 19. He joins Kanaan, Patrick and Hideki Mutoh as a member of the powerful Andretti Green team.

Justin Wilson (16/1): Formula 3000 champion Wilson finished second in the standings (to former teammate Sebastian Bourdais who left for the Formula One circuit) the past two years in the now defunct Champ Car Series.

Danica Patrick (20/1): After 49 starts, Patrick still is looking for her first victory, though not her first fan.

With the exception of the Indy 500, where propositions abound and there are dozens of ways to wager on the Memorial weekend classic, bookmakers still are in first gear when it comes to IndyCar betting, for the most part, waiting to see if gamblers embrace the series before offering a more expanded wagering menu.

It would seem then, appropriately enough, that the future health of IndyCar betting, like all motor sport betting, is up to the bettor.

This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering Indycar betting, as well as sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online.

Written by Dirty · Filed Under Formula One and IndyCar | Leave a Comment 

Gamblers Seek Formula For F1 Betting

June 18, 2008

F1 betting may not be the equal of NASCAR wagering in the United States but the motor sport, which revs up for the opening of its 59th season in Melbourne, Australia, March 16, boasts an international following that is not only passionate but a favorite of gamblers across the globe.

As evidence of the former we offer the odd case of the man in Finland who nearly a decade ago shot and killed his mother because she shut off the television while he was watching two-time F1 world champion and national driving hero Mika Hakkinen compete in a Grand Prix event.

Although they’re no less passionate, gratefully, bettors of the sport are demonstratively less violent, preferring to take their shots at a pair of future books and a series win and proposition bets that are offered on each of the 18 races that stretch from March to November, making stops in Australia, Asia, Europe and South America.

Last year’s F1 campaign produced a thrilling three-way battle among Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso with Raikkonen (110 points) edging Hamilton (109 points) and Alonso (109 points) on the final race day.

Not surprisingly, those three drivers, along with Felipe Massa, who was a close fourth in 2007, again are the men to beat in 2008.

Raikkonen was the favorite at each of the 17 sportsbooks surveyed, though not by much. A winner of an F1 best six race events last season, Raikkonen was offered at odds of 7/5 or 3/2 at most books. Massa, his Ferrari teammate, was listed at 9/2 or 5/1. Hamilton, who drives for McClaren, was listed at about 2/1 while Alonso, who pilots a Renault, was being shopped at odds ranging from 5/1 to 7/1.

Raikkonen, Hamilton, Alonso and Massa accounted for every victory on the F-1 circuit last year so if you’re interested in investing some hard-earned cash on anyone else, you’ll be wagering on a driver more than a year removed from a Formula One win.

As the individual races unfold, sportsbooks will be proffering odds not just on the winner of each race but whether a driver makes the podium (top three) and who wins the pole position leading up to each event.

What’s more, since F1 racing is as much about the cars as the drivers, nearly every sportsbook worth its spark plugs also offers wagering on which automobile manufacturer will amass the most points. Ferrari, which won last year for the first time since 2004, is an odds-on pick, usually at 2/3, to defend its title in what is called the Constructors Championship. McClaren, with drivers Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, is the 7/4 second choice with Renault, with wheelmen Alonso and Nelson Piquet, Jr., is offered at 7/1.

Two new street circuits will be introduced to the Formula One schedule this year, the Valencia Street Circuit, which will host the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain, Aug. 24, and the Singapore Street Circuit, site of the Singapore Grand Prix in that country, Sept. 28. Serious handicappers will want to take note that the Singapore Grand Prix will be the first Formula One event held at night.

Interestingly, if F1 racing executives want to continue to widen their appeal to the American market, they’re going about it in the wrong way since the United States Grand Prix will not return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year.

National pride aside, you can expect gamblers in the United States to join those around the world in some passionate and enthusiastic F1 betting this year.

This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online.

Written by Dirty · Filed Under Formula One and IndyCar | Leave a Comment