Sports Betting

A Kentucky bettor won nearly $443,000 on Sunday from a $3.1 million wager after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Carolina Panthers 22-16, according to ESPN's Doug Greenberg and David Purdum.

Circa Sports accepted the wager on Thursday afternoon at -700 odds before adjusting it to -870 on Friday morning, according to Greenberg and Purdum.

Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens told ESPN that the bettor increased the wager from an initial $1 million, making it the largest bet the sportsbook has ever accepted.

The wager was believed to be one of the largest ever placed on a regular-season NFL game, turning Circa Sportsbook into big Bryce Young fans for the weekend.

"We currently have the best Panthers [money-line] price on the board and will be big Bryce Young fans on Sunday," Circa Sportsbook director Jeff Benson told ESPN, per Greenberg and Purdum.

Of the 12 games scheduled for Week 14, the Eagles and Panthers matchup was the most bet-on game of the weekend.

"Eagles-Panthers is our most-bet game of the weekend, and it's been largely one-way traffic with 70% of spread handle and 80% of money-line handle on Philly," ESPN BET's director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton said, per Greenberg and Purdum. "We opened the game at -12.5, and it's still moving in the Eagles' direction, now at -13 on Friday morning."

The Kentucky bettor was surely on the edge of their seat as the Panthers charged down the field with under 2:30 remaining in regulation.

The 3-10 Panthers nearly upset the 11-2 Eagles as the game came down to the wire. The Panthers' final attempt to convert on fourth down at the Eagles' 37-yard line was broken up by cornerback Darius Slay Jr. in a game-sealing defensive stop.

Professional poker player Cory Zeidman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to ESPN's David Purdum, after falsely claiming to have insider information on sports.

Per that report, "Federal authorities alleged that Zeidman and his partners misled customers to pay the organization for betting advice by claiming to have knowledge of nonpublic injury information, 'dirty' referees and fixed games, according to court documents."

The scheme lasted between 2006-20 and advertised itself under fake names such as "Gordon Howard Global" and the "Ray Palmer Group." It sold customers false information under the pretense of gathering inside information from television executives or college physicians.

"Zeidman and his partners baited unsuspecting victims with false claims of an edge in sports betting only to feed them lies and pocket millions of dollars," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a news release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Per the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, Zediman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as "forfeiture and restitution of approximately $3.6 million."

Hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar will have an interesting stop on his Grand National Tour featuring SZA that was announced on Tuesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays revealed that Lamar's tour will include a visit to the Rogers Centre on June 12:

Of course, Toronto is home to Lamar's biggest music rival, Drake. The two of them engaged in one of the biggest rap beefs in recent memory over the summer.

Many believe Lamar came out on top in his feud with Drake thanks to his smash-hit record, "Not Like Us," which received five nominations in the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Fans on social media couldn't help but troll Drake after it was announced that Lamar would be taking a victory lap through his hometown:

Lamar visiting Toronto is another clear indication of the undeniability of his star power. His tour will also include stops at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and SoFi Stadium in his hometown of Los Angeles.

If two lawmakers get their way, there will be drastic new regulations on the sports betting industry that will give far more power to federal regulators than the state ones already in place.

ESPN's John Barr reported Thursday that Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) proposed the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act, or SAFE Bet Act.

Barr called them "two of the more vocal critics of the sports betting industry on Capitol Hill," which is notable since they are calling for a nationwide ban on the current model of sports betting, which would then require the 38 states where it is legal to go through application processes.

The U.S. Attorney General would have the power to grant approvals that would last just three years before the process restarted.

"State regulation is faint-hearted and half-baked. That's why we need a national standard," Blumenthal said. "Not to ban gambling but simply to take back control over an industry that is out of bounds."

Barr listed some of the restrictions that would be put in place if the SAFE Bet Act passed:

• No gambling advertising during live sporting events or between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
• No offering incentives such as "bonus bets" and "no sweat bets"
• Customers will not be allowed to make more than five deposits in 24 hours
• Prop bets in collegiate sports would be banned nationally and not just on a per-state basis
• Artificial intelligence could not be used to track a bettor's individual gambling habits
• Credit card deposits would be banned
• Gambling companies would be tasked with completing "affordability checks" for those who bet more than $1,000 in 24 hours

The plan was met with plenty of resistance.

"Introducing heavy-handed federal prohibitions is a slap in the face to state legislatures and gaming regulators who have dedicated countless time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks unique to their jurisdictions," Chris Cylke, the American Gaming Association's senior vice president of government relations, said.

Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) also said the SAFE Bet Act was "outdated" and "unwarranted."

Sports betting continues to become more prevalent in today's world, and it has generated plenty of headlines. Among those headlines were the NBA banning Jontay Porter, Major League Baseball banning Tucupita Marcano and the investigation into Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

What's more, NCAA president Charlie Baker called for a ban on all college prop bets in March.

"Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student athletes and professional athletes getting harassed," he said in a statement. "The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets."

While there may be a push from some to curb the overall prevalence of sports gambling, the SAFE Bet Act will have to overcome opposition and hurdles to become law.

After Argentina earned a 2-0 win over Canada on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the 2024 Copa America, the Lionel Messi-led squad got the last laugh over hip-hop artist Drake.

The 37-year-old Canadian placed a $300,000 bet for his home country to come out with the win, so Argentina took to social media after its victory with a quote from Kendrick Lamar's hit diss track "Not Like Us."

This is far from the first time that Drake has failed to cash in on his major sports bets, as many believe he carries a "curse" when it comes to his wagers. Just last month, he bet $500,000 on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup Final and another $500,000 on the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Finals, and both teams ended up losing their respective series.

While taking losses in sports bets is nothing new for Drake, he has had to deal with the masses celebrating his loss to Lamar in their rap beef that encapsulated the music world for the past few months. Lamar's "Not Like Us" has been streamed nearly half a billion times on Spotify and the music video that was released just last week already has over 115 million views on YouTube.

Messi scored his 109th career international goal and first of this year's tournament in the 51st minute of Tuesday's game to help Argentina secure the win. Julián Álvarez got the defending Copa American champions on the board first in the 22nd minute.

Messi has now produced 28 goals in his last 25 matches for Argentina, and his 14 career goals in Copa America play are just three shy of the all-time record. The 37-year-old sits behind only Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo (130) in career international goals.

Argentina has gone unbeaten in each of its last 10 matches. The team will be seeking a record 16th Copa America title when it meets the winner of Uruguay vs. Colombia in Sunday's final.

"It's insane what this team has done, what the Argentina national team is doing," Messi said after the win. "For those who remain from the old guard, it's beyond impressive that the national team is in another final."