Derby facing an uphill battle against relegation

Soccer Betting Lines

11/09/2007 - Derby, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has not been a pleasant experience for Derby in its return to the Premiership.

After earning promotion last season, the club has recorded just one win in 12 games, and has been outscored 26-5.

Derby currently resides at the bottom of the league table, and although they are just three points from clearing the drop zone, the rest of the season doesn't figure to get any easier.

Despite the terrible start, Derby players have remained optimistic, and they will have the added incentive of jumping out the relegation zone with a win against West Ham at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday.

"Obviously the chance for us to get off the bottom of the table is a massive incentive for us," midfielder Stephan Pearson told the club's website. "It's a game all the players are looking forward to and hopefully we can pick up the three points. Hopefully then we can try and go on some sort of run and pick up more points along the way."

It is good that the club is still hopeful, but hope is all that they may be able to cling to as the season progresses and the losses pile up.

The club's leaky defense will not get any help with injuries to defenders Andy Todd (back) and Claude Davis (adductor) keeping both out of action against West Ham, but the anemic attack could get a boost with the return of striker Kenny Miller to the lineup.

West Ham has battled injuries all season, and continues to fight through them in an effort to get into the top half of the table.

Manager Alan Curbishley and West Ham will try to extend its unbeaten streak in all competitions to five games on Saturday, but they will have to do so without midfielder Mark Noble, who will undergo a double hernia operation on Saturday.

Dean Ashton, Fredrik Ljungberg and James Collins are all possible returns for Curbishley, although decisions on each will not be made until game time.

In Saturday's other EPL contests, Newcastle brings a two-game losing skid into its contest with Sunderland, and Liverpool tries to pick up three needed points against Fulham.

On Sunday, Aston Villa travels to St Andrews Stadium to face off with Birmingham, Everton visits a Chelsea side that has won its last four EPL contests, struggling Bolton entertains Middlesbrough, Tottenham and Wigan, two of the bottom four teams in the league, meet up at White Hart Lane, Manchester City tries to maintain its lofty position in third place with a win at Portsmouth, while Manchester United is coming off of a 4-0 win over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday in the Champions League and faces a good test against Blackburn.

Arsenal rounds out the weekend on Monday when the Gunners visit the Madejski Stadium to take on Reading. Arsenal is coming off of two consecutive draws, a 2-2 result against Manchester United last Saturday, and a disappointing 0-0 draw with Slavia Prague on Wednesday in Champions League play.

Wwinfospace Soccer Betting News

<< Timberwolves battle Lakers in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers try to get back on the winning track, as they host the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Staples Center. Los Angeles plays the finale of a three-game homestand. On Tuesday, P

<< Winless Sonics host Jazz in Emerald City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle SuperSonics continue to search for their first win of the new campaign, as they welcome the Utah Jazz tonight to KeyArena. Seattle plays the middle contest of a three-game homestand. On Wednesday, Rudy G

<< King James, Cavs pay a visit to Sacramento
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings try to win back-to-back games when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight to ARCO Arena. Sacramento plays the middle contest of a three-game homestand. Kevin Martin scored 31 points, gra

<< Portland aims to blaze Grizzlies at Rose Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers both try and win back-to-back games, as they battle tonight at the Rose Garden. The Grizzlies and Trail Blazers split four meetings last season. Memphis has won three in

<< Bucks, Rockets square off in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will wrap up a two-game homestand when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks tonight to the Toyota Center. On Tuesday, Yao Ming poured in a game-high 28 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead t

Dolphins' Thomas remains sidelined >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills as a result of recurring migraine headaches. The news comes just one day after Thomas participated in h

Hibernian hopes for rebound against Gretna >>
Gretna, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hibernian was the surprise outfit during the first two months of the current Scottish Premier League season, beating both Celtic and Rangers during a nine-game unbeaten run. Since that time, however

Flyers slowing down, but still making big strides >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After posting the worst season in franchise history in 2006-07, the Philadelphia Flyers have once again brought competitive hockey to the City of Brotherly Love. The Flyers made a big splash in the offseason by signing fr

Panthers recall veteran Cullimore >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers recalled defenseman Jassen Cullimore from a two-week conditioning stint with their AHL affiliate in Rochester. The 34-year-old Cullimore, who inked a one-year deal with the Panth

Detroit names Lilley new head coach >>
Southfield, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit of the Major Indoor Soccer League named Bob Lilley its new head coach and promoted former coach Mark Pulisic to Director of Soccer Operations on Tuesday. Lilley spent nine years as a head coach

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

MySportsbook.com, Online Sportsbook and Casino, is celebrating our 9th football season online since our launch in 1997. MySportsbook.com has experienced exponential growth, having taken over $8 billion in Sports and Casino Wagers since we opened our doors.

This year we will accept over $3 billion in wagers. Tens of thousands of winning wagers are created daily for the 300,000 people that have joined our website. In August of 2005, MySportsbook.com was acquired by Sportingbet, a UK company which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Combined, MySportsbook.com and Sportingbet easily form the world's largest internet sportsbook company and one of the internet's most profitable companies. The acquisition has provided for added transparency and accountability to MySportsbook.com customers and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. Our business is audited by BDO Stoy Hayward, one of the largest auditing firms in London, and our accounts are published quarterly on the London Exchange. We encourage you to take a look around and truly hope you enjoy your experience.

Through advertising deals with the top handicapping sites in the world, MySportsbook.com reaches a global audience and is one of the most commonly visited gaming spots on the Internet.

MySportsbook.com offers the largest selection of casino games and sporting wagers on the Internet. We believe that an educated player is a more responsible gambler, thus we provide you with all of the latest news and handicapping information. MySportsbook.com is your ultimate destination for gaming information and wagering. You can start by signing up in the Casino or Sportsbook. Once you sign up you can use your same login in either the casino or Sportsbook. So do it now and start winning serious money Today!

If at any time you have a question, we have numerous people waiting to help you, so don't be afraid to call our customer service department. We do not take any telephone wagers but we can certainly answer any questions you may have about our service.

MySportsbook.com is officially licensed in Antigua as a preferred licensee recognized by the Directorate of offshore gaming of Antigua and Barbuda.

What more could you ask for from an Online Sportsbook?