Around the NHL 2024 - Offseason Moves

[Porter Stoutheart]

I mean, I have never read the CBA, but somehow as random man 30 miles north of Nashville, I am aware that you shouldn't gamble on sports if you are a player?

Really? Because I would have said, yeah, it's dead obvious you don't gamble on THE NHL. But what the heck difference does it make if you gamble on the NFL? There is not a single thing that separates an NHL player from any other citizen in terms of betting on the NFL. Except they have a little more money to do it with.

But anyway, it sounds like this investigation has been going on quite a long time, and might involve some really unusual circumstance that isn't just "$20 on the Bills"... so long in fact that it probably is a driving factor as to why Pinto didn't have a contract.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Really? Because I would have said, yeah, it's dead obvious you don't gamble on THE NHL. But what the heck difference does it make if you gamble on the NFL? There is not a single thing that separates an NHL player from any other citizen in terms of betting on the NFL. Except they have a little more money to do it with.

But anyway, it sounds like this investigation has been going on quite a long time, and might involve some really unusual circumstance that isn't just "$20 on the Bills"... so long in fact that it probably is a driving factor as to why Pinto didn't have a contract.

I guess just because I follow sports, but since the betting stuff has gain popularity they've already hit a dozen or more NFL guys and various others. It's just a DO NOT ENTER zone. They've already won their bet by making the top league only 0.0000001% of people make.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I think it's a little different for athletes these days. I still remember the Pete Rose investigation and ban, being a kid that lived baseball at the time (and media being drastically different in those days). Eight Men Out had come out the year before that. The only sport that was "in bed" with gambling at all was the NFL and NCAAF and it was still mostly illegal but people did it anyway.

Today is a completely different landscape and all the major sports leagues are in bed with gambling companies and have been for years. I very much doubt for most younger athletes it is the same "automatic" it may have been (or at least seemed) in the past.

 

[predhead1]

On a completely unrelated note, I had never heard this story about Jeremy Roenick pranking some young teammates before, but it is absolutely hysterical (albeit a long listen): Best prank of all-time

 

[originalpredfan]

The fact that all sports recognize different gambling sites as the "Official gambling site of their league" is as hypocritical as it gets makes me laugh when I see the ads. Perhaps the players in each league should be allowed to gamble on their " Official Site" since their league condones it. Obviously it comes down to the millions raked in by the league itself for their endorsement.

 

[PredsV82]

Pinto being suspended for 41 games for sports gambling. There goes any idea of trading for him

Well at least Ottawa won't have to worry about fitting him under their cap. But if he's not under contract will his suspension only kick in if and when he signs?

Edit. I see this has been answered

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

The fact that all sports recognize different gambling sites as the "Official gambling site of their league" is as hypocritical as it gets makes me laugh when I see the ads. Perhaps the players in each league should be allowed to gamble on their " Official Site" since their league condones it. Obviously it comes down to the millions raked in by the league itself for their endorsement.

i.e. the league just doesn't want to deal with any even vague "liability" issues if it turns out one of their players is hitting up those sites the league is taking endorsement money from. Even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with hockey.

 

[PredsV82]

On another note, apparently the NHL isn't going to have a centralized draft any more.

I told them on the main board this was because we did it so well they knew no one else would be able to measure up going forward

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

On another note, apparently the NHL isn't going to have a centralized draft any more.

I told them on the main board this was because we did it so well they knew no one else would be able to measure up going forward

I get it though. I mean, only the nerdiest nerds (us) of NHL fandom ever really follow the Draft that closely anyway. They are making ZERO $$$ out of that event. Probably losing $$$, actually. So it is no overall boon to the League coffers.

It might matter a little bit to 1 team out of 32 for "fun stuffl" in parallel. But 1/32 still doesn't factor in for any league-wide revenue stream.

And then if I'm an NHL GM, I don't want to sit on that floor with the other 31 teams listening in on my phone calls or having their clever little dickensian spies look over my shoulder to capture a screenshot of my rankings list.

Going remote actually makes 100% sense. It might suck a wee bit for those few hockey nerds like us who might actually sit through that dreck. But they haven't been able to transform the "dreck" into anything marketable thus far, and I don't believe they EVER will. So... okay?

 

[PredsV82]

I get it though. I mean, only the nerdiest nerds (us) of NHL fandom ever really follow the Draft that closely anyway. They are making ZERO $$$ out of that event. Probably losing $$$, actually. So it is no overall boon to the League coffers.

It might matter a little bit to 1 team out of 32 for "fun stuffl" in parallel. But 1/32 still doesn't factor in for any league-wide revenue stream.

And then if I'm an NHL GM, I don't want to sit on that floor with the other 31 teams listening in on my phone calls or having their clever little dickensian spies look over my shoulder to capture a screenshot of my rankings list.

Going remote actually makes 100% sense. It might suck a wee bit for those few hockey nerds like us who might actually sit through that dreck. But they haven't been able to transform the "dreck" into anything marketable thus far, and I don't believe they EVER will. So... okay?

I like my rationalization better

 

[Armourboy]

I like my rationalization better

Yours was also shorter

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Yours was also shorter

Everything is shorter than a Porter Post.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Everything is short than a Porter Post.

That is equivalent to saying “nothing includes all angles and every possible consideration like a Porter post does”….right? Right?!!?!?

 

[Armourboy]

That is equivalent to saying “nothing includes all angles and every possible consideration like a Porter post does”….right? Right?!!?!?

 

[Olderfan]

Leagues making billions of dollars from gambling contracts just might be biased about some things.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

That is equivalent to saying “nothing includes all angles and every possible consideration like a Porter post does”….right? Right?!!?!?

Sure, well go with that.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Pinto got in trouble because the third party that monitors betting for the NHL flagged his account as having abnormal transactions. His account is based in New York and there were bets made there during a time he was in Ottawa so it wasn’t him using his account.

 

[Legionnaire11]

The NHL runs gambling ads and prohibits players from engaging in certain aspects of gambling. No different than running beer ads and prohibiting players from engaging in certain aspects of drinking. I don't see suspending Pinto as being the huge hypocritical event that a lot of people want it to be.

 

[101st_fan]

 

[Armourboy]

The NHL runs gambling ads and prohibits players from engaging in certain aspects of gambling. No different than running beer ads and prohibiting players from engaging in certain aspects of drinking. I don't see suspending Pinto as being the huge hypocritical event that a lot of people want it to be.

Oh I do but money rules all so it doesn't really matter. They are both hypocrisy.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

It sounds now like he was actually betting on NHL games, right? Just trying to hide it with the proxy scheme? So yeah, that's definitely cause for a significant suspension, if he knew it wasn't permitted and intentionally tried to circumvent the restriction.

I imagine there are quite a few other players out there hurriedly shutting down their proxy accounts today.

I've never understood the fascination with gambling on sports... maybe I've just never had enough disposable income that I could afford to lose any of it... but it definitely does seem to be very popular with people who do have that income. Hence why I don't doubt that there are other players who also do it, just as there are other players who do other things that are prohibited by their teams/the league too, of course.

 

[Legionnaire11]

It sounds now like he was actually betting on NHL games, right? Just trying to hide it with the proxy scheme? So yeah, that's definitely cause for a significant suspension, if he knew it wasn't permitted and intentionally tried to circumvent the restriction.

I imagine there are quite a few other players out there hurriedly shutting down their proxy accounts today.

I've never understood the fascination with gambling on sports... maybe I've just never had enough disposable income that I could afford to lose any of it... but it definitely does seem to be very popular with people who do have that income. Hence why I don't doubt that there are other players who also do it, just as there are other players who do other things that are prohibited by their teams/the league too, of course.

I did it for a while a few years ago because all the neighborhood dads were in it. But I have self control, so was able to only put in the $25 minimum deposit and never wager more than $1 on any single outcome. With the amount of free bets they were giving out at the time, I was able to cash out close to $300 over a year which wasn't easy on that bankroll, it was like making 5-10 $1 bets each day and needing to win 80% of them for a .20-.25 profit on each, if you only won like 60% in a day it was a loser overall. It was a tough way to make money and even at those low levels of betting it was more stress than enjoyment for me.

Anyway by that first year point everyone had lost interest (or too much money) and I just closed the account and considered myself lucky to come out with a profit. I believe that's an extreme outlier and don't recommend it to anyone else. But I can also see how throwing $20 at an NFL game every week for the pleasure isn't much different than buying a movie ticket, as long as you look at it as paying for an experience and knowing you are most likely not getting that $20 back.

For a lot of people, it's too dangerous to even get started in, and while I don't mind the service or that the advertise, I do think the amount of advertisements and the way the odds are integrated into broadcasts are excessive.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

It sounds now like he was actually betting on NHL games, right? Just trying to hide it with the proxy scheme? So yeah, that's definitely cause for a significant suspension, if he knew it wasn't permitted and intentionally tried to circumvent the restriction.

I imagine there are quite a few other players out there hurriedly shutting down their proxy accounts today.

I've never understood the fascination with gambling on sports... maybe I've just never had enough disposable income that I could afford to lose any of it... but it definitely does seem to be very popular with people who do have that income. Hence why I don't doubt that there are other players who also do it, just as there are other players who do other things that are prohibited by their teams/the league too, of course.

They also said the 41 games was the amount AFTER it was negotiated on with the players association. I'd guess they wanted him out for close to a full season initially.

 

[ShagDaddy]

It sounds now like he was actually betting on NHL games, right? Just trying to hide it with the proxy scheme? So yeah, that's definitely cause for a significant suspension, if he knew it wasn't permitted and intentionally tried to circumvent the restriction.

I imagine there are quite a few other players out there hurriedly shutting down their proxy accounts today.

I've never understood the fascination with gambling on sports... maybe I've just never had enough disposable income that I could afford to lose any of it... but it definitely does seem to be very popular with people who do have that income. Hence why I don't doubt that there are other players who also do it, just as there are other players who do other things that are prohibited by their teams/the league too, of course.

Friedman said there’s no evidence he bet on NHL games. He stated that the account had irregularities due to the fact there were bets placed from the account (based in New York) while he was in Ottawa. That indicates others had his login info and that is illegal and could potentially have implications on the integrity of the NHL.

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

Sports betting has been very very good to me. Use 3 services (DK, FanDuel, MGM). Only bet using promo's (profit boosts, free bets, risk-free bets). Fortunately, each service has multiple promo's a day. Usually stick to Football, basketball, and baseball. Some hockey. I bet enough to make it interesting but not too much. Mostly a series of $10 bets.

It's been a great way to convert otherwise meaningless games into games I love to watch. TNF, multiple NCAA Saturday games, NFL Sunday, SNF, and MNF. It's great entertainment. They give you so much more flexibility than betting in sports books in Vegas. You can move spreads and over/under's up or down, and easily do Same Game Parleys and regular parleys across sports.

I've been doing it for almost 2 years, AND I'M UP!!!!! I've almost doubled my $$. I never take it out. I just keep track of how much I'm up or down and roll with it. Have had some extended down streaks but the law of averages kick in if you're consistent.

Because of the promo's, you can actually play with better-than-house odds, meaning over the long haul, you should win. If you really want to get cute, if two services are having similar promo's, you can bet either side of the game, and make a little $$ guaranteed. However, that defeats the purpose for me. I love the excitement rooting for my bets to win.

Last night was a great example. The Bills were a -10.5 favorite and the over/under was 43.5. I bet the following:
Bills -5.5 and Under 54.5. Bet $10 to Win $11.
Bills -5.5 and Over 32.5. Bet $10 to Win $11.
Both these bets had a 50% profit boost with a max $10 bet. That how you can adjust the spread and the over/under to your favor and still win more than you bet.

Then MGM had a 50% boost on Diggs receiving for 70+ yards and Godwin receiving for 50+ yards. I bet $5 to Win $13.

Final Score: Bills 24 Bucs 18. Had to sweat a final play Hail Mary by the Bucs.
Total score fell right in between my high Under Bet and Low Over Bet. Thing of beauty.
Godwin had 54 receiving yards and Diggs had 70. Diggs had 55 with 2 minutes to go and Allen hit him on a slant, and he broke two tackles for a 15-yard gain. I was screaming like I won the Super Bowl.

Bottom line: $35 winner. This may seem like chump change to some, but it's enough to make me care. Had I lost $25, my since-inception total winnings would go down by $25. Flesh wound.

Just like Fantasy creates additional interest in sports, app-based sports betting is easy and fun.