Each season some of the surviving members of the NFL’s last and only undefeated (including playoffs) team, the 1972 Dolphins, get together and toast each other with champagne when the final unbeaten team takes a loss. In an ironic twist, this year the Old-Timer Dolphins – Bob Griese, Mercury Morris, Marv Fleming, and the like – may be rooting for the present-day Dolphins to lose.
The current iteration of the Fins is 3-0, in first place in one of the best divisions in the NFL, and is fresh off putting a 70-20 hurting on the defenseless Broncos. They have it all going as they head into Week 4’s matchup at Buffalo in what will be the most anticipated game of the first quarter of the season.
Miami’s offense has been so dominant that the Dolphins scored more points in the Denver game than 17 other teams have scored in three games total this season. Tua Tagoviloa has offensive weapons everywhere he turns, and if he can stay concussion-free (no guarantee there, to be sure), the Fins could have a playoff berth banked by mid-November. Oh, BTW, Miami is also a perfect 3-0 ATS.
The Bills, meanwhile, are one team that doesn’t figure to be intimidated by the Dolphins’ flashy offense and numbers. After slipping up in a Week 1 loss to the Jets, the Bills have laid the wood to Las Vegas (38-10) and Washington (37-3). They’ll be ready.
Buffalo is a 3-point favorite, with the O/U set at a healthy 49.5.
INDUSTRY IS HITTING IT BIG
Just a few years removed from Covid lockdowns and closed casinos, the gambling industry has come roaring back in a huge way.
Numbers released recently by the American Gaming Association show that commercial casinos just enjoyed their best July ever, with a fat profit of $5.4 billion. That’s not all. The industry is poised to enjoy its best year ever. The black number through seven months was $38 billion, a full 11 percent better than in 2022 and virtually assuring that the number will eclipse last year’s.
Why?
Two reasons are the American public which is traveling again, plus the opening of several bricks-and-mortar casinos. Increased sports betting also provided a strong wind to the industry’s back, with a mammoth 28 percent jump in revenue over the previous July. Even wagering on baseball, the poor cousin to football and basketball wagering, showed a large boost.
The only states that reported declining casino revenues were Mississippi, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Louisiana.
PENNSYLVANIA TARGETS CASINO SMOKERS
In Pennsylvania, a bill to eliminate smoking in the state’s 18 casinos is winding its way through the state legislature. Currently, a loophole in the state’s 15-year-old Clean Indoor Air Act allows patrons to light up, producing second-hand smoke levels more than five times greater than in smoke-free gambling houses. National studies show that only 11 percent of Americans still smoke.
NBA CRACKS DOWN ON LOAD MANAGERS
The NBA’s new policy on load management, which will limit the amount of time teams can rest their star players, should have an interesting impact on gambling lines. Sitting stars to keep them rested for the playoffs (Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James are obvious examples) can be killers for both the oddsmakers, who set lines based on full participation; and for bettors, who cringe when they have put down cash but then see their team’s best player in street clothes. One thing is certain – the gambling industry will be demanding that teams announce well in advance if a player will be sitting. But even that might not be enough for punters to keep their sanity.
NEWSOM INCHES UP A BIT
Gavin Newsom’s increased national profile is starting to show up on the PredictIt betting market. Newsom is now getting action at 18 cents on the stock market-style website, which seems low but is a bit higher than Ron DeSantis’s 14 cents. The California governor is not a declared candidate but would vault toward the top of the Democratic list if President Joe Biden elects to not run in 2024.