Australia fined for Davis Cup decision

Tennis Betting Lines

05/22/2009 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The International Tennis Federation has decided to fine Tennis Australia for its decision not to travel to India for a Davis Cup zonal match in Chennai.

The ITF levied a fine of $10,000, but did not suspend Australia from competition or relegate the nation from world group to zonal play. However, Australia will not be able to host its next scheduled home Davis Cup tie and will have to pay an undetermined cost to both the ITF and the All India Tennis Association.

Australia was scheduled to play a zonal matchup in India from May 8-10, but decided against traveling to Chennai over security concerns. The ITF, in turn, declared India the winner by forfeit.

At the time, Tennis Australia said it was concerned about sending its players to a country where terrorist attacks last November killed more than 150 people in Mumbai.

The ITF, however, said it was satisfied with the security plan and added that an independent security consultant was brought in because of Tennis Australia's concerns.

Sportbettingshop Tennis Betting News

<< Maldini bids farewell to Milan faithful
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini will be playing his final game at the San Siro on Sunday against Roma after making his debut with the club in 1985 at age 16. The veteran Italy defender has helped Milan cap

<< Benneteau, Garcia-Lopez land in Kitzbuhel final
Kitzbuhel, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French lucky-loser Julien Benneteau and Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were Friday's semifinal winners at the clay-court Austrian Open. Garcia-Lopez ousted the last remaining seed h

<< Wright won't leave Villanova for Sixers
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villanova head basketball coach Jay Wright met with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers about their coaching vacancy, but said on Friday that he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post. Wright s

<< AL West: Rangers missing Hamilton
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers entered this week's series in Detroit with wins in seven straight games and 13 of their last 15 overall. But star center fielder Josh Hamilton missed all three games because of a sore groin muscle, and Te

<< Hull happy to have fate in their own hands
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All eyes will be focused on the relegation battle as the Premiership season comes to a close on Sunday, and one of the biggest matches that will determine who survives will take place at the KC Stadium

Blue Bombers sign RB Smith to extension >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed running back Joe Smith to a contract extension on Friday. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "Joe has proven his worth in the Canadian Football League," said Winnipe

Bordeaux poised to end 10 year title drought >>
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been eight years since a team other than Lyon has been on the verge of clinching the Ligue 1 title, but that is where Bordeaux finds itself entering Saturday's home contest against Monaco. A win

Tigers' Ordonez activated from bereavement list >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez has returned to the team after a stint on the bereavement list. Ordonez left the team on Monday and missed three games to be with his wife, who underwent surgery.

'Tis the Season to mock >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA Draft Lottery is safely in the rearview mirror, so the annual rite of passage that is the mock draft has to be tackled. I was far too busy in Secaucus cozying up to my first ever man-crush, the gr

Bayern, Stuttgart clash for CL; Wolves eye title >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski will play his final game for the German legends on Saturday but even he admitted how important it was "we" secured spot in the Champions League for next season. Podol

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.