With football coming up, how does it look for the books?

[Dark Horse]

Football season is when books make the most money. They must be looking forward to it after all the hardship from the past year. But what happens if the US action stays well below expectation? Could that be when books start dropping by the wayside? We can be pretty sure that Cascade has its hopes on football, but is this truly the only book of name that is hurting badly? Or are others in a similar situation, and better able to hide it until now?

Related questions:
1) how much is volume expected to be down for the football season?
2) have books been borrowing money to bridge a tough period?
3) how many books are on the brink financially, and absolutely need a good football season?

I may be imagining things. Hopefully everything is alright. It just seems to me that someone walking through the desert doesn't immediately collapse. The problem starts when he runs out of water. Is football the oasis that many books long for? What if it's a mirage?

[Actionbrett]

I fully expect the public to get pounded big time this year.

[gridironguy]

I fully expect the public to get pounded big time this year.

Please explain your thinking here as I disagree somewhat.

I believe volume will be down about 35-40%, with most of the 'missing volume' this year being the recreational bettors. I believe "the public" constitutes many more savvy bettors now as the stronger bettors will be more willing to find ways to fund their accts.

With more sharps on the scene this year it should translate into a lower hold for the books, but as usual, the books should end up in the black.

Just my .02

[MonkeyF0cker]

I really don't think the volume will be down nearly that much. It's not as if it's really that much more difficult to fund an account now. The recreational bettor is still going to want to make a wager here and there. What will be their replacement? They aren't as likely to hop on a flight to Vegas or scramble around looking for a local. I just don't see things changing that much...

[gridironguy]

I hope you're right, Monkey..

[Dark Horse]

My reasoning was that books, such as Cascade, may be looking forward to football more than in other years, and that the books with lesser reputations may find volume down more than the expected forty (or whatever is expected) percent. If the top books are down forty percent, then the funky ones could be down sixty percent.

Everybody seems to be thinking that books will be saved by the bell when football starts. That may be true, but it could also mean the opposite for books that are already too strung out and have no remaining margin for error. In that case football would not be the time for players to relax and play with a dozen of books.

[jjgold]

Well first off only like 7 books that are financially sound so they do not care about who plays, ect.

The majority of other books are pretty high risk and need a good year or they are done. Betting will be way down offshore, just to hard to put money into accounts, there are no safe methods other than bank wires, western union and money gram.

[TheOffshoreGambler]

I would think volume would be down at Pinnacle and BOS and the other sportsbooks who shut it down for US players. But I bet you all the other books are gonna enjoy some peak volume this year.

[durito]

Volume will be way down at online books. Most recreational players just aren´t willing to go through the hassles now required to deposit/withdrawl. They got used to being able to make a credit card/neteller deposit on friday, make a few bets over the weekend and withdrawl on tuesday.

These players will go to locals.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens. I am certainly only going to be funding a small # of top books.

[moses millsap]

I fully expect the public to get pounded big time this year.

From your mouth hopefully to God's ears.