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Saturday, July 2, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Ted Sevransky had to hedge his bets. Even if those wagers haven’t been placed.
Sevransky, a well-known Las Vegas handicapper who specializes in wagering on the NFL, made plays at offshore sports books on when the NFL’s 100-plus day lockout would end.
His logic was simple: A significant portion of his annual income comes from wagering on and selling picks for NFL games, meaning a potentially shortened season, or no season at all, would be a blow to his finances.
He wagered that a new labor agreement wouldn’t be signed by July 15, and that the first game wouldn’t occur before Sept. 8.
“I was very pessimistic at first, so it seemed like the appropriate wager at the time,” said Sevransky, a Las Vegas resident who is known by the gambling community as “Teddy Covers” from his various television and radio appearances.
The lockout “will certainly affect my income. I had to get some action down,” he continued. “From what I bet, and from what I get from my clients each year, (the lockout) is a substantial setback.”
By this point of the summer, Sevransky would have done a majority of the heavy lifting in his preseason analysis of the teams. With that includes several wagers on win-total bets — numbers sports books have yet to post, because they obviously don’t know how long the season will be. Without a labor agreement in place, his focus has mostly been on preparing for college football.
“You can’t do a proper analysis of the teams because you don’t know how free agency will work. It is frustrating,” Sevransky said.
To make matters worse for gamblers and sports books, the NBA on Friday locked out its players. The professional basketball season is months away from beginning, and the handle is less on basketball than football, but the potential of games being missed is certainly on the minds of gamblers.
“You’re talking about an 82-game schedule and the playoffs,” Sevransky said of the NBA season. “That is every bit of significant.”
Johnny Avello, executive director of the race and sports book at the Wynn, estimates the state’s roughly 160 sports books combine to profit between $33 million and $38 million annually on NFL wagers, and account for 35 percent of wagers placed. Pro and college basketball are the second-best revenue generators, but Avello said nothing compares to the NFL.
“The NFL is a commodity that everyone loves,” he said. “It’s an event people look forward to on Sundays.”
The Wynn is among several properties that have betting odds posted on what team will win the Super Bowl and NBA championship in 2012. With those bets come a disclaimer that money is refunded for a canceled season.
With more than $2.5 billion annually wagered, Nevada sports books will continue making money — even if it’s on a smaller scale. The same, however, can’t be said for others in the industry, such as cocktail waitresses, sports book writers, food vendors and other casino workers. Several properties open their showrooms for NFL viewing parties on Sunday and Monday, with hundreds of fans flocking to watch games.
At the Wynn, Avello has two or three seasonal ticket writers who receive near full-time hours during football season, especially with some books staying open until the wee hours of the morning.
“You can’t overlook the overall impact to the revenue of this town,” Avello said. “A lot of people need those Sundays to make ends meet.”
And come the fall, a smaller group of locals could be affected if the labor situation isn’t settled with the NBA.
“If the NBA went away, people wouldn’t make as big of a deal about it,” Avello said. “But, of course, it will be a big dent to the sports books. It’s just not like football where everyone bets on it. To be honest with you, a lot of people say they can’t stand watching it.”
Just imagine the "edge" those communities which were conned into financing they're stadiums and arenas are currently residing upon.
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What year was the last "lock-out" for NFL or NBA?
A small but significant group of dedicated bettors drive in from L.A., Phoenix, or fly in from further away, specifically to wage bets on NFL weekends. So now Las Vegas' nonrecovery takes yet another hit. All the more proof that we're overdue to ween ourselves away from our dependency on gaming.
(Now, just waiting for the first idiot to check in and claim his prize by mindlessly saying, "This is 'Vegas.' We need to get back being 'Vegas.' ")
And I hereby copyright the above, unique spelling of "wean" as *ween.*
Major failure by the writer and editors here.
The story is that Ted Sevransky is ripping off Las Vegas citizens.
According to HIS OWN website, his picks have lost a total of over 37 units since the beginning of this year. (An average $110 bettor would be down over $4,000)
That does NOT INCLUDE the fees he charges for his so-called gambling "expertise." You can't possibly make this stuff up.
Sevransky is running a con & trolling for victimes, pure and simple
I feel the NCAA should have a contingency plan with the major networks to have college football and basketball games for Sunday, this might take give sports fan some relief. I think it will also show that who cares about the NFL and NBA. These greedy entities need to realize its not about them, but its the fans that support their leagues.
Skritter: The story is how the NFL and NBA lockouts could hurt Las Vegans -- from sports books to handicappers such as Teddy. It's not an endorsement for Teddy or his service. He's simply a local waiting out the labor dispute.
Hey Skitter, with a name like Sevransky, I'm surprised you didn't call him an Illegal Alien. Best thing for you is to stay out of the casinos and keep your money in your pocket!!
NBA fans agree that the league is headed in the wrong direction with a corrupt commissioner at the helm. A commissioner who gives full authority to corrupt referees who admit to betting on games, making wrong calls, and saying they don't care. Commissioner Sterns actions have violated the leagues rules and guidelines toward players and fans. So I ask all NBA fans to stand behind in calling for Commissioner Sterns resignation on the grounds that his actions are disgraceful and unethical. Not to mention the fact that this lockout has little to do with the players and more to do with owners sentimental reactions to lost income. That's why owners expect nothing less than the inflated values of there assets by the NBA's decision to mirror big businesses harmful profit schemes. It's this type of mind mentality that destroys these teams. This situation is mirrored throughout Americas top sports such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. It's time to save our sports from these greedy corrupt practices of big money and big business.
I prefer to bet on auto racing anyway. There's always a "dark horse" longshot or 2 that has a fair chance of winning (see Indy 500, 2011, for example, Wheldon's odds were very lucrative). With Nascar running 2/3 of the year, there's plenty of action to be had. Word to the wise, shop your book before betting. the 20-1 at one place may be 35-1 across the street.