The Nature Of The Beast, Gamblers Grow Weary On Opening Day

Gamblers can be as superstitious as any group of people, and they also can be the most overactive group. Major League Baseball teams have played only one game, and already bettors are panicking at some of the outcomes on the first day.

Fantasy sports has become one of the biggest gambling industries in the world over the past decade, and the ups and downs of a 162 game baseball season can get to even the best of fantasy owners. It is the owners that get spooked on day one, however, that have the most to fear moving forward.

Nobody could have predicted that Tim Lincecum, the defending champion San Francisco Giants' ace, would have lost his first outing, but that is what happened when Clayton Kershaw out-dueled Lincecum.

Roy Halladay almost suffered a similar fate Friday afternoon. Halladay and his Phillies were a big betting favorite over Brett Myers and the Houston Astros. Through eight innings, it was the Astros and Myers in line for the win. Philadelphia rallied in the ninth, saving money for all the gamblers that put their faith in Halladay on this day.

Fantasy owners were more concerned over the first few days with their stars they paid big money for in early rounds of their drafts, stars like Albert Pujols, who went hit-less in five at-bats. Jon Lester suffered a similar fate, posting an ERA over eight in his first start of the season.

For most teams, there are still 161 games left in the year. That leaves plenty of time for redemption if they started slow. For gamblers, the 161 games remaining represent a summer of stress, whether on the winning or losing end of a Pujols 0-for-5.

April 2, 2011
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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