The time has finally arrived.
The first Pennsylvania sportsbook went live nearly two weeks ago. The Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino was the first to apply to offer PA sports betting. The casino, with the help of partner William Hill, opened the doors to its operation the week before Thanksgiving.
In the next couple of weeks, three other sportsbooks, all powered by Kambi Group, should join the market. As a result, the PA sports betting industry will quickly swell to four operators once this three launch:
To prepare, it seems appropriate to dive into offerings of both Kambi, using lines from its mobile NJ sports betting platforms, and William Hill. (All lines and odds are as of Thursday).
Betting the NFL
Kambi
Certainly, the NFL has become the driving force for sports betting figures across the country. Consider New Jersey, which jumped from $9.18 million in August revenue to $23.96 million in September.
In sports-crazy Pennsylvania, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and perennial contender Pittsburgh Steelers, it seems only right to begin with NFL offerings.
At Kambi, the New Orleans Saints, winners of 10 straight before Thursday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, entered Week 13 of the NFL season as Super Bowl favorites.
At +275, New Orleans sits ahead of the Los Angeles Rams (+350), Kansas City Chiefs (+525) and New England Patriots (+650).
Meanwhile, the Steelers are in prime position to win the AFC North Kambi pays +1400 if they win their first Super Bowl title since 2009. As for the Eagles, that is currently on the outside looking in at the NFC postseason; a +5000 line now stands should they become the league’s first back-to-back champion since the Patriots in 2004 and 2005.
Interestingly, accurately predicting an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl features a +20000 line.
In addition to wagering on which teams win the AFC or NFC championships (Pittsburgh at +550 in the AFC, Philadelphia at +2500 in the NFC), bettors can take action on which teams win their respective divisions.
Well on its way to a fourth division title in five years, the Steelers hold a -400 line to win the AFC North. The Eagles, who entered the week one game back of Dallas and Washington, pay +250 to win the NFC East. Philly plays Washington on Monday night.
Kambi also offers bets on the league leader in passing yards. Currently, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger, second in the NFL right now, holds a +200 line. Aside from Roethlisberger, who did it in 2014, the Steelers have had only one other player finish atop the league in passing yards: Jim Finks in 1955.
William Hill
William Hill’s championship favorites are similar to Kambi:
- New Orleans at +200
- LA Rams at +300
- Kansas City at +400
Pittsburgh is fourth at +700, and the Eagles feature long +7500 odds.
The Steelers pay +300 with an AFC championship, behind Kansas City (+120), and New England (+280). The NFC favorites lead with New Orleans (-130) and LA Rams (+150), while Philadelphia stands at +3500.
Quick peek at ACC championship
For the three coming sportsbooks, obviously, Saturday’s college football ACC championship game in Charlotte, NC, would not be available. It is at Hollywood though.
Currently, William Hill Sportsbook gives Pittsburgh a +1,700 moneyline to upset No. 2 Clemson. Playing in its first ACC title game since joining the conference in 2013, Pittsburgh enters the game as a 27.5-point underdog.
Similarly, at Kambi, the Panthers hold a +2000 line for an upset win. Conversely, Clemson is heavily favored, with a -10000 moneyline.
NBA futures
Kambi
Of course, the Golden State Warriors, despite a relatively rough start to the season, remain the favorites to win the NBA championship.
Kambi lists the Warriors at -200 to win their third-straight league title. The Philadelphia 76ers stand as one of the top contenders for the championship, however. Despite not having played in the NBA Finals since 2001 (its only appearance since winning it all in 1983), Philly sits at +1100 to take the title, which ranks fifth in the league.
While the Toronto Raptors (+190) and Boston Celtics (+210) lead the field for favorites to win the Eastern Conference, the 76ers feature a +285 moneyline to take that crown.
On top of that, Kambi offers lines on players to win the Defensive Player of the Year award as well as to lead the league in points and assists per game.
- Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid: +550 to lead the league in scoring per game (Houston’s James Harden leads at +100)
- Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons: +1200 to lead the league in assists per game (Toronto’s Kyle Lowry leads at -182)
- Embiid: +600 to win DPOY award (Utah’s Rudy Gobert leads at +175)
William Hill
Like Kambi (and basically every other sportsbook in the world), William Hill says it’s Golden State’s championship to lose this season. One prop essentially says as much: Will Golden State win the title? Yes (-180) or no (+160).
Behind Toronto (+550) and Boston (+800), Philadelphia holds the same odds as Houston (+1200) to capture the NBA championship.
As for the MVP race, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (+200) is the front-runner. Philly’s Embiid (+700) is fifth, behind New Orleans’ Anthony Davis (+300), LA Lakers’ LeBron James (+450) and Golden State’s Stephen Curry (+650).
Don’t forget about the NHL
The start to the NHL season has been inauspicious at best for Pennsylvania’s two franchises.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (10-9) and Philadelphia Flyers (10-12) sit low in the Metropolitan Division standings (sixth and last, respectively) and even lower in the Eastern Conference (11th and 16th, respectively).
Still, at Kambi, the Penguins own the seventh-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. Winner of two of the last three championships, Pittsburgh holds a +1500 line, while the Toronto Maple Leafs leads at +550. Philadelphia has the fourth-highest moneyline to win the title at +6000.
William Hill pegs Toronto, the Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks each at +750. The Penguins, meanwhile, stand at +1200, and the Flyers at +6000.
