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00:00We'll talk more about our top story of the day, which includes, believe it or not, here in the month
00:05of March, the WNBA.
00:06How about this? All the complaining from both sides going away.
00:09Great news that the WNBA and the Players Union have verbally agreed on terms for a new collective bargaining agreement.
00:16Final paperwork still needs to be signed, but the 2026 season, all good to go.
00:21No lockout, more tiered salaries, and a lot of those salaries could push over $500,000.
00:27WNBA season's set to begin in May.
00:29So really good news there.
00:30Meanwhile, in the world and landscape of prediction markets, we're seeing some more pushback here in Arizona specifically.
00:37Attorney General Chris Mays has filed a criminal charge against Calci for operating in an illegal gambling business and offering
00:44illegal election betting, wagering on political races.
00:47Claims that these are, quote, paper thing arguments.
00:50Calci says, of course, they're regulated by the CFTC.
00:52This is a battle going back and forth.
00:54And Calci also says that the state can file criminal charges based on paper-thin arguments for what they say.
01:00Arizona says that they want to regulate a nationwide financial exchange in order to make this happen.
01:05The CFTC naturally hasn't really said much on these prediction markets recently.
01:11But, of course, states are basically saying, hey, look, if you're in our state and you're offering things that are
01:16very similar to sports betting, got to pay taxes.
01:19These folks are not.
01:21We'll see if they do in the future.
01:23All right.
01:23Last night, I was there.
01:25Late night for me.
01:25Venezuela beats Team USA late in this game to win 3-2.
01:28Really fantastic event, by the way.
01:31Venezuela wins the first ever World Baseball Classic in Miami.
01:34USA had only three hits.
01:35One of them was a Bryce Harper home run.
01:37That was a two-run shot.
01:38But Willier Abreu had a big home run.
01:40And Eugenio Suarez had a double in the top of the ninth to give them the win.
01:44And Mikel Garcia does win the World Baseball Classic MVP.
01:47So, let's hear from Team USA's Mark DeRosa on coming up short and then the MVP in Mikel Garcia.
01:53I'd love to get over the finish line.
01:55Not only is it two times, but 3-2 both times.
02:01Why?
02:03If you saw how hurting the guys were in that locker room right now, you'd know why.
02:07I mean, for some reason, this WBC has become a tidal wave of emotion for a lot of guys.
02:13You get them in the room, representing their country, coming together for two and a half weeks.
02:19The buy-in, it's infectious in there.
02:23So, yeah, special group to be a part of.
02:28Proud of the way we represent USA.
02:33Soft spot in my place for Venezuela as well.
02:36I played there in winter ball.
02:37Know a lot of guys from there.
02:39And Omar's a great man, the manager over there.
02:42So, yeah, just a great game.
02:45United States, they have the best player in the world.
02:49They have a great team, great impeachment staff.
02:51And, you know, we have the confidence that, like, we can beat them.
02:55And we just go out there tonight with the confidence that, like, we can beat them.
03:02And they play great baseball.
03:04And, you know, yeah, God just give it to us because, you know, our country is, you know, they need
03:13this.
03:13Like, a lot of Venezuelans isn't out of Venezuela.
03:18And they need this.
03:19And we need this too.
03:20And we're just giving this energy.
03:23And they need this like we need this.
03:27Four straight sellouts, by the way, for the World Baseball Classic in Miami Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
03:34Incredible event.
03:34I was glad to be able to go to a few of those games.
03:37All right.
03:37So, while I was at that game, I must have missed a good basketball game last night.
03:41A couple, as a matter of fact, the 16 seeds went at it in the first four of the NCAA
03:46tournament.
03:46Howard came out on top 86 to 83 in game one.
03:50And that gives them the right to take on Michigan in the first round of the NCAA tournament later this
03:55week.
03:56Here's Kenny Blakeney on the final outcome with Howard advancing into the field of 64.
04:01I think our guys' resiliency and being battle-tested in our tournament, in some of our games this year, it
04:11was a very familiar place for us.
04:12So, I'm just so happy for our university, our players.
04:17We talk about these moments when we present our university to our young men.
04:23And we talk about how important it is for them to have a chance to get to an NCAA tournament
04:30and win games.
04:31It's a box that we check.
04:33We talk about that before the game.
04:34You know, we've never won a game.
04:36We've done a lot of things in our program.
04:37But let's check off the box of winning an NCAA game today.
04:41And I'm just so proud of our guys, so proud of our university, so proud of our leadership with Dr.
04:47Wayne Fredericks and Mr. Kerry Davis.
04:49And I think last night's game, before the second game, was probably enough for everybody in college basketball.
04:56But it wasn't because we got another good one between Texas and North Carolina State.
05:01Remember the name, Traymond Mark.
05:02He's the guy who had a fadeaway jumper with a second left to give Texas the win, and they barely
05:08covered.
05:08Wow, what a tight game.
05:0968-66.
05:11Mark also had 17 points in this one.
05:14So, obviously, Sean Miller and Will Wade commenting on the postgame, how dynamic the end was.
05:21This group right here got back to Austin.
05:24It was not easy.
05:25We practiced a couple days, not knowing if we were in the tournament.
05:29Took a couple days off.
05:30I think talked to these guys among themselves.
05:33And we came up here with a clear mind, a good spirit, and I thought in a good place.
05:38It's not that we played great, but I think a big reason we were able to win is that our
05:43group really came up here to win and came up here as one.
05:48They were together.
05:49You know, disappointing end to a pretty disappointing season for us, the way I look at it.
05:53And we hadn't been very good in close games.
05:55We hadn't earned the right to win close games.
05:57And our season ended very similarly to the reason we're sitting in Dayton.
06:02And so, you know, you are who you are in pressure moments.
06:04And we tried to mask some stuff, and we couldn't do it.
06:08And so, that's why we're here, and that's why we're heading home.
06:14And the Wolfpack season officially coming to a close.
06:16What will happen tonight as the final two games of the first four go off?
06:20We'll start with the premier game tonight, which is Miami, Ohio.
06:24You know them, undefeated in the regular season.
06:25They take on SMU, SMU three-and-a-half-point favorites.
06:29The winner will take on Tennessee out west on Friday.
06:33And then we've got the two 16-seeds once again squaring off today.
06:37That's the early game, 6 p.m. Eastern.
06:40Prairie View A&M takes on Lehigh.
06:42Lehigh's jumped a little bit in terms of odds.
06:44Three-and-a-half-point favorites.
06:46That game will go off, as I said, in a few hours from now.
06:49In the National Basketball Association, we've got a team clinching the playoffs.
06:53Not surprising.
06:53It's the Oklahoma City Thunder.
06:55They've been the best team in the NBA all season.
06:56Shea Gilgis-Alexander had 40 points.
06:58They beat the Magic 113-108.
07:01SGA still the heavy favorite to win the NBA's MVP.
07:05The Pistons beat the Wizards.
07:06Why is this important?
07:07Because the Pistons need wins, and the Wizards need them a little bit more.
07:12Because they've now lost 13 straight games.
07:14We'll see if Cade Cunningham is okay.
07:15He had just six points.
07:16He had some back spasms in this game as well.
07:19The Hornets beat the Heat 136-106.
07:22LaMelo Ball had 30 points in the game, and Miami was playing this one without Bam Adebayo.
07:27So that does sort of make some sense.
07:30Also, Anthony Edwards was not playing for Minnesota, but it didn't seem to be a problem against the Suns.
07:35Final score in that game was 116-104.
07:40And they still win, and they still cover.
07:42Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo is seasoned.
07:44Could be coming to a close here.
07:46He's been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise.
07:50They're saying it's not season-ending, but the Bucs may not be playing for much here in the end, barring
07:55a play-in run.
07:57123-116.
07:59The Bucs lose to the Cavs last night.
08:03Welcome back to Newswire here on SportsCrit.
08:05Always great to catch up with Sam McQuillen from Legal Sports Report as we enter into the second biggest sports
08:12betting event, fair to say, over the course of the calendar year.
08:14It's the NCAA Tournament.
08:16Sam joins us now.
08:17But Sam, you know, with the legalized sports betting slowing down across the country and prediction markets taking their hold
08:25in this,
08:25I wonder, in terms of the projections, just how much more money will be bet on March Madness this year,
08:31considering we may have Wisconsin, which is a story, I think, for a little bit later for us to discuss.
08:35You know, it's kind of been slow, though, with the legalization of sports betting over the last year or two.
08:41Yeah, Craig, the American Gaming Association, which tracks this stuff, is projecting about $3.3 billion in handle on this
08:49year's tournament,
08:49which is a lot of money.
08:51It would be the most money ever on March Madness, which, as you mentioned, is the second biggest betting event
08:55behind the Super Bowl.
08:57It's actually the largest, you know, multi-game, multi-day event because there's, you know, tons of games played.
09:03But that's only up about 6% from last year, which, obviously, that's an increase.
09:08But when you look at the past couple of years, you know, over the past three years, it's been up
09:12about, like, 50% almost every year, give or take.
09:15So we are really starting to see that slowdown, and we're anticipating it with March Madness this year.
09:20You know, obviously, you don't have as many states going online.
09:23You know, gone are the days when you're adding 10 states every year, so the numbers would inflate that way.
09:28And you mentioned prediction markets taking money as well.
09:31One firm, HG Gambling Capital, estimates that they'll add about another $500 million in bets on prediction markets.
09:40But, of course, prediction markets report volume, which is different than handle, so it's hard to equate that into exactly
09:46how much more money, you know, would be moving over to prediction markets or not.
09:50You know, DraftKings and FanDuel have certainly talked a lot about how prediction markets are, you know, they're saying are
09:55not taking away their business.
09:57And they've blamed the handle slowdown largely on, you know, just winning so much in the NFL and not giving
10:03customers promos back enough.
10:05So it'll be really interesting to see, you know, whether or not we actually do have a huge spike in
10:09betting this year or, you know, how the prediction markets really play into this whole case.
10:14It'll be a really interesting tournament.
10:16Obviously, last year, I think, was, like, one of the most chalky tournaments ever.
10:21Books got absolutely hammered.
10:24All four number one seeds made the final four for, like, only the second time ever.
10:29So Books only held about 6% on the tournament last year, which we talk about hold rates.
10:34You know, usually they want to hold about 8% to 12% on the tournament.
10:37Historically, in the NFL this past year, they held, you know, about 15% in some cases.
10:41So they're expecting another chalky tournament this year, which, you know, could mean a lot more favorites advancing, a lot
10:48more of those money line parlays that people like to bet on March Madness, where you get better odds on
10:53a lot of favorites advancing.
10:55So Books will be rooting for the Cinderella's, as they always do.
10:57But I think it's really interesting that, you know, a couple of traders I talked to said that we're expecting
11:02another chalky tournament.
11:03You certainly have, you know, a team like Arizona is now the favorite at some sportsbooks.
11:08Duke is, you know, opened as a favorite as well.
11:10They're really dominant.
11:12Michigan, Florida.
11:13So another kind of theme of a lot of really top-heavy tournament teams, a lot of dominant teams that
11:19are expected to make a big run.
11:20And if you look at the first-round matchups, even, I think this is the first year that you have
11:27all number five seeds are favored by at least eight points or more.
11:32So that kind of just goes to show you how, you know, things might be changing in college basketball.
11:36I think his last tournaments, was that a one-off or in this new NIL era where you have really
11:43just the top teams are filled with the best players?
11:46Is this just kind of the new normal where there's no Cinderella's?
11:48So it'll be really interesting to see how that unfolds the rest of the year.
11:52Purdue and UConn getting some love at 25-1.
11:54Their biggest liabilities at a couple of sportsbooks.
11:57But so far, all the betting has really been concentrated, again, on those top four favorites.
12:03Yeah, and I think, look, in the end, it's great to have some of those mega college basketball teams in
12:08it at the end.
12:09But, man, the tournament without upsets is just no fun.
12:11That's always been my take on that.
12:14Okay, so could we get some fun here in Wisconsin?
12:17Is it possible sports betting could be headed the Badger State's way here?
12:21It looks like there's some potential for this, Sam.
12:24It's headed to the governor.
12:25But, you know, one of the, I guess, dynamics involved is very similar to my home state here of Florida.
12:30It seems like the tribal entities would be involved in some way as well.
12:33Is that accurate?
12:36Yeah, you got that exactly right, Craig.
12:38It's not just as easy as passing a sports betting bill, which is not going to the governor in Wisconsin,
12:43who, by the way, has signaled his support for it.
12:46Even despite all that, it's not so easy to get this off the ground.
12:49Because it follows that tribal model that you alluded to, that Florida follows as well, Wisconsin has 11 tribes under
12:57this model that would be allowed to offer or control online sports betting.
13:02So tribal exclusive versus a commercial model that pretty much every other or most of the other states have had.
13:08The servers would have to exist on tribal land.
13:10And then tribes would have to partner then with DraftKings, FanDuel.
13:15But it's already really the way that gaming works in Wisconsin.
13:18Tribes gave about $66 million in revenue to the state last year.
13:22So this law, this bill, if it becomes law, would kind of just be an extension of this existing model,
13:28which is part of the reason it didn't pass cleanly.
13:30It needed bipartisan support, which is unusual.
13:34It actually split the Republican Party internally in the state when voting for it, with some lawmakers calling it a
13:40very corrupt process.
13:41And another actually came out and warned leadership not to bring it to a vote.
13:45So very interesting with the political dynamics as well in the state.
13:51And then once you have it getting passed by the governor, eventually then the tribes have to renegotiate their contract
13:58with the state because tribes operate very differently than a commercial entity.
14:03And because tribes have sovereignty, but they're federally overseen, once they renegotiate that compact, then the federal agency that oversees
14:13tribes would have to approve it.
14:14So it might take a long time to get off the ground, certainly not by the end of this tournament,
14:19maybe not by the end of next tournament, but hopefully sooner rather than later.
14:22But I would say it is a good sign that obviously Wisconsin has finally passed something.
14:26But as with always in this kind of bureaucratic process, there's always more steps and it always takes a lot
14:32longer than you think it might.
14:34Yeah, definitely so.
14:36All right.
14:36So if Wisconsin gets things going and they do it this way, maybe there's a chance that Minnesota will try
14:42and pull it off in the same way.
14:44I know that they would like to push 2026 into a year that they could legalize sports betting and look,
14:50maybe if it's done with the tribal help, that could be the way to get this done, Sam.
14:54But it seems like they're a little bit further away than Wisconsin is right now.
14:59Yeah, Minnesota is still trying to legalize sports betting.
15:02There's a bill right now, which does the same as every other bill for the last couple of years has
15:07done, which is allow the tribes to control the licenses and obviously allow them to partner with commercial sports books
15:16as well.
15:16So similar to Wisconsin, with most of the money going towards charitable gaming and problem gaming.
15:23But the reason it keeps falling short is because of a split between Democrats and Republicans again.
15:28But this time it's about the Republicans want the racetracks in the state to be involved or have wanted for
15:34years.
15:34And the Democrats have been very staunch and saying we want tribal exclusivity.
15:39So that's really been the thing that's messed up this process.
15:43It hasn't been a, you know, lawmakers being concerned about problem gambling.
15:47Hasn't been a fight over tax revenue, which we've seen in other states.
15:50It's really been about whether tribes get this exclusive control or whether these racetracks are involved.
15:56Now, a lot of those Republican senators represent, you know, counties where these racetracks exist.
16:01So they have, you know, their interests are supposed to defend.
16:04So we'll have to see how this kind of shakes out throughout the legislature.
16:08Interestingly enough, at the same time, the state is also trying to pass legislation that would, quote unquote, ban prediction
16:14markets like Calci, as well as sweepstakes casinos.
16:17These are kind of, you know, the sports betting operators that are not regulated by the state that are existing
16:22right now, taking the money in the state.
16:24So I think that has obviously a much better prospect of passing than sports betting in general.
16:31But we'll see if that shapes the debate at all.
16:33We'll see if whether lawmakers bring up the fact that we're losing money to Calci.
16:37We're losing money to the offshore market.
16:38It's happening already.
16:40Certainly a number of states have tried to stop these, you know, companies before.
16:44And so far, they've been allowed to exist while these court cases play out.
16:47So I would hope if I'm, you know, an advocate for sports betting in Minnesota, that they'll bring that up
16:53and that'll be an argument towards legalizing.
16:55But again, it's a long legislative session.
16:57We'll see how this takes shape.
16:59You never know what could happen.
17:01Sam, always great catching up with you.
17:03And I know that you're off the rest of the week.
17:05So have a great weekend.
17:06Enjoy the tournament.
17:06We'll see you next week here on Newswire.
17:08Thanks again.
17:09Thanks.
17:10You too, Craig.
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