Formula One (F1) cancelled the 2022 Russian Grand Prix on Feb. 25. Days later, F1 terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix promoter. Meanwhile, the Haas F1 Team ended its contract with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and the team’s title sponsor, Uralkali. F1 is a truly international sport, which […]
Gambling Industry
NFL Suspends Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley for 1 Year Due to Gambling
Calvin Ridley made $1,500 in parlay wagers and those bets ended up costing him $11 million in salary after the NFL suspended the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver for one year. Ridley becomes the fifth player in NFL history to serve a gambling suspension which includes 1961 NFL MVP Paul Hornung, […]
FanDuel Raises Stakes in Connecticut with Grand Opening of Massive Sportsbook at Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun celebrated the grand opening of its new 11,000-square foot sportsbook on Saturday, officially unveiling the largest FanDuel Sportsbook facility on the East Coast. The celebration began with a parade from the hotel lobby to the sportsbook, and culminated with appearances from a variety of sports legends and celebrities. […]
Back Off Dirt, Tiz the Bomb is Poised to Go Off in the Battaglia Memorial
The John Battaglia Memorial isn’t one of your A-list Kentucky Derby preps. It’s probably not a B-lister either. But the status trip down the alphabet got a boost with the presence of Grade 2 Bourbon Stakes winner Tiz the Bomb. Tiz the Bomb headlines an oversubscribed 14-colt-and-gelding field in Saturday’s […]
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Rejects Baffert’s Appeal for Stay
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted to deny trainer Bob Baffert a stay of his 90-day suspension Friday, upholding a decision made by KHRC Executive Director Marc Guilfoil. This is the latest saga in the late Medina Spirit’s post-Kentucky Derby positive test for the anti-inflammatory betamethasone, banned on race days […]
Russian Club Krasnodar Suspends 8 Players, New Manager Farke Quits Before Debut
Russian Premier League club Krasnodar said eight foreign players had their contracts suspended. Daniel Farke, the recently-appointed German manager, also quit on Wednesday. The former Norwich City boss didn’t even get to make his debut on Krasnodar’s bench after joining the team in January. All decisions come in the wake […]
NBA to Add Expansion Teams in Seattle and Las Vegas?
During a segment of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons suggested that the NBA will add expansion teams to Seattle and Las Vegas, which would expand the NBA from 30 to 32 teams and mark the return of the Seattle SuperSonics. If the NBA adds two teams to the Western Conference, […]
Baffert Sues Churchill Downs Inc. Over Track, Derby Ban
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert filed a lawsuit against Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) Tuesday, seeking a reversal of his two year-suspension in the wake of Medina Spirit’s positive drug test for the banned-on-race-day anti-inflammatory betamethasone. The suit, which was filed in US District Court for Kentucky’s Western District, also […]
Card Collectors Corner: Season May Be Over, But Football Card Market Still Hot
Football season may be over, but football card collecting is only continuing to heat up. The scorching market is driven by multiple factors, including product delays and the introduction of college players into the mix. The supply chain issues that have affected a number of industries have also caused delays […]
Champions League Final Moved to Paris, Russian and Ukrainian Teams to Host ‘Home’ Matches at Neutral Venues
This year’s Champions League final will take place in Paris instead of Saint Petersburg following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. UEFA confirmed that the Saint Denis stadium will host the last act of UEFA’s supreme club competition on Saturday 28 May at 21:00 CET. The UEFA Executive Committee was […]
Churchill Downs Buys Colonial Downs, Gets Casinos in the Bargain
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) announced Tuesday it plans to buy the parent company of Colonial Downs, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E), for $2.485 billion. CDI will fund the deal through a combination of new debt and cash on hand. It is expected to close by the end of 2022. Some of […]
Mandaloun Illustrates New Sign of the Times at Churchill Downs:
Churchill Downs officials wasted little time putting cosmetic touches on what they hope is a concrete decision. On Tuesday, the track’s staff replaced Medina Spirit’s nameplate with the now-official 2021 Kentucky Derby champion: Mandaloun. The 3-year-old Kentucky Derby king is dead — literally in the late Medina Spirit’s case, and […]
Stewards Strip Medina Spirit of 2021 Kentucky Derby Title
After nine months, numerous fits and starts and several legal challenges, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards disqualified Medina Spirit as winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The Monday decision came as a result of Medina Spirit failing a drug test for the banned-on-race day, anti-inflammatory betamethasone. Along with the ruling, […]
Casino Roundup: Crown Buyout, Wynn Leaseback and Sands Junk Rating
Crown Resorts accepted a $6.4 billion buyout bid from Blackstone, a private equity firm. Just days after the news, the Australian casino company reported a $141 billion loss for the last six months of 2021. In other casino news, a credit agency cut Las Vegas Sands’ debt rating, while Wynn […]
Billionaire Blavatnik’s Firm Injects $4.3 Billion into Sports Media Group DAZN
DAZN Group announced a $4.3 billion capital injection by billionaire investor Len Blavatnik’s firm. The British sports media company aims to expand into recreational betting, gaming and non-fungible tokens. The investment comes after Spain’s LaLiga sold its domestic broadcasting rights to Movistar and DAZN for $5.62 billion over five years. […]
The Jockey Club Blinks on Controversial Breeding Rule, Rescinds Limit
Running into a stiffening headwind of opposition, The Jockey Club rescinded its controversial rule limiting the number of mares bred per stallion Thursday. The rule limiting stallions born in 2020 or later to a maximum of 140 mares in a calendar year was adopted in May 2020. The Jockey Club […]
Collectors Chase 2022 Topps in Search of Wander Franco Rookie Cards
Despite the continued lockout that has delayed the start of spring training and could very well stretch into the regular season, baseball card collectors still eagerly ripped open the new 2022 Topps Series 1 products on Wednesday. Release date brought with it WanderMania, as collectors tried to pull rookie cards […]
Super Bowl Ratings Rebound Amid Record Sports Betting
Super Bowl 56’s ratings rebounded, up 16.5% over last year. Nielson reported 112.3 million watched the big game on NBC’s television and streaming platforms. Meanwhile, both Nevada and New Jersey reported record sports betting totals for the event. The Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati […]
White Abarrio Goes from Long Shot to KDFW Individual Co-Favorite
The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) opens Friday at noon ET with the familiar “All Other 3-Year-Olds” – a.k.a. “the field” – as the 5/2 morning-line favorite. But it opened with a new co-individual favorite sharing that status with a familiar favorite. That newcomer […]
Canada, Great Britain Lead Stacked Winter Olympics Men’s Curling Field
Four years ago in PyeongChang, John Shuster stunned the world by leading Team USA to its first ever gold medal in men’s curling. Now, Shuster’s team faces a tougher task in Beijing: attempting to defend its Olympic title against an event stronger field. Ten teams will begin playing in the […]