Habs bring in Auld for one year

Hockey Betting Lines

07/01/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens brought in goaltender Alex Auld on a one-year deal Thursday.

Terms of the pact were not disclosed, but the Montreal Gazette reported it is worth $1 million.

Auld, who split last season between Dallas and the New York Rangers, went 9-7-3 in 24 total games.

The 29-year-old has compiled an 83-82-33 mark with a 2.78 GAA and six shutouts over 207 games with Vancouver, Florida, Boston, Ottawa, Dallas and the Rangers since 2001.

Casinio Hockey Betting News

<< Coyotes sign Morris
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have re-signed defenseman Derek Morris to a four-year deal on Thursday. The total contract is reportedly worth $11 million. Morris, 32, is in his second stint with Phoenix after getti

<< Rodriguez's late homer lifts Yankees over Seattle
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez slugged a two-run homer to snap a tie in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees rallied late to down Seattle, 4-2, in the finale of a three-game series from Yankee Stadium. Robinson Cano homer

<< Zaleski tabbed interim athletic director at Towson
Towson, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Zaleski Jr. has been named the interim director of athletics at Towson University. Zaleski replaces Mike Hermann, who resigned from his position on June 15. Zaleski has been chief of staff to the

<< Gay decides to stay in Memphis
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just one day after getting a qualifying offer from the team, forward Rudy Gay has agreed to stay in Memphis as he will sign a five-year deal with the Grizzlies. It is being reported that the deal cou

<< Flyers bring in O'Donnell
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers made yet another move to add depth to their defense, signing veteran blueliner Sean O'Donnell to a one-year contract on Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclo

D.C. United signs Argentine forward Hernandez >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United signed Argentine forward Pablo Hernandez on Thursday. Hernandez, 23, joins United on loan from Club Defensor Sporting of the Uruguay first division and will be available to play upon receipt of

Earthquakes release Sanchez, Weber >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes announced Thursday that midfielder Ramon Sanchez and goalkeeper Andrew Weber were released on Wednesday. Sanchez appeared in 13 matches since signing with the 'Quakes in 20

Spain's Martinez injured in training >>
Potchefstroom, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain midfielder Javier Martinez left practice Thursday after injuring his ankle and could miss Saturday's FIFA World Cup quarterfinal against Paraguay. Spain released a statement

Missouri State completes coaching staff >>
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Missouri State has completed head football coach Terry Allen's 2010 staff by naming Gerald Davis and Wayne Chambers as assistant coaches. Davis was a running back for four seasons at Missouri State, includi

Maple Leafs ink Armstrong >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs signed free agent forward Colby Armstrong to a three-year contract on Thursday. The 27-year-old Armstrong, who had been with Atlanta since coming over from Pittsburgh bef

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.