Panthers sign F Higgins

Hockey Betting Lines

07/02/2010 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers signed free agent left winger Chris Higgins to a one-year contract on Friday.

Higgins split last season with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames after a five-year stint with the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-year-old tallied just eight goals with nine assists in 67 games during the 2009-10 campaign.

"Chris is a big and hard-working forward who possesses a scoring touch," said Panthers general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a three-time 20-goal scorer on the NHL level, who can be relied on to play in all game situations."

The 14th overall pick in the 2002 draft scored 22 or more goals his first three full seasons in the league and has compiled 92 throughout 349 career games to go with 76 assists.

Wwwkimo Hockey Betting News

<< North Dakota State getting Wisconsin transfer
Fargo, ND (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Wisconsin defensive end Tyler Westphal announced he will transfer to North Dakota State, where he will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Westphal told the Forum of Fargo

<< Another uneven round for Woods
Newtown Square, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods posted an up-and-down score of even-par 70 on Friday and is in jeopardy of missing the second-round cut at the AT&T National. Woods carded four birdies and four bogeys on the day, and

<< Nadal will meet Berdych in Wimbledon final
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Rafael Nadal straight- setted British hopeful Andy Murray, while Czech Tomas Berdych upended third- seeded Serbian star Novak Djokovic in Friday's semifinals at The Championships, Wimbledo

<< Dida, Milan part ways
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan have parted company with Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, who had spent the last decade with the Rossoneri. He won the Scudetto and two Champions League titles during his time at the San Siro and is sad

<< Blues seal Benayoun signing
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea has announced the signing of Israel international midfielder Yossi Benayoun from Premier League rivals Liverpool for an undisclosed fee. The 30-year-old joins the Blues on a three-year contract

Toronto's Marcum lands on DL >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays placed starter Shaun Marcum on the 15-day disabled list Friday with inflammation in his throwing elbow. Marcum is scheduled to miss only one start with the All-Star break on t

Blackhawks ink D Scott >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks signed free agent defenseman John Scott to a two-year contract on Friday. Scott is a two-year veteran and over 71 games in the NHL, all with Minnesota, he has one goal and two ass

Coyotes re-sign D Lepisto >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed defenseman Sami Lepisto to a one-year contract on Friday. Lepisto, 25, played in a career-high 66 games last season with Phoenix and recorded a goal and 10 assists. Over

Source: Bucks sign G Salmons for $40M >>
MILWAUKEE (AP) -A person familiar with the negotiations says the Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed free agent guard John Salmons to a five-year, $40 million deal.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because teams ca

Canizares leads Kaymer in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain's Alejandro Canizares fired his second straight five-under 66 on Friday to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Martin Kaymer at the Open de France. Canizares birdied his last three h

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.