Betting Systems - Teams playing for the Lottery

Teams who are playing for the Lottery Draft are a very difficult animal to cap for most professional sports handicappers. To the oddsmakers they present a challenge, for such teams have already lost interest and will usually just tank games. To the novice sports bettor, betting against such teams can be dangerous—for the oddsmakers will make their lines often shaded. In addition loosing teams in the end of the season often find a resurgence in covering their games. There is so much attention being paid as to how badly they are playing that they receive value.

So, why do teams play for the lottery? Simple—to get a better next year. Teams who are vying for the lottery are those teams who have loosing records. They get a chance to revitalize their team by getting new blood into their program. Thus, it would benefit them greatly if they get as high a lottery pick as possible. This situation then poses oddsmakers a great dilemma. What line should they set in order to get balanced action out of the betting public? As most professional gamblers can attest to, most teams who win the game also cover their games—in this situation we have a team that wants to loose, while the other wants to win. There is no question about the motivation of either team. Thus setting a line on these games can be quite tricky.

The author suggest leaving these types of games alone. There is inherent value with the loosing team, but do not rely on this value factor to help one cash one’s bets. Teams vying for a lottery pick have quit on the season, thus so should gamblers.

In summary, teams who are playing for a lottery pick have already quit on their season. As seasoned sports gamblers, bettors should realize this situation and avoid entirely these teams. There is inherent value associated with these teams, but value can only take one so far. Avoid these teams with great distance.