Argos WR Copeland out with dislocated elbow

Football Betting Lines

08/17/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland will be out indefinitely after dislocating his left elbow.

Copeland suffered the injury during the first drive of Saturday's surprise 37-22 victory over defending-champion Montreal. He underwent an MRI exam on Monday which confirmed the severity.

The 10th-year pro import out of the University of Tennessee had racked up 21 catches for 320 yards and one touchdown in his first year with the Argos after coming over from Calgary in an offseason deal.

Pokerama Football Betting News

<< Pedroia returns from broken foot
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, paving the way for his return to the lineup for the first time since June 25. Pedroia had missed almost

<< France bans Anelka for 18 matches
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World Cup rebel Nicolas Anelka was banned for 18 matches by the French Football Federation on Tuesday following his conduct at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Chelsea striker was sent home from th

<< Braves activate Prado from disabled list
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have activated infielder Martin Prado from the 15-day disabled list. Prado is penciled into Tuesday's lineup hitting third and playing at third base after spending the season playing

<< Berdych, Fish post wins in Cincy
Mason, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych reached the third round, while hot American Mardy Fish posted an opening-round victory Tuesday at the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, a U.S. Open S

<< Favre arrives in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A plane carrying Brett Favre has landed in Minnesota and the quarterback could be ready to join the Vikings for the 2010 season. Minneapolis television stations carried Favre's arrival live. Favre's p

Lightning sign LW Bergenheim >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning added depth to the forward position by agreeing to a one-year contract with free agent forward Sean Bergenheim on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. "We are happy

Vols want to eliminate UNC game from 2011 schedule >>
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Tennessee wants to eliminate a trip to North Carolina from its 2011 football schedule, even if it means paying a $750,000 buyout of a contract with the Tar Heels.The two schools have a contract to play in Chapel Hill, N.C., in

Rangers bring in Cora on minor league deal >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Alex Cora, the team announced Tuesday. Cora played in 62 games for the New York Mets this season, but was released and became a

Mariners' Bradley has knee surgery >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday. Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the Reds' team physician, performed the surgery on

This Week in Auto Racing August 18 - 22 >>
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR roars into "Thunder Valley" as all three of its national touring series run under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway this week. The IZOD IndyCar Series heads to California's wine country

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.