Fansided – The 2014 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, which means it’s time to crunch the numbers and take a look at the betting odds. The folks in Las Vegas have slapped down their odds for the most likely team to bring home the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy, and it is none other than the two-time defending champion Miami Heat who are listed as the favorites. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are next in line, with the Indiana Pacers serving as the only other team to have odds under +1000. How does Vegas view your favorite team’s…

iGaming Business – Swedish gambling regulator Lotteriinspektionen has threatened organisers of the Stockholm Marathon with a fine of SEK2 million (€220,286/$304,599) if the race goes ahead featuring the branding of online gaming operator Unibet. As reported by iGaming Business, Unibet recently struck a deal with race organiser Stockholm Marathon Group to become one of the main sponsors of the marathon, which is due to take place in Sweden’s capital city on May 31. Under the deal, Unibet branding is due to appear along the race route and the operator will also offer special betting markets on the event. However, the…

A Naples man ran an illegal gambling website and bragged to undercover agents about employing a national web of enforcers who collect debts, describing one of his strongmen as a Hannibal Lecter-type who “will eat your face off,” according to an arrest warrant obtained Wednesday. Thomas Welch, whose Poinciana Drive home was raided by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents April 9, faces seven felony charges as he sits in a Lee County jail. In a 24-page warrant, Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agents describe several undercover meetings and communications with Welch, who discussed the operation of his website,…

iGaming Business – The Indian Central Berau of Investigation (CBI) has set up a new ‘Sports Integrity Unit’ as part of an effort to combat illegal sports betting in the country. Shri Ranjit Sinha, director of the CBI, confirmed that the new unit will operate under the guidance of the Special Crime Branch in Delhi. The unit will be tasked with investigating and enquiring into matters related to sport frauds, combating malpractices in sports and coordination with sports federations and law enforcement agencies. The Sports Integrity Unit will also actively engage with the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports…

iGaming Business – Online gaming operator 32Red has agreed to become the front-of-shirt sponsor of Scottish League One third-tier side Rangers FC. The deal will run for three years, from 2014-15 until 2016-17. The operator will benefit from branding on the front of players’ home and away jerseys. 32Red will replace cider brand Blackthorn as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor. In addition, 32Red will also benefit from branding inside the club’s Ibrox Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,987. The operator will also have access to branding opportunities across the club’s various digital and media platforms. Rangers, which will compete in…

Online Casino Archives – The UK’s Gambling Commission’s approach to implementing the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill would mean an end to the sponsorship of Premier League clubs by Asian gambling firms. The Bill requires a gambling operator based outside of Great Britain to obtain a license from the Gambling Commission if the operators “knows that the facilities [for remote gambling] are being used, or are likely to be used in Great Britain.” The main reason that Asian companies sponsor British clubs is in order to advertise to Asian customers where the Premier League is hugely popular, both to watch…

iGaming Business – Bookmaker William Hill is to replace rival Ladbrokes as the naming partner of the World Darts Championship after it agreed an initial two-year deal with event organiser the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament will now be known as the William Hill World Darts Championship under the terms of the seven-figure deal. The 72-player World Darts Championship takes place at the Alexandra Palace in London during the Christmas and New Year period. The tournament is also televised in the UK by pay-television broadcaster BSkyB. The deal marks William Hill’s second move into darts sponsorship after it backed the Grand…

iGaming Business – The English Football Association (FA) national governing body has put forward a new proposal that would ban participants in the county’s top four divisions from betting on any match or competition in the world. The proposal, which would come into effect from the start of the 2014-15 season, would also see a worldwide prohibition on betting on any other football-related matters, such as the transfer of players or appointment of managers. The proposal received a unanimous recommendation from The FA Council yesterday (Wednesday) and The Football Regulatory Authority last month. The English Premier League, English Football League,…