Wagering

Three years ago, just about to the day, I was in an Italian restaurant south of the Las Vegas strip when I won money on Bucknell - but not how you're thinking. I don't bet on sports, period. But some giddy patron at the bar at the Bootlegger Bistro obviously did, and he had just cashed in on Bucknell's miracle win as a No. 14 seed over Kansas in the opening round of March Madness. Loud enough to be heard over the piano, he lavished generous praise on those gutsy, undermanned Bison. Just one thing bothered him, though.

The Super Bowl attracts more wagers than any other sports event in the United States (an estimated $10 billion total), but around the world, plenty of other sports -- soccer and tennis, to name two -- draw action in the billions of dollars, especially on the Internet. The French Tennis Federation has gone to court seeking to halt three sports book companies with online operations from taking wagers on the French Open, contending such wagering threatens the reputation of the tournament and players.

As the Super Bowl approaches, our e-mail inbox is receiving a steady stream of messages on the wagering aspects of the game. It seems as though some people actually bet on the Super Bowl! In fact, some folks inside the gaming industry estimate the financial number for all Super Bowl wagering - meaning Las Vegas, the Internet, street bookies, office pools - is as high as $10 billion. That's with a "B." Recently, we received an e-mail from Bodog, the fairly well-known online gambling site, listing some of its 500 "prop bets" for the Super Bowl.

Blow the whistle or swallow it. Call 'em close or let 'em play. Charge or block. No matter what NBA referees do, as a new pro basketball season begins, the suspicions and the jeers will be as inevitable as a LeBron James Nike commercial. The Tim Donaghy scandal still hangs over the NBA. The disgraced ref, who has admitted to providing information to gambling associates during the two most recent seasons, has yet to be sentenced. And more details about the corruption might come to light as the federal government pursues more prosecutions.

With their team at 3-2 in the AFC North, Ravens fans have reason to be hopeful, if not overly confident, that the playoffs are still very much within reach. However, the Ravens' performance as measured in a slightly different way might portend more trouble than the team's won-lost record would indicate. Against the point spread - the odds that are set each week to determine by how many points one team needs to beat another for wagering purposes - the Ravens are 0-5. Only two other teams, the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints, are winless against the oddsmakers' line this season.

Maryland horse racing produces its share of depressing headlines as the political stalemate over slots continues, the future of the Preakness Stakes is debated, and more of the state's breeders and horsemen contemplate leaving. But there is a positive development amid the negativity, and it is on display today at Pimlico Race Course: The Preakness is booming like never before. The Maryland Jockey Club, which oversees the state's racing franchise, might struggle the rest of the year, but it excels on the third Saturday in May. "They do a hell of a job here.

Look out, Super Bowl. March Madness is gaining on you - at least by some Las Vegas measures. College basketball's frenzied free-for-all for the men's national title draws sports fans, fills hotel rooms and attracts wagering dollars with all the gusto usually associated with the NFL's marquee game, according to gambling industry experts and figures. Women UMBC to play for America East title. Pg 8D Online exclusives The Sun's Paul McMullen offers his local and national views on March Madness.

MIAMI-- --I'm guessing that Billy Joel is going to squeeze every minute of multimillion-dollar airtime out of "The Star-Spangled Banner" when he sings the national anthem at the Super Bowl, and I'm going to make him pay. The over-under on the anthem is 1 minute and 44 seconds, and I think we all know that at this point in his career, Billy will need two minutes just to get to the high note at "land of the free." This is the biggest lock since WBAL's Chip Franklin and I went head-to-head on the SAT for pink slips.

Aided by a record attendance at the Preakness and strong export numbers, total wagering improved last year for the tracks operated by the Maryland Jockey Club. All-sources handle totaled $960.2 million, an increase of more than $64 million (or 7.2 percent) over 2005 figures, and the average daily handle from all sources rose more than 15 percent to $4.1 million despite 11 fewer days of live racing at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park. Lou Raffetto, president and chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club, found the results "encouraging.

Horse racing's problem is obvious: a decades-long slump in attendance and wagering at the track. Horse racing's solution might be less obvious: Get people to stay home -- and bet. In a seemingly paradoxical and counterintuitive turn, online technology, which would appear to discourage going to the races, is being viewed as a potential life-saver for a sport on life support. "Over the 25 years I've been in this industry, not one day has gone by when I haven't heard people complaining that our customer base is getting older and we can't attract young people," said Joseph A. De Francis, chief executive officer of the Maryland Jockey Club and executive vice president for operations of interactive betting channels for parent Magna Entertainment Corp.