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PrintIn a report Thursday by The Linemakers’ David Purdum, multiple industry sources alleged that Cantor Gaming sportsbook director Mike Colbert behaved unethically and criminally in the months (and years?) leading up to his arrest.
Among the allegations: Colbert manipulated point spreads to create valuable betting opportunities for both himself and handpicked clients.
From The Linemakers:
“Colbert being included in this is not a shock,” a Vegas industry source told The Linemakers. “He played some very dangerous games and was naive enough to believe that he could get away with them. He should have known better, and pushed the envelope way too far.”
*Note: The above paragraph has since been omitted from the Linemakers story, but Purdum said he stands by his sources and explained the legal concerns that parent company Sporting News had regarding the off-the-record comments.
What makes the allegation particularly interesting is that Cantor’s lines don’t appear on any of the real-time odds screens, such as Don Best, Sports Insights or Sports Options. As a result, the only way to find out Cantor’s numbers is by either a) showing up to a book yourself; or b) searching the Cantor app (available to Nevada residents only).
Back in May, however, Colbert discussed Cantor’s reasoning for staying off the screen in an interview with Pregame.com’s RJ Bell. And in retrospect, his answer to the question—”Why aren’t you on the screen?”—is rather interesting.
From May 14, 2012:
Mike Colbert: “If I didn’t get asked that question 500 times, in the last three years: Why aren’t you on the screen? Can we get you on the screen? Every screen has called us 10s of times. But, without me saying too much about it, there are obviously reasons we don’t want to be on the screen. Because it benefits us.”
By “us,” is Colbert referring to himself and his handpicked clients, or is he referring to Cantor Gaming, which will now be the focal point of an additional investigation?
The next couple of weeks should be interesting.
