The Trib reports that if the upstart Pirates win the World Series, they'll cost many Vegas sports books money. They began the season with ridiculously long odds to win a championship -- 200:1 in some cases -- but now a World Series victory, though still unlikely, is much more likely than before.
↵↵↵Jay Kornegay, vice president of racing/sports book at Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, said the Pirates, who are currently 25-1 to win it all, are one of four teams that based on the distribution of the futures bets would cost the casino money if they won the World Series. The others are the Cubs (now 1,000-1), the Cardinals (12-1) and the Mets (30-1).
↵"We would prefer that those teams don’t hoist the trophy," he said. "For those four teams, the numbers don’t add up for the sports book."
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That means, of course, that the house will win if any of the 26 remaining teams win the series. And of course, one of the remaining teams, the Cubs, has virtually no shot. Not a bad deal for the casino, overall. But if the Bucs win, Vegas won't be happy.
↵The Pirates still have a flawed team, and it would be unwise to start printing playoff tickets yet, much less clearing the glass case for a championship trophy. But it's fun that the first-place Pirates are making casinos squirm.
↵For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.