Well, the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup is officially over, with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel completing their historic run to the title.
As the 6-seed, Barangay Ginebra was the underdog at the best Philippine sports betting sites for just about every single contest.
First, they knocked off TNT Tropang Giga in a twice-to-beat quarterfinal, beating the 3-seed by 12 points and 20 points, respectively.
Then, they opened a can (or three!) against the second-ranked NLEX Road Warriors, beating them three games to one in a largely uncompetitive series with an average margin of victory of 13 points.
Finally, in the finals, Barangay Ginebra beat the Meralco Bolts (which, as the 4-seed, also put together a strong, mostly betting-odds-defiant tournament run) in six games.
These contests, too, weren’t particularly competitive on an individual game-by-game basis, with the average margin of victory between both teams sitting at just over nine points.
For Game 6, which was delayed due to a fire at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City (and summarily relocated to the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay), Barangay Ginebra was the slight underdog on the spread.
In the end, of course, they wouldn’t need their 1.5-point advantage, as they won the game 103-92.
We hope you listened to our 2021 Governors’ Cup betting predictions!
Now that the second and final leg of the 2021 PBA season is over, most Philippine sports gamblers are probably shifting their full focus to the sea of 2021-2022 NBA Playoffs odds.
While most NBA postseason series have gone according to the odds boards so far, one major surprise probably cost bettors – and sportsbooks – quite a bit of cash: The NBA preseason favorites to win it all got skunked in Round 1.
Yes, the much ballyhooed Brooklyn Nets – behind a healthy Kevin Durant, an unvaccinated part-time Kyrie Irving, and one of the worst boat-anchor trades in recent memory – fizzled out down the stretch, earned the 7-seed in the East, and were unceremoniously shown the door by the two-seed Boston Celtics.
Actually, we shouldn’t say the series result is surprising. The Celtics were already clearly the better team.
It’s just that as preseason favorites to take home the 2021-2022 NBA championship, the Nets – despite having arguably the best player of his generation still competing at a high level – were expected to be a lot more competitive.
No other team will be swept in the first round, and this is an utter embarrassment that will have huge offseason ramifications and a large impact on the 2022-2023 NBA season.
Still, all the other lines are ripe for the picking.
Okada Manila Online Casino Launch
In other news, the Okada Manila – one of the flagship Philippines IR venues – has started rolling out its online iGaming platform.
During the height of the COVID pandemic in 2021, the Philippine government decided to expand gambling to the online space, as brick-and-mortar venues were closed (or saw their traffic significantly reduced) over the last 20 months or so.
In that time, various Philippine integrated resorts began to recoup year-over-year losses resultant from the pandemic as iGaming – aka legal online casino gambling – started taking off at the domestic level.
Here’s what the Okada Manila online casino platform promises to offer gamblers once it launches for good in the coming weeks:
- 150 Philippine online slot machines
- 14 Philippine online baccarat tables
- 2 Philippine online roulette tables
Of course, not every Filipino gambler will be able to play these titles when they launch in earnest, as local online gambling in the Philippines is still limited to established casino “VIP” members.
How long these venues will take to get their products into the hands of the everyman remains to be seen.
Of course, venues like the online Okada Manila casino aren’t the only online games in town.
By using one of the reputable offshore Philippines gambling sites recommended here (i.e. BetOnline Casino, MyBookie Casino, SuperSlots Casino, etc.), you can actually get access to far more games, several more gambling markets (such as online bingo, online video poker, online keno, online craps, etc.), and the ability to claim valuable bonuses, bet with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency banking options, and play from anywhere.
Best of all, there are zero “VIP” restrictions, as these sites are open to all Filipino casino players at just 18 and up.