Sapakoff: College basketball's betting inequities, and likely changes

ESPN.com has released the schedule for NCAA Division I men's and women's college basketball games for Thursday night. Almost all the games with betting lines for Dec. 15 had a top 25-ranked team as a favorite. Presbyterian was listed as 5-point favorite over Elon.

There are differences in odds between men's and women's college basketball. The difference is costing the sport millions of dollars every week. ESPN doesn't post daily lines on women’s collegebasketball. Most online and brick-and-mortar Las Vegas sports books don't either. Some sports book managers are considering offering women't college Basketball betting. The WNBA is growing in popularity. There's a need for more information to help oddsmakers handicapping for "very sharp bettors" and dealing with "big line moves". It's an arduous task.

ESPN is moving toward including betting lines in its daily women's college basketball schedule. It might start as early as this season. ESPN has a growing sports betting window.

ESPN was close to a deal with DraftKings in October, but it was postponed. Debbie Antonelli wants the entire women's NCAA Tournament to be held in one place. Dawn Staley agrees. FanDuel is an official partner of the WNBA. There are many caveats attached to basic lines on women’s games, added in-game betting and props. South Carolina star Aliyah Boston will score in the second half against Tennessee.