N.F.L. Week 3 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread

By BY EMMANUEL MORGAN from NYT Sports The Panthers look to keep the sack crown against the Texans, the Bucs and Rams preview a potential N.F.C. championship matchup, and Aaron Rodgers will try to keep the good vibes going against the 49ers.https://nyti.ms/3lTfmGq

The N.F.L. Made Some Changes Since the Last Time You Watched

By BY MIKE TANIER from NYT Sports Unfamiliar jersey numbers, penalties for anything that seems like trash-talking, gambling everywhere. These changes will incite double takes this season.https://nyti.ms/3l0JBLq

He Sought Refuge in Online Poker: ‘This Is Never About the Cards’

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports The author is not good at the game. But games played online while meeting on a video call with strangers provided connection at the right time.https://nyti.ms/2OEx5Fd

Gamblers Outside the U.S. Take Presidential Odds on a Wild Ride

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Betting on the election is not legal in the United States. But elsewhere, the odds swung wildly between President Trump and Joe Biden as bettors tried to stay a step ahead of prognosticators.https://nyti.ms/35Zkvoy

To Play Poker in a Pandemic, Americans Flee the U.S.

By BY KASHMIR HILL from NYT Sports Unlike other sporting events canceled by the coronavirus, the World of Series of Poker, and its millions in prizes, went online. But borders are tricky when it comes to internet gambling.https://nyti.ms/32IBSsg

How Sports-Starved Bettors Made a Nebraska Horse Track Must-See TV

By BY JOE DRAPE AND CALLA KESSLER from NYT Sports Fonner Park, in Grand Island, Neb., has received more attention than ever because of the coronavirus pandemic, with $2.8 million in wagers each day. But it is earning less from each bet with no fans on site.https://nyti.ms/2T0t5Oh

N.F.L. Plays on Twitter and Brackets for Everything

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton shared his favorite plays on Twitter, alternative brackets are still getting busted and a Swedish soccer friendly was canceled after bettors swarmed.https://nyti.ms/33Y8GNS

Professional Athletes Trade Sports for TikTok and Toilet Paper

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing guitar, among other things you didn’t expect to read about in the middle of March.https://nyti.ms/2UydnJU

Close the Schools and Bars and Stay Home, but Keep the Horses Racing

By BY JOE DRAPE from NYT Sports In places like California and New York, where state governments are urging social distancing, horse racing is still happening for fans betting online.https://nyti.ms/3a0ZSJm

Tagliabue’s Missteps on Concussions Don’t Impede Entry to Hall of Fame

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports The crisis in brain damage believed tied to head hits in football soared on his watch, but he did little to acknowledge it and, some say, tried to hide it.https://nyti.ms/3726FkH

Is There a ‘Road Team Advantage’?

By BY ZACH SCHONBRUN from NYT Sports Of course there isn’t but the home team advantage sure isn’t what it used to be.https://nyti.ms/36Se1XC

Alabama Cemented L.S.U. as a Betting Superteam

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Oddsmakers predict Louisiana State will easily beat Clemson in college’s national title game. They acknowledge some of that is based on “public pressure” rather than hard data.https://nyti.ms/2FCjmqe

Adam Sandler Is Betting the N.B.A. (and Knicks) Can Take a Joke

By BY HARVEY ARATON from NYT Sports A new comedy uses an N.B.A. playoff as the backdrop for Sandler’s gambling character, a mix the league once would have run from.https://nyti.ms/2DMqqzO

Can Colleges Police Sports Betting? Some Are Trying

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Purdue, St. Joseph’s and Villanova have banned students from betting on their schools’ teams, but other universities are seeking more of a middle ground. No one is sure whose approach is right.https://nyti.ms/2oYPPCp

The Patriots and Cowboys Are Huge Favorites. Bettors Are Taking Them Anyway.

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports If you want to bet on New England or Dallas, they have to win by more than three touchdowns for you to get paid.https://nyti.ms/2V8EdbB

What Makes This N.F.L. Season Different From Previous N.F.L. Seasons?

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports Sports betting has arrived to transform the N.F.L. Or not. Plus Bianca Andreescu, Justin Verlander and Matteo Berrettini.https://nyti.ms/2ZL8ime

What to Watch as the N.F.L. Begins a New Season

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Who will break out? Will rules changes help settle officiating arguments? Don’t bet on that — but note that more Americans can legally gamble as this season starts.https://nyti.ms/30UqE1w

Match-Fixing at Women’s World Cup? As Game Grows, Officials Are on Alert

By TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports As the profile of women’s soccer grows, games are drawing millions of dollars worth of bets. And FIFA and match-fixing officials say they are taking no chances.https://nyti.ms/2ZoKPU0

Root, Root, Root for the Home Team (or Maybe the One You Bet On)

By VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Here comes the baseball season, which means, in more and more of the United States, here comes the baseball betting season.https://nyti.ms/2FybJAP

A New League Is Betting on Football, and on Betting

By JOE DRAPE from NYT Sports The Alliance of American Football kicks off this weekend with plans to promote itself to content-hungry football fans and action-hungry sports bettors.https://nyti.ms/2E2HRgf