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by sandworm101 583 days ago
The NFL still flips coins professionally. I wonder if they have better-than-webcam footage of each flip. Somewhere out there a bookie might be very interested in any potential bias.
3 comments

That makes me wonder whether any bookmakers or sports betting arbitration shops have ever internally ran a study like this.

With how much money there is in sports betting, it could potentially be somewhat lucrative, though I wouldn't be surprised if the bias doesn't actually end up mattering that much in practice.

IIRC, past studies have suggested that letting the coin land, rather than catching it, reduces or eliminates the bias.
Some hi-res footage of an NFL toss: https://youtu.be/-sjAyQcv0oM