The new NHL has ushered in a new era of Pro-Line gambling: the game’s the same, the odds are worse.

Maybe you’ve looked in the paper or picked up an odds sheet before hopping on the Subway. Either way you probably wondered about the tie odds coming off at 6 or 7. Ordinarily I’d say 6-1, but we all know Pro-Line doesn’t pay off money-line bets.

If anyone can remember the ’90s you might have a vague recognition of a simpler time when ties really were 6 or 7. Then we started seeing 5s, 4s, and, a couple years back, even 2.9s. Of course that was under a different system of rules wherein games that went to OT were automatically ties. So if Team A scored in extra-time it was a Pro-Line tie as well as a Pro-Line win. Well that’s all changed.

A Pro-Line tie now means a game that survives OT and segues into a shootout. If Team A wins the shootout they’re credited with a 1-goal victory. They can win the shootout 3-zip, but they’re still only going to pay-off as a one-goal winner. But, again, just going into the shootout frame means you’ve got a Pro-Line tie. That pays 6-7, which seems like a decent odd. But for that to be true 1 game out of 6 would have to go into a shootout. And we all know that’s not the case. A quick glance at last Saturday’s scoreboard shows 11 tilts and 0 shootouts.

So how do you bet the NHL on Pro-Line? Well it seems like the only way you’re going to win anything under the current system is to increase your wager. And that’s absolutely idiotic. Since a side has to win the odds have deflated significantly since the pre-lockout days when you could get a home team favoured by .5 on the Vegas puck-line at 1.80. Montreal’s at home to the Islanders tonight paying 1.30. The 6-and-0 Colts are 1.20 against the 0-5 Houston Texans tomorrow. You think Montreal’s that much of a sure-thing.

The other interesting development in the OLGC has been the inflating of over/under lines. When was the last time you can remember the norm being a 6.5 total in a hockey game! Two years ago 4.5s were commonplace. Now 5.5 is the floor. That’s crazy. The total in the Caps/Canes game tonight is 6.5. And the over bet pays 1.60! Robbery!

So what’s the moral of this story? It used to be possible to win money betting hockey games on Pro-Line. That’s just not the case anymore. The ice-ballet has gone the way of Pro-Line football betting, but for different reasons. A Pro-Line NFL parlay (as opposed to a point-spread ticket) is tilted so far in the OLGC’s favour that what you’re doing is effectively giving them your money. Now with a payout of ten bucks on a 4-team NHL parlay you’re doing exactly the same thing. There’s no way you can clear a penny betting parlays and getting these awful odds.

Maybe the point-spread NHL line makes a comeback. But until it does there’s no way anyone should be betting the NHL on Pro-Line. Call the OLGC offices and complain. Start an e-mail campaign. But if you’re betting the Leafs tonight against the Flyers at 1.60 you should probably just take your two bucks and invest in some candy. Because it’s a sucker’s bet.