I tell people all the time: they build all those fancy-pants, colossal casinos in Vegas because they know what they are doing. The betting establishment consistently siphons money off the great unwashed because they set good odds.

So when they assign odds in sports, you can bet they have dotted the Is and crossed the Ts and then some. In assessing a match or a tournament, they have poked, prodded, pondered and perused that baby to within an inch of its life.

Here, then, is what The Bookie Man says about the chances of winning World Cup Group C:

England odds = 1-3

U.S.A. odds = 9-2

Slovenia odds = 10-1

Algeria odds = 20-1

 Here’s a quick translation for those who feel about gambling odds the way most men feel about arts and crafts stores: don’t know anything about them and don’t care to know.  

England is a heavy, heavy favorite. The United States is next, with roughly twice the chance to win the group as Slovenia. Algeria obviously is the long shot.

FYI: Spain remains favored to reign over the whole shebang (at 5-1 odds), followed by Germany and Italy (tied for second at 8-1) and England and Holland (tied for fourth at 9-1).