The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
When Justin Brownlee was on the floor, Filipino fans naturally placed their faith in him. When he wasn’t, that confidence shifted almost instantly to Dwight Ramos.
This was according to the latest data from ArenaPlus, the No. 1 PAGCOR-licensed online sportsbook in the Philippines operated by DigiPlus Interactive Corp.
The said data showed Brownlee and Ramos emerging as the most-backed Gilas Pilipinas players against regional powerhouses New Zealand and Australia, respectively, during the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Against the Tall Blacks, Brownlee accounted for 70.27 percent of the total player bet count.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, a whopping 97.1 percent of bets involving the naturalized Filipino expected him to finish above his projected statistics in categories such as points,
rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks
ArenaPlus users can predict whether a player will finish above or below projected statistics set by the service provider.
AJ Edu ranked second with 13.18 percent of the total player bets, while Dwight Ramos placed third with 8.78 percent.
Brownlee, however, found himself limited by New Zealand’s defense as Gilas absorbed a narrow 106-102 defeat. He finished with five points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block.
The story shifted three days later.
With Brownlee sidelined by a hamstring strain and right peroneal tendinopathy against Australia, ArenaPlus users turned to Ramos.
The Gilas guard accounted for 44.55 percent of the total player bet count against the Boomers, the highest among all Filipino players.
Among bets involving Ramos, 73.5 percent projected him to finish above his expected statistics.
Kevin Quiambao followed with 40.91 percent of the total player bets, with 75.6 percent of users expecting him to surpass his projected numbers.
Edu completed the Top Three with 14.55 percent, 87.5 percent of which projected him to exceed his statistical projections.
Ramos paced the Filipinos with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the 92-49 loss to Australia.
“Justin Brownlee has earned the trust of Filipino fans over the years, so it’s no surprise to see many ArenaPlus users backing him against New Zealand. When he was unavailable, that confidence naturally shifted to Dwight Ramos, who has consistently proven himself as one of Gilas’ most reliable players,” said William.
“The data shows that Filipino fans closely follow the national team. They understand each player’s role and continue to support the athletes they believe can make the biggest impact, regardless of the opponent.”