For the second year in a row, bowling fans of legal gambling age will be able to wager on the outcome of the PBA World Championship through sports book venues in Las Vegas and Reno.

The main event in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII presented by Silver Legacy will be the season’s final major championship, televised live on ESPN Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. local time) from Reno’s National Bowling Stadium.

And top qualifier EJ Tackett (pictured right and above) of Huntington, Ind., is the “even money” favorite to win the $60,000 first prize.

The five players who have qualified for the ESPN stepladder finals and their wagering odds, provided by William Hill Race & Sports Book, are: Tackett, even; Dom Barrett (left), +300; Jason Belmonte (right), +400; Anthony Simonsen, 10/1, and Tom Smallwood, 12/1.

Additional wagering will be available for the opening match (Smallwood vs. Simonsen), as well as an over/under line on the highest game bowled on TV plus 20/1 odds on a 300 game bowled during the live telecast.

Admission tickets are available for fans who would like to attend Sunday’s live finals, as well as all four animal pattern championships Saturday at the National Bowling Stadium. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the “tickets” link on pba.com or at the door.

PBA Bowling Challenge to conduct special “Cheetah Challenge”

Everyone who plays PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game is invited to participate in a special sweepstakes being conducted by PBA Cheetah Championship presenting sponsor Concrete Software, the creator of the PBA Bowling Challenge game.

Beginning at midnight (Central time) on Monday, Dec. 19, PBA Bowling Challenge players are invited to enter the PBA Cheetah Championship venue on the game to bowl one game. Everyone age 18 or older who records a score higher than the PBA Cheetah Championship winner bowls on the Dec. 18 ESPN telecast will be entered into the Concrete Software sweepstakes and eligible to win special prizes, including a special PBA bowling pin autographed by the winner.

If you don’t already play PBA Bowling Challenge on your mobile device, download the app and use the button on the landing page of the app to enter the tournament. The contest concludes at 11:59 p.m. (Central time) on Christmas Day.

PBA World Championship finals could be one for the records

Sunday’s PBA World Championship finals, airing live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET, could be one of the records. If he wins:

• Top qualifier EJ Tackett would win his first major title.
• No. 2 Dom Barrett or No. 4 Tom Smallwood would be the first to win the World Championship more than once since Norm Duke won back-to-back titles in the spring and fall of 2008. Barrett won the event in 2013; Smallwood won in Jan. 2010.
• No. 3 Jason Belmonte would win his seventh PBA major title, putting him in a tie for fifth place on the all-time PBA major titlist list with Norm Duke. Earl Anthony and Pete Weber share the record with 10, followed by Mike Aulby and Walter Ray Williams Jr. with eight each.
• No. 5 Anthony Simonsen would become the first player to win two majors by age 19 (he won the USBC Masters earlier in the year). Aulby was the youngest to win the PBA World Championship when he won in 1979 at age 19 years, 83 days.

Next up on Xtra Frame: Randy goes “One on One” with PBA stars

In addition to its coverage of WSOB VIII on Xtra Frame, subscribers are getting a chance to meet some of the Tour’s top stars who are featured in a new “One on One with Randy Pedersen” series of interviews.

In Monday’s episode, Anthony Simonsen (left) talked to Pedersen about his early start to bowling, his favorite PBA Tour roommates, dealing with success, miniature golf, why he’d rather eat with bowlers than anyone else and more.

On Thursday, Chris Barnes (right) discussed quick wits and Tommy Jones, his favorite television opponents, bets with Mika Koivuniemi, what he does with any spare time he can find and more.

Closing out the series next Monday will be a visit with Tom Daugherty (left) who chats about his standout 2016 season, his favorite restaurant in the world, his pro shops, one peculiar superstition and more.

If you missed them, the Xtra Frame archives include conversations with Sean Rash, Ryan Ciminelli, Jason Belmonte, Jesper Svensson, Dom Barrett and Gary Faulkner Jr.

This weekend, PBA Hall of Famer Marshall Holman will join Pedersen and announcer Dave LaMont for live ESPN coverage of the PBA World Championship on Dec. 11.

Pedersen and LaMont will cover the Cheetah, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark Championships on Saturday – all of which will be taped for delayed broadcast on ESPN while simultaneously airing live on ESPN3, and the USA vs. The World special team event following the PBA World Championship. The team event will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. ET.

QubicaAMF PBA Regional Update

As the QubicaAMF Regional program heads toward the end of the 2016 season, events scheduled for the Dec. 10-11 weekend include the McKinley Lanes Central/East Challenge for non-champions in Niles, Ohio, and the DHC Scorpion Open in Chiba, Japan.

The Dec. 17-18 schedule, concluding the QubicaAMF PBA Regional season, includes the PBA/PBA50 Houston Southwest Open Doubles presented by Bowling Dynamix at Emerald Bowl in Houston, Texas, and the PBA/PBA50 Decker Appraisal Services Baker Trios presented by Hammer at Valley Lanes in Harrisonburg, Va.

For complete QubicaAMF PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, click here to find the event(s) in your area.

Quick Notes

Shopping for something special for the PBA fan in your family? For a limited time, you can save 25 percent on your holiday purchase of $50 or more from the PBA Store. To shop The PBA Store, click here

Fans of PBA Hall of Famer Ernie Schlegel (pictured) – plus extensive background about the era Schlegel grew up in – can read all about it in Gianmarc Manzione‘s critically-acclaimed book, “Pin Action,” which is now available on Amazon.com in Kindle format for only $1.99. If you’d like to read about Schlegel’s rise to stardom as a PBA player, click here

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