Wimbledon’s Shocker Leaves Book In Rare Air, Plus More Sports Betting News, Tidbits

The goal of any bettor’s bankroll is to move on up… kind of like Zach Wilson’s choice of women. As the world eagerly awaits football season to begin, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book continues to bring more betting options to the forefront. With all that in mind, let’s quickly look back over the sports landscape and peek at what’s ahead on the courts, on the links, on the field and on the STN Sports App and at the Station Casinos Race and Sports Book.

Wimbledon Action

It’s been said that Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina was Wimbledon’s most unlikely winner, and Station Books won’t argue that. When tennis’ most famous tournament kicked off, Rybakina came in as a 30-to-1 long shot. Station didn’t take one single bet on her at that price. When Rybakina moved down to 24-to-1 after a first round win, she still didn’t have any takers, continuing to get less action than the best friend of Zach Wilson’s mom (okay, we’re done.)  It wasn’t until she hit +650 that guests started taking notice.

“It really is rare,” said Jason Simbal, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. “With tennis you normally get a smattering of action on everybody. On the men’s side, for example, there were bets on pretty much every player. But we did not get hurt on her thankfully.” Don’t expect bettors — or the Book — to sleep on Rybakina at the US Open in late August and early September.

Summer League

The NBA Universe has its eyes on Vegas again. The Summer League is officially in full swing, making Vegas an unofficial hoops convention. It seems you can’t go anywhere in this city without stumbling into an NBA player. Over the years, the Sports Books and STN Sports App have offered bets on Summer League games, and this year is no different.

“I think year by year, betting on the Summer League gets more popular,” Simbal said, “and a lot of that has to do with the fact that these games are on ESPN now.” Not only is the Sports Book and STN Sports App offering bets on full games, but it’s also treating the games like those from the regular season, offering halftime lines and points race props. Like your in-laws nagging, the NBA doesn’t stop.

British Open

The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, kicks off this week and the Book and bettors are ready. Tiger Woods — surprise, surprise — presents the largest liability for the Station Books based on the sheer number of bets at very high odds. Ironically, Xander Schauffele, who is the favorite, presents a problem for Station Casinos, too. Typically, the Book doesn’t really bat an eye when the odds-on favorite wins in golf, but it’s different this time due to a fairly large four-figure on Schauffele at 10-to-1 odds.

“We’re pretty good on the British, but we need to beat those two guys,” Simbal said. Like the Brit’s teeth, a Schauffele win would be rough. In addition to the future’s odds, Station Books and STN Sports App are offering a bevy of props. Tee time in United Kingdom is going to feel different this weekend.

Carolina On My Mind

The writing had been on the wall for months, but Baker Mayfield is officially reporting from a new zip code. There’s no way to massage the situation, Cleveland basically told him to kick rocks after inking Deshaun Watson to a deal. Mayfield’s end was covered ad nauseam, kind of like Jennifer Lopez’s. After Mayfield was shipped off to Carolina, the Sports Books and STN Sports App reacted accordingly, but little changed. Carolina’s odds to win the NFC South stayed steady, and there was very minimal Panther’s movement in future’s world or in the win total.

“He didn’t have that real material impact on the lines,” Simbal said, adding that this shouldn’t necessarily be a reflection on Mayfield’s skills. “A lot of times the team is so bad that unless you’re getting Aaron Rogers, it’s not really going to matter.” With one less Baker, does that mean there will be fewer turnovers in Cleveland? Still, as the days go on, it seems more and more likely that Watson will be suspended for a significant portion of the upcoming NFL season, or maybe all of it. Does this leave Cleveland’s quarterback situation in limbo? Absolutely. Can you profit from this on the STN Sports App? Duh!

Not long after Mayfield got his walking papers, Station Books posted a bet: Who will have more regular season passing yards between Mayfield or all Browns quarterbacks? With Jacoby Brissett currently being Cleveland’s QB1, this bet should be a no-brainer. But what if Cleveland trades for Jimmy Garoppolo? Also, are we sure Mayfield, who’s coming off an injury, will be Carolina’s starting quarterback considering he still has to beat out Sam Darnold for the job? Poor Baker has been tugged in more directions this offseason than an adult film star.

MLB Under-The-Radar

Baseball continues to be a league in which bettors continually hop on the bandwagon or jump off a sinking ship. Although the usual suspects are still being bet on daily, guests might not have noticed the fluctuating future’s market for some of the teams not from New York or California. Amid their eight-game winning streak, the Seattle Mariners — a team that once had 250-to-1 odds to win the World Series — are on the rise. Their odds are now one-fifth of what they once were. The Orioles had 1,000-to-1 odds at one point this season. Amid a nine-game winning streak, Baltimore’s odds have shot down drastically, as they’ve slashed that number tenfold. On the flip side, the Rays now have less support than a Fruit of the Loom bra.

“Tampa is a team everybody’s kind of off. Guests have kind of stopped betting them,” said Simbal, who quickly put baseball betting in perspective. “In terms of day in and day out, we just must beat these favorites every day — the Yankees, Mets, Braves, Padres, Dodgers. Guests are just parlaying them, and as a book we need to get home in one of those games.” In terms of baseball, the Sports Book is often frustrated with how expensive it’s getting, and there’s still half of it left… kind of like The Harmon Hotel for all those years.