UFC Bettors Lose on Max Holloway, Masters Live Betting a Hit

After weeks of getting pounded by the guests during the NCAA March Hoops Tournament, the STN Sports Books are exacting their revenge, particularly over the weekend. A huge UFC card on Saturday proved to be profitable, as did Sunday, which saw one golfer put on a clinic that would make urgent care jealous.

With all that in mind, let’s quickly look back at the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports app and at the STN Sports Books…

UFC 300

Over the weekend, T-Mobile Arena saw more punches than a Hi-C factory. UFC 300 was a hugely hyped card, and the energy spilled over into the STN Sports Books.

“The overall handle, atmosphere and hype was crazy. I mean really, really good,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos’ Race and Sports Book Director. “Every fight was just these big-named guys and it was hyped so much leading up to the pay-per-view card. It was a win-win for us.” Books saw a bevy of five-figure bets roll in all day, including an $80,000 two-leg parlay on Alex Periera and Charles Oliveira. The ticket, which would have paid out $396,307, missed after Oliviera lost in a decision. Another notable bet came across the counter when a guest wagered $3,000 on a four-leg parley, but that failed to hit on a several legs. The ticket would have paid out $50,310.

“Having [Max] Holloway win in the fashion that he did in the end of that match against [Justin] Gaethje really helped,” Esposito said. “The last two fights with [Weili] Zhang and Periera winning the main event weren’t good for us, but overall the card was really good, a good UFC win for us.” He added, “That Holloway fight was the difference in the day because we really needed him big time in that match.”

The Masters

Many out of towners come to Las Vegas for the nightlife, but the best clubs in the world were in the hands of Scottie Scheffler in Augusta, Georgia, over the weekend. A significant favorite going into The Masters, Scheffler showed the world why he’s the best at what he does, winning the coveted Green Jacket — his second — by four strokes. STN Books were in pretty good shape with nearly all the golfers in the running late Sunday, with the exception of one.

“The bettors really rallied behind Max [Homa]. Every single day there was money on him pre-match, live and adjusted prices,” Esposito said. In fact, Scheffler’s win completed was one of the best Masters outcomes for the Books since the Trump administration. Esposito noted, “This is probably the first time in three or four years that we had a significantly good, positive outcome for us in the Masters. The handle was crazy. This is the first time we really offered the live aspect of golf wagering on a major and that just kind of shot it through the roof.”

A’s for Effort

It’s not really news when the Yankees win games because they’re usually in the hunt more often than not. However, where did these Oakland-Sacramento-Las Vegas-A’s come from! The Athletics were supposed to be worse than those two idiots destroying ancient rocks at Lake Mead. Oakland has been holding their own in the AL West with a record of almost .500.

“The fact that the A’s are winning is giving a lot of love to us, and that the Astros are losing is helping. I think both those two really kind of stand out,” Esposito said. Still, guests going against the dismal White Sox and Marlins are continuing to profit. “The White Sox are really bad. They’re beat up. They’re bad at home, they’re bad on the road,” Station’s top oddsmaker said. “It is almost a surefire winner when guests pick their parlays. The first team they’re circling is who’s ever playing the White Sox.”

NBA Playoffs

For years, the Warriors or Lakers or Heat all seemed to have top billing once the NBA Playoffs kicked off. But, the power structure is shifting and the league is seeing more changes than a Life Is Beautiful footprint. While it’s no surprise to see the Boston Celtics leading in the East, the top of the West bracket would stun the casual hoops watcher, as Oklahoma City and Minnesota hold down the 1 and 3 seeds. The 2 seed, however, is one everybody is hoping to avoid.

“I would think Denver is the most dangerous team in the West,” Esposito said of the second-seeded Nuggets. “In the East, no one wants to have to play the Sixers in the first round. I still think the Celtics and Bucks are really, really good, but I put the Celtics and Sixers at the top of the Eastern Conference.”