Well, summer is definitely here. We’ve got cold drinks, spacious seating and more exciting options than a Clark Country primary election ballot. Last week, we told you that betting against the White Sox is nearly an automatic win, and that’s held true. They’re terrible and still only winning a quarter of their games, meaning you will 75% of the time by betting against them. That notwithstanding, things are decidedly more competitive across the rest of the sport’s spectrum.
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…
Stanley Cup Finals
Through the first two games of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the public was more split than Donny & Marie. Money poured in on the Florida Panthers in Game 1, but the money moved the other way in Game 2 with the public siding with the Edmonton Oilers.
“I was a little surprised they came back and bet Edmonton so strong in Game 2,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. “In the future book, we’re in good shape with both teams, and it’s helped us that the first two games went under the total.” Now that the series is heading to Edmonton, the money is again on the Oilers, which isn’t surprising since Connor McDavid’s squad is very much in a must-win scenario.
“I suspect we will be pretty heavy Panther fans by the time they drop the puck on Thursday,” Esposito noted.
NBA Finals
In the NBA Finals, guests are getting more rocked than Dwayne Johnson. The STN Sports Books have been massive Celtics fans for both Games 1 and 2, and guests have been taken to the cleaners.
“We’ve needed Boston not only on the point spread, but also on the money line. We’ve also needed unders,” Esposito said. “Game 1 was perfect case scenario for us. Game 2, we pushed out a lot of money and we were able to win the moneyline side of it.”
“Like in the NHL, the home teams held serve, and we’ll be huge Celtics fans again in Game 3,” Esposito said. In the first two games (and likely the third,) about 70% of the bets have been on Dallas. In Game 2, the Book took in several $20,000 bets on the Mavs. Similarly, Game 1 saw a gluttony of Mars bets in the $15,000-$20,000 range, albeit there was a $42,000 moneyline wager on the Celtics that paid out $20,000.
The Mavericks also got all the love on the series price. “We’re in terrific shape with the Celtics, but we have liability on the Mavericks. It is a huge difference with the Celtics, not only in the future book, but the series,” Esposito said.
Baseball Prop
Baseball bettors are looking for donuts in more places than just Krispy Kreme. On the STN Sports App, guests can bet whether or not a run will be scored in the first inning of a game, and the overwhelming answer has been a resounding no. “The ‘no’ bet is really popular,” Esposito said.
“Scoring is so down. You look at batting averages across the league and I just don’t remember seeing so many superstars hitting in that .205 to .225 range.” Betting “no” in the first inning of any game and betting against the White Sox in every game looks to be a winning strategy.
Bets To Know
Live wagers on the US Open will be up on Saturday and Sunday, but a deep, deep collection of prop bets are currently up. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer is by far the favorite to win the U.S. Open, opening at +350 odds (the number has even come down due to action on him!) Those are Tiger Woods-in-his-prime odds, and guests aren’t scared. Scheffler is the ticket and money leader. The Louisville Police Department might be the only thing that can stop him.
Weekly Winners
$10 parlay for a $929 win! A nice 8-teamer hits for this STN Sports bettor on Tuesday:
-Lynx -6.5 -110
-Lynx/Ace over 166.5 -110
-Phillies ML -154
-Mariners ML -177
-Nationals ML -101
-Yankees ML -130
-Orioles +1.5 -140
-Dodgers ML -157