UFC 303 Deals Huge Loss To Book, Aces Starting to Roll

As the Vegas valley gets scorched, we’re cooler than a Frank Sinatra poster over here at the STN Sports Books. Although just one of the “Big Four” leagues is currently in action, the sports world is still spinning. UFC? We got it. The biggest tennis tournament in the world? Check! Aces games? You know we got them.

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 303

Those UFC fighters at T-Mobile weren’t the only ones getting pounded last weekend. STN Sports Book absolutely took it on the chin after a cavalcade of favorites proved to be victorious.

“It was one of the poorer outcomes I can remember on a UFC main event from our side of the counter,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. Alex Pereira’s knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka was disastrous for the book, but it was a boon for guests. One guest had a six-figure bet on Pereira to win. Other guests won six-figures due to large parlays that included Pereira.

“We actually had a very good handle, but not a great outcome for us,” Esposito lamented. Talk about feeling the BLUE in the red, white and blue.

NBA Free Agency

The NBA is going to look different next season, and you can expect the Philadelphia 76ers to contend — or so the odds would have you believe. Last week, Philly had NBA Championship odds of 12-to-1, which are pretty short odds already (comparatively speaking.) But, after Paul George, arguably the prize of the free agent market, signed a four-year deal with the Sixers, their odds plummeted. The only two teams with shorter odds to win the 2025 NBA title are the last two champions, the Celtics and Nuggets.

“They kind of have that three-headed monster and I think that helps them a lot,” Esposito said of the Sixers. “The improvements of both the Sixers and the Knicks have definitely kind of closed the gap a bit with Celtics.” Some teams have made more surprising decisions than the Supreme Court, whether it’s signing players or letting them walk. The Mavericks, for instance, made a splashy move in inking Klay Thompson to a deal.

After the move, Dallas saw its title odds tick down a few numbers, too. Opined Esposito, “With any team that’s been good for so long, at some point that dynasty kind of comes to an end and the star power gets dealt away. That’s clearly the case with the Warriors.” The Warriors’ tombstone might not be written just yet, as they are reportedly trying to acquire Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen.

DeMar DeRozan is also another player in the NBA sphere who could shift a team’s odds.

NHL Free Agency

All good things must come to an end, which includes an original Misfit. On Monday, former Conn Smythe trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault departed the VGK and headed for his new home in Nashville.

Steven Stamkos and ex-Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei also went to the Predators, meaning that squad is looking more different than the Tropicana overpass. Prior to the offseason moves, the Preds odds of winning the next Stanley Cup were a modest 30-to-1. They are now considerably shorter following the $108.5 million spending spree that netted them three studs. The Knights odds, after letting a trove of players leave, ticked up.

“They lost of vital pieces,” Esposito said, “but the Knights are always big-name hunting and I don’t think they’re done. There’s still a move or two to be made by the Knights now that some of that money has gone out the door.”

WNBA

The handle for the Aces/Fever WNBA game on Tuesday night was bigger than a Borracha burrito. Las Vegas entered the game as heavy double-digit favorites, and the public was all over them. “The last thing I want to do is catch a Fever, but we’re really going to be rooting for the Fever,” Esposito said before tipoff.

In the end, Vegas showed the world why they’re still a force to be reckoned with, particularly after outscoring Indiana by 13 in the 4th quarter. Before the game, STN Sports Books offered pages and pages of prop bets, many of which were tied to Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson.

“With not a lot else on the docket, the WNBA has become a really popular betting option. The rivalry of Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese has really helped,” Esposito said. “The WNBA is very competitive and we really have seen an uptick in a handle on the WNBA.” There’s an estimation that WNBA betting is actually up roughly 100% compared to last year — again, thanks to the star power of the last draft, which included Clark, Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Cameron Brink.

“You’ve also got the two time defending champs in our backyard who are now getting healthy and playing well, too,” Esposito noted. Although the Aces started off sluggish, as did the Fever, they are again rolling and have All Star Chelsea Gray back. Amid the winning streak, the Aces moved back to being the odds-on favorite to win the WNBA title, which would be a third straight. We know the Aces run the places.