Two months of 2025 are in the books, and the STN Sports Books are flying higher than a Nellis Air Force Base fighter jet. The NBA and NHL seasons are entering their most exciting stretches, and the NCAA Tournament is just around the corner. Plus, baseball Spring Training has begun.
“The focus starts to be on college basketball, the upcoming tournament and the parity in the college hoops. That’s going to be the focal point,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. “Baseball is right on the cusp of starting, as well. So it’ll be fun to have games every day, especially earlier in the day, in the first month of the season.” We’re seeing more action than a Sony movie studio.”
With all that in mind, let’s quickly review the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports app and the STN Sports Books…
NCAA Ball
The Southeastern Conference’s teams have had a large presence in the AP Top 25 for most of the season, but there could be value to be found elsewhere when it comes to tournament time. Michigan State, Louisville, Clemson and St. Johns, all teams that have sort of slid under the radar, have the talent, coaching and momentum to make some noise in March. There’s also teams like Creighton and St. Mary’s to keep an eye on.
“You’ve seen over the last few years that you can go so much deeper because a lot of these small schools that have kids that have been there four and five years are way more competitive with the big boys,” Esposito said. “You don’t see quite the disparity in point spread.”
On the flip side, the STN oddsmaker advises bettors to be wary of teams starting to struggle at this point in the season (read: Kansas, Purdue and Ole Miss.)
VGK Betting Behavior
Unsurprisingly, the Vegas Golden Knights continue to attract the most attention on game days, and guests are pretty much backing the VGK regardless. Bettors seem to think the Knights have more mettle than the Academy Awards. So, in the guest’s eyes, does it really matter who the Knights play?
“It matters a little bit, but for the most part, especially when they’re at home, I don’t think it really matters that much,” Esposito said. “If they’re playing a good team, you might get a more favorable price, but we have such tremendous Knights backing on a nightly basis.” On Monday, the Books raked in the money and bested the guests after the Kings’ 5-2 win against the Knights.
“The Kings have been a surprise with how good they are. The Capitals are sort of surprising, too. There was no guarantee they’d be as good as they are,” Esposito said of the leaders of the Metropolitan division.
Alex Ovechkin Prop
Speaking of the Capitals… It’s really only a matter of time before Alex Ovechkin becomes the all-time leader in goals scored (even netting a goal Tuesday night), but when will that 895th goal occur? STN Sports Books are offering multiple bets tied to Ovechkin’s magical chase. Guests can wager on the team Ovechkin scores that goal against, and guests can also wager on the period in which the goal is scored and the manner or method (i.e., power play, shorthanded, even strength, empty netter.)
“That’s kind of like the hot story in sports. If somebody is chasing history or there’s an interesting matchup or a compelling story we can put a prop to, we’re always looking to do that,” Esposito said. As the odds stand now, the teams with the shortest odds to suffer the history-making goal are the Blue Jackets, Hurricanes and Islanders, all teams the Capitals play twice in April. “It’s a fun story, and it’s potentially sports history in the making, so we wanted to have some fun with it,” Esposito said. Of course, guests can also bet that the Great 8 won’t break the record this season. “He has to stay healthy. He could have a hat trick in the next game, or he could go scoreless in three or four games,” Esposito said.
“They’re devising plays for him and doing their best to keep him on the ice. He’s going to be shooting as much as he possibly can. In games that they’re up, I can’t imagine he’s not on the ice having opportunities for empty netters to add to this total. I’m sure he’ll be pressing every game and everybody knows there’s tension on him to do this.”
Whether it’s this season or next, Ovechkin breaking the record is more of a sure thing than a slow-moving Vegas road project.
NBA Futures
Oklahoma City and Cleveland have the best records in the NBA, but they may not be the bettor’s favorites when the playoffs begin in six weeks. Come April, both the Thunder and Cavaliers will be akin to a Homeowner’s Association: only noticeable when they annoyingly cost you money.
“I mean the Lakers and Warriors continue to be really popular bets on the future book, but I just still think the Celtics are the best team in the east, even though the Cavs have the best record,” Esposito said. “I think it is kind of jumbled up a bit in the west with OKC, Denver and Memphis.” He added, “I can tell you when the postseason starts, we’re going to be rooting against the Lakers pretty much on a nightly basis.”
On Tuesday, the Books got a taste of Laker fever, as guests pounded L.A. so much that the line jumped up a full point, closing at nine points. The Lake Show won 107-99, giving early bettors a push but failing to cash for the latecomers.
Bets To Know
Your regularly scheduled reminder that the STN Sports App offers a 10% odds boost on the moneyline on one key game, every single day. The Match of the Day can be found at the top of your STN Sports App.
Weekly Winners
A crazy impressive $48 parlay to collect $21,096 HITS last on Feb. 23 across basketball and baseball. The legs:
-Warriors -9
-Magic -13
-Bucks ML
-Cavs ML
–Pacers ML
-Pistons ML
-UCF Knights ML
-LA Dodgers ML
-Guardians ML
-Cubs ML
-Royals ML
-Giants ML