With April in the rearview mirror, May the sports be with you. Over the past week, we’ve seen hockey comebacks, NBA surprises and new faces on NFL teams. In the week leading into the NFL Draft, STN Sports Books offered multiple ways to bet the event.
“This was actually a winning NFL draft for the first time in probably five or six years,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. While the guests beat the Book when the Raiders drafted a running back, as most prognosticators figured they would, the Book bested the bettors when the Saints bypassed a quarterback in the first round, as most guests assumed New Orleans would take a signal caller in the Top 10. In addition to the NHL and NBA playoffs, this week brings us The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. You could argue that things are rocking more than an Allegiant Stadium AC/DC concert.
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…
Locals Get New Strip Sportsbook
We’ve found treasure… Treasure Island, that is. STN Sports officially has its first sportsbook on the Vegas strip at Golden Circle inside Treasure Island Resort and Casino!
Guests can sign up, deposit, fund, bet, and more at the new location, all while receiving the guest service they know and love from Station Casinos. Not to mention, Treasure Island is easy to get to, with free parking that locals can appreciate.
NFL Draft
Just two weeks ago, we noted that Shedeur Sanders was the most interesting player in the NFL Draft. In hindsight, that was underselling it. The Colorado quarterback, who some believed was the top signal caller in the draft, didn’t hear his name called on Day 1… or on Day 2. He was sliding faster than a kid at Cowabunga Bay. Finally, the Cleveland Browns snatched him up on Day 3 in the 5th round.
Still, there were other surprises (the Steelers waiting until the 6th round for a QB; the Browns trading the No. 2 pick to Jacksonville, who then got Travis Hunter; the Giants trading back into the 1st round.) “I thought there might be four quarterbacks taken in the first round, so the fact that there were only two was definitely a surprise,” Esposito said.
After the draft finished, no team shook up their immediate odds more than Chicago. Last week, the Bears’ future book odds to win the Super Bowl sat at 50-to-1, but they dropped to 40-to-1. “I thought the Bears by far had the best draft in the NFC North,” the Station oddsmaker said. “I wasn’t crazy about the draft of the three other teams in the North. Minnesota and Green Bay, I didn’t think had a great draft. Detroit’s was okay.”
A few teams will likely see their odds raised soon, based on what they did or didn’t do. Esposito added, “I don’t know if the 49ers did enough to really help their cause right now, and the Steelers might be a team that we raise.”
Post NFL Draft, STN Sports Books posted a slew of prop bets tied to certain notable players and their rookie season outputs, such as rush yards and touchdowns by Ashton Jeanty, passing yards and touchdowns by Cam Ward, and receiving yards by Matthew Golden, Travis Hunter, Colston Loveland and Tetairoa McMillian.
“All the props have seen considerable action on the over,” Esposito said. “Unless something unforeseen happens, Ward is going to start game one and be the guy. And I think you look at the Raiders, that offense is going to revolve around Jeanty.” Jeanty plays with more emotion than Dashboard Confessional at the Bel-Aire Poolside Concert Series. Keep an eye out for another prop: Which Cleveland Browns quarterback will throw the first pass in the regular season? Their quarterback is more crowded than the T-Bones bar at Happy Hour.
Derby Day
We’re back in the saddle again! The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, and the Station Casino’s Race and Sports Book is prepping for all the pomp and circumstance.
“When it comes to the Derby, it’s by far our busiest race day of the year. It’s a little bit like the Super Bowl in that you don’t have to necessarily be a fan, but because it’s so exciting and because it’s such a spectacle and a historical event, everybody wants a piece of it,” Esposito said. “When they’re thundering down and all of our big screens at the sports book are on the race and you can hear it, it makes you feel like you’re in the grandstand at Churchill Downs.”
The Derby really is the fastest two minutes in sports.
NHL Playoffs
The Vegas Golden Knights continue to be the most-bet team… and it’s not even close. In Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Minnesota Wild (Game 5), about 85% of the bets were on Vegas. Guests continue to view the Knights as a bit of a, ahem, Treasure Island.
“I really thought that Winnipeg and Vegas might have an easy time in round 1, and it just goes to show you the parity in the NHL,” Esposito said. Unlike what’s happened out West, the better Eastern Conference teams are dominating so far. “The overall handle’s been great in hockey. Of course, when the Knights are still in it, it adds an extra dimension,” Esposito added. “From the business solely the business side of it, we’re clearly Wild fans in this series, and if the Knights win tonight, we’re hoping it’s an under game and they don’t cover the puck line.”
On Tuesday night, the Knights prevailed 3-2. The game stayed under the closing line of 5.5, and Vegas won but failed to cover the puck line.
Bets To Know
In anticipation of the Kentucky Derby, Station Casinos is offering a $2 twin quinella promotion for Friday’s Oaks races in which a winner could take home $10,000. A $2 twin quinella promotion will also be offered for the Derby. A winner could take home $20,000 for that one. To win, a bettor must pick the top two finishers in two predetermined races. The pot will be split if there are multiple winners.
Weekly Winners
$3 ticket to win $1,194.60 is a HOME RUN! Congrats to the STN Sports baseball bettor with an impressive parlay from Tuesday:
-Luis Robert over 0.5 home runs
-Rafael Devers over 0.5 home runs
-Pete Alonso over 0.5 home runs
-Shohei Ohtani over 0.5 home runs