So much for the dog days of summer — the sports world is blowing up like a firework. We’ve had tons of players switching teams in the Big 4. Plus, Wimbledon is hitting its stride and there was also a massive UFC fight last weekend that saw Ilia Topuria knock out Charles Oliveira in the first round. Topuria opened right around -400, and his line then shot up to -500 before it came crashing back down.
“You saw some underdog money just because of the value and the price,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. “It goes back to boxing and UFC. Anytime they’re in the ring or the octagon, anything can happen. One punch can dictate the outcome. But overall, the result ended up being favorable for us.”
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…
VGK Trade
The Vegas Golden Knights wheel and deal more than a tire store. On Monday, they landed arguably the most sought-after free agent on the market in Mitch Marner. “It’s a massive trade for them. Once again, they have proven that they are always willing to go big-name hunting,” Esposito said.
After the trade, which meant the Knights parted ways with Nicolas Roy, STN Sports Books dropped the VGK’s 2025/2026 Stanley Cups odds significantly, from 10-to-1 to 6.5-to-1. As of now, only two-time defending champs Florida have lower future book odds. “We know our guests are going to back the Knights, but they have probably more reason now since they got probably the biggest name out there on the free agent market,” Esposito said.
“Especially from a distributor standpoint, Marner is a great assist man, a very, very good complement to Eichel. Now, Karlsson can slide into a little bit different role in some of their scores, but I clearly think the Knights get better with the addition of Marner.”
NBA Movement
Talk about new faces in new places. The NBA has been drunker than a bachelor party groom. It’s hard to keep track of all the trades that have occurred within the past week, but a few teams seem to have gotten better via the draft or trades.
The Hawks, Rockets and Mavericks all saw their title odds dip after making moves. With the Eastern Conference in flux with so many injuries to top stars, Atlanta is trying to go for it, trading for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, sharpshooter Luke Kennard and Kristaps Porziņģis.
“I think that’s a direct product of all the injuries. The teams in the Eastern Conference, you look at Tatum being out and Halliburton being out, the Hawks might be one of the top teams,” Esposito said. The Mavericks, of course, drafted Cooper Flagg and the Rockets snagged Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela. “We’ve seen some play on all three, and there were some adjustments we had to make,” Esposito said.
MLB Deadline Approaches
Is there a baseball team ready to go all Baskin-Robbins and shake things up? With so much parity, even among the top teams, you would expect someone to make a trade and really alter their odds. But, who’s available or rumored to be on the trading block that could potentially change a team’s fortune? Think pitching.
“There’s probably 30 or 40 guys that are rumored to be on the block. Future book odds would depend on who the player is and what team they go to,” Esposito said, all but saying that not all trades are created equally. “Sandy Alcantara could get moved from the Marlins. Seth Lugo could get moved from the Royals. I think there’s a lot of that kind of tier-two pitchers right now.” The Dodgers seem to always be in the market for pitching, a position they may need to bolster. The Dodgers being on the hunt for pitching is more predictable than an overcooked July 4 burger.
“Although they have a talented pitching staff, they’re still beat up. We don’t know when Rōki Sasakiaki will come back. You might not see Tyler Glasnow now until after the All-Star break, so they have some question marks,” Esposito said, adding that he expects the Cubs and Phillies to be active.
“The Cubs definitely could use another starter, and I think if someone like the A’s were to move Mason Miller, the closer, I mean that could be huge for a team that needs bullpen help, but I’m not sure who the player is going to be yet. I think it’s more on the pitching side of it that’s going to be really interesting.”
Bets To Know
Now serving: Wimbledon! The action rolls on, and so does the betting, and tennis fans can check the app regularly for matchups throughout the iconic tournament.
Weekly Winners
It’s been a nice stretch for bettors as several guests hit some wild parlays this past week. On June 29, a guest cashed a seven-leg mixed parlay that included baseball, WNBA and soccer. The $2 wager netted the guest $983.33! The following day, another guest won nearly $10,000 off a $44 parlay after successfully betting that Eugenio Suárez, Adolis García and Jarren Duran would all hit homers.