While much of the city was overrun by cougars at BravoCon last weekend, the STN Sports Books were all about the Jaguars. Jacksonville entered its game on Sunday as a three-point home underdog against the Chargers, but the betting public hammered Los Angeles, which accounted for 80% of the tickets. The Jags easily won 35-6.
“The morning was really decided by the Jags upsetting the Chargers. That was huge, just a huge tone setter for the day,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. The afternoon games also proved to be profitable for the house, as Seattle, Cleveland and Denver, all underdogs, covered their lines.
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…
NFC North Shakeup
As leaders of the NFC North, the Chicago Bears keep finding ways to pull out improbable victory after improbable victory. Yet, guests aren’t jumping on the El Train bandwagon just yet. Last Sunday, 57% of the tickets were on the Vikings against the Bears, but there was sharp money on Chicago. In this week’s game against the Steelers, Chicago will likely see the influx of cash, as they enter as favorites of nearly a field goal.
There’s also the Aaron Rodgers factor. After suffering a fracture in his non-throwing hand, there’s a question as to whether he’ll play. No matter, Rodgers, or at least his mouth, could have an impact. Remember all those times he talked about “owning” the Bears? Regarding Chicago, he’s used words more colorful than the latest Doppler radar. Granted, that was a vastly different Bears era, as it didn’t include Caleb Williams or Ben Johnson, but Chicago isn’t going to forget.
“They’ll really use that as a motivator,” Esposito says. “I’ve got to believe it’s on everybody’s locker at Soldier Field and in Lake Forest at their practice facility. If it were me, every locker would have him saying, ‘I own you.’”
The Detroit Lions fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, but they could have the perfect cure this week: The New York Giants, a team going more downhill than a Lee Canyon ski slope. The Lions are a double-digit favorite this weekend, and despite the large line, they are Esposito’s favorite pick of the week.
“The Lions, when coming off a loss this year, have won every game,” he said. “I’m going to say that they just dominate the Giants. This will be a bad game because the Giants don’t have the horses to keep up.”
Last Man Standing
Is this the week that forever changes someone’s life? STN’s Last Man Standing Competitions could be coming to a close this week, as entries continue to get eliminated like a Summerlin Parkway lane. Going into this past weekend, only four of 7,141 entries remained in the hunt for the $150,000 prize in Station Casinos’ Last Man Standing NFL completion, but one person was eliminated after inaccurately choosing the Chargers -2.5 against the Jags. Now, only three entries are left.
Over in the college football contest, which carries a $100,000 prize, just two entries from a field of 3,318 remain active, after three people were eliminated last weekend. “If it ends this weekend, it would be really early for the NFL contest,” Esposito said.
Bets To Know
Things are getting revved up like an anxious Black Friday crowd. The Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula One Race returns to Vegas this weekend.
“We saw an uptick in handle last year, and I suspect even with the earlier start time this year, we’re going to see that again,” Esposito said. “We’ll be rooting for some of the favorites to win because a lot of guests are just taking a shot on the prices for some of the long shots.”
In addition, the books are putting up a slew of prop bets, including, among others, the manufacturer of the winning team, the country of origin of the winning driver and the winning time. Guests can also bet on the qualifying rounds.
Weekly Winners
Although the NFL’s eyes were on Las Vegas on Monday night, one STN bettor was particularly interested. Last week, the guest placed a $100 bet on a 10-leg parlay that would pay nearly $46,000 if everything hit. The legs included college football, the NBA and the NFL.
By Monday night, the ticket was 9-0, and all that was needed for the huge payday was the Cowboys to win on MNF against the increasingly dismal Raiders. Cash it.