The STN Sports Books were flying higher than a college tuition fee on Sunday after the Seahawks beat the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship. In doing so, the Hawks covered the spread and erased all liability tied to Los Angeles. It’s relatively rare that guests back a road underdog against a No. 1 seed, but that’s what we’ve seen for two weeks in a row, as bettors took their chances with the 49ers and Rams. The lukewarm feelings about Seattle seem to center on the quarterback Sam Darnold. “I know it’ll sound weird, but I think myself, a lot of people in the industry, and a lot of the guests are still a little bit on the fence with Darnold,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. The Seattle signal caller silenced doubters, at least for a week, after passing for 346 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams. Can he do it one more time, or will he see “ghosts” with everything on the line? 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…
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AFC Championship Game
From the moment it was announced that Bo Nix would be out for the AFC Championship Game, the public couldn’t bet on the New England Patriots fast enough. “We were clearly Broncos fans. Although the number came down quite a bit, there was a lot of moneyline play on the Patriots,” Esposito said. “Getting the Patriots to win and not cover was okay, but we really would’ve preferred the Broncos to win the game outright.” On Sunday, 63% on the tickets were on the Pats -3.5. New England failed to cover, winning 10-7 in a game snowier than a shaved ice dessert on the Ninth Island. Still, one guest pocketed $200,000 after placing a large moneyline bet on New England. Said Esposito of the bet, “There was enough ‘dog money as the game came down to help offset that a bit, but we really would’ve preferred the Broncos win outright.”
NFC Championship
As is often the case in the NFL, the final game of the day dictates whether the guests will outsmart the Book or vice versa. On Sunday, the Book desperately needed Seattle to win, despite the Seahawks getting 60% of the ticket count. “The sharp guys were on the Rams, and we took some much bigger bets on the Rams,” Esposito said, including a $300,000 wager on Los Angeles +3. “Overall, the Seahawks have not been a team that the public has loved, but that game really was the deciding factor of where we had a good day or a not-so-good day, and of course, we got the desirable outcome that we had hoped for.” Has a No. 1 seed ever been less attractive? To bettors, Seattle has been more unwanted than the Cleveland Browns head coaching job.
Super Bowl
In the divisional and conference championship rounds, bettors snubbed Seattle like it was a Bill Belichick Hall of Fame induction, but interest in the Seahawks is now soaring like the price of gold. “The early push was clearly on the Seahawks,” Esposito said, adding that the under has taken in some money, as well. However, on Monday morning, a guest placed a six-figure bet on New England +5. “Prior to that bet, it was fairly one-sided in favor of Seattle. The Seahawks are clearly the better team, but both teams do play really good defense, and you’re giving Mike Vrabel two weeks to prepare,” Esposito said. “He understands what it takes to win it. I don’t think he’s going to let these guys let the moment get away from them, being with the Patriots all those years as a player. My guess is that you’ll see more of the East Coast money show on the Patriots.” That said, the Pats haven’t been exactly dynamic on offense, as New England has averaged 18 points per game in the playoffs, which is the lowest total of any conference champion since 1979. That tells you that the Patriots are being carried by their defense. Seattle’s defense, meanwhile, is arguably the best in the league, and its offense is averaging 36 points in the playoffs. They’ve scored at least 27 points in five of their past seven games. “If I had to bet, I’d probably take the field goal prop over,” Esposito said. (The full props packet will be available by this weekend.)
VGK
That stunning loss against Ottawa notwithstanding — in which the Senators put up a touchdown on the VGK— the Vegas Golden Knights continue to methodically march ahead and cash for guests, relatively speaking. “They haven’t been quite as dominant this year, and they’ve been a little kind of streaky in both ways,” Esposito said. Still, the VGK has been at the top or near the top of the Pacific standings all season, and if they keep winning, they’ll get more attention than Sydney Sweeney’s new lingerie line. “The handle is maybe not quite as robust on them as what we’ve seen in the past, but if they get hot, considering it’s the conclusion of football season, we’re still going to see a robust handle on the Knights in the second half of the season and going into the postseason,” Esposito said. “They already pulled off the blockbuster trade, and they’ve never been shy about big-name hunting. It’s a long haul in hockey, and they’re still one of the top teams in the league.”
STN Sports
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