The NHL and NBA’s best are gearing up for the playoffs, but it was all about Augusta last weekend. The sports world was glued to The Masters, especially on Sunday, when Rory McIlroy won his second consecutive green jacket.
“We were definitely big Rory fans,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. “We were not Cam Young or Justin Rose fans, so getting Rory to come roaring back was huge for us. We did extremely well in the event, but it was definitely touch-and-go.”
Going into last Saturday, McIlroy held the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history, and he was comfortably in the driver’s seat, but, like a flirty college kid at a bar, he couldn’t close the deal and even briefly lost the lead on Sunday, as Young and Rose breathed down his neck.
“After the first two days, everybody was telling me Rory’s locked in, he can’t lose. Of course, by the end of the third day, we knew we were in big trouble,” Esposito said. Eventually, McIlroy prevailed.
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…
Masters Recap
Of all the golf tournaments, it should come as no surprise that The Masters always generates the highest handle. It beats everyone like it’s a Wrestlemania match. And, the live, in-play wagering involved in the 2026 Masters continues to grow.
“The Masters is such a great event, and it gets bigger and bigger for us every year,” Esposito said. On Sunday, the live wagering made up about 15% of the overall handle, and “the arrow is pointing straight up,” says Esposito.
NBA Playoff Update
The NBA’s Eastern Conference appears somewhat wide open, but the Western Conference really feels like it’s just a three-team race. After Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Denver, there seems to be a real drop off, which is also evidenced by the future book payouts. While the season was great for those three Western Squads and a couple of teams out east (Pistons, Knicks and Celtics come to mind), the same can’t be said for the STN Books.
“It was actually not a great season for us. It was definitely favorite-heavy across the board,” Esposito said. “It wasn’t horrible, but you did have a lot of lopsided blowout games. You look at many nights, there might be five or six games with blowouts of 15 points or more. We had our spurts, though.”
The No. 1-seeded Thunder, the current reigning champs, head into the playoffs as a big favorite to win the West, and rightfully so, following a 64-win season. While some teams were tanking like pet store goldfish, Oklahoma City was running roughshod over most of the league.
“As good as the Thunder are, can they just flip that switch and take it to the next level?” Esposito asked. “They did last year.”
NHL Playoff Update
For the vast majority of the NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights played a lot of just-good-enough hockey, but they never seemed to strike fear into opponents. During the VGK’s mid-to-late season funk, a little bit of the typical VGK handle dissipated, too.
However, ever since the organization made the cutthroat decision to fire Bruce Cassidy and replace him with John Tortorella, the team has been hotter than a side burner at the Taste of Station event.
“All of a sudden now, the Knights are bet-on again very quickly,” Esposito said. “They’re very hot, and our bettors see it. There’s been a big uptick in handle ever since the coaching change, and more guests are jumping back in and backing the Knights right now, especially with the playoffs on the horizon. Had they limped into the playoffs, maybe different story, but instead, they’re red hot going into the playoffs.”
He continued, “They’ve got the pedigree to win the cup; they’ve got the stadium, the fan base. Maybe they become a team that has that swagger at the right time, and maybe the coaching change will prove to be a genius move.” Locally, the Knights reign supreme, but Esposito still thinks they might not be as good as some fellow Western foes, including the Avalanche, Wild and Stars.
Still, he notes, “A hot team and a hot goalie and a new coach who’s pushing the right buttons can change all that.”
Free NFL Draft Watch Party
On Thursday, April 23, Red Rock will host an NFL Draft party to coincide with the first round of the annual event. Held in Red Rock’s VIP and lounge area and open to those 21 years old and up, the day will include a T-shirt giveaway and drawings for pro football draft hats.
In addition, STN Books will have a plethora of betting opportunities tied to the draft, including the position of Mr. Irrelevant, the over/under of first-round wide receivers, and more.
Bets To Know
It’s all about the ‘yoffs. NBA and NHL first round action means the big STN Sports menus are only getting bigger. Look for expanded action nightly.
Weekly Winners
$1.25 bet on a 4-player home run parlay takes home $1,090 Monday! Check this out:
-Lawrence Butler over .05 HR
-Jordan Walker over .05 HR
-Byron Buxton over .05 HR
-Ketel Marte over .05 HR