Chalk one up for the guests on the first NFL Sunday of the year. With so many favorites covering and so many games going over the total, STN Sports Books were getting taken out like a teenager on a first date.
“It was definitely a champagne Sunday for the guests where they were popping the corks,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. Had it not been for the Cardinals’ 26-14 victory over the heavily favored Chargers, the day could have been historic.
Said Esposito, “We easily could have been in a position where it was one of the worst opening days that I can remember had the Chargers won and covered. Thank goodness that we were able to get the Cardinals to win outright, and the Giants helped somewhat on Sunday night, but there wasn’t a lot of puppy love in week one. But the Cardinals game was one of the biggest decisions of the day, if not the biggest, so getting them to win outright knocked down moneyline parlays, teasers, and multiple parlays. It clearly saved the day.”
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…
NFL Updates
It’s not uncommon for money to pour in on Monday Night Football, since it’s an isolated game, but one guest took that to another level this week. A Red Rock guest placed a $1 million bet at -145 on the Chiefs to take down the Broncos. When the Chiefs won 31-10, the guest, a “known bettor” at the Book, collected $1,689,655.
“I really liked our side going in. The Broncos could have easily been the AFC representative in the Super Bowl last year, if not for the injury to Bo Nix,” Esposito said. “Having [Jaylen] Waddle and Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram and the three-headed monster, a running game and a healthy Bo Nix with that defense, I thought that they would’ve been much more competitive.”
On Monday, Kenneth Walker III, the Chiefs’ big offseason addition, was putting on a rushing display that would make the Alpha Beta frat house jealous. “There was still a lot of public interest in the Broncos and some sophisticated or sharp money that showed on the Broncos, but the Chiefs, for whatever reason, seemed to be the forgotten entity this year,” Esposito said. “All the hype in the AFC West was all Chargers and Broncos this year, and they both lost, and neither one of them looked good in losing.”
There were certainly some teams that started off on the wrong foot, but the Rams’ debut in Australia might stand alone, considering the preseason hype. Against the 49ers, their division rivals, Los Angeles laid an egg bad enough that Denny’s wouldn’t scramble. And now, Myles Garrett is going to be out for at least four weeks due to injury. F
Few defensive players are worth points when it comes to a spread. Garrett is so good that he’s worth one, Esposito says. “I think they’ll be fine,” he adds. “They have a very winnable game against the Giants at home on primetime. It’s probably a good spot for the Rams here. My guess is we’ll be huge Giants fans on Monday night.”
College Ball
Ohio State at Texas, the biggest game of the college slate thus far, was a horrific result for the STN Sports Books.
“As crazy as it sounds, we got middled in that game,” Esposito said of the Longhorns’ 24-23 win. Texas closed as 1.5-point favorites. “If they liked Ohio State, guests were clearly betting them plus the points. And Texas, they were betting just to win. That game ending with Texas winning by 1 point was worst case. That was the one number we didn’t want.”
The only saving grace for the house was the game staying under the total. By losing the game both ways on the spread, STN Sports Books were taking on more water than a data center. Another sexy game is on the slate for this week with LSU heading to Ole Miss in the Lane Kiffin Bowl. The Tigers come into Oxford as an underdog against the Rebels. Said Esposito, “It’s going to be fun to watch that game. I’m looking forward to it and happy to root for whoever we need, but I think we’re going to be Ole Miss fans in this one.”
Last Man Standing
After just one week, STN’s NFL Last Man Standing Competition is down about half of its players, mostly thanks to losses by the Chargers, Cowboys, and a last-second cover by the Commanders. Of the 6,855 signups hoping to win an aggregated payout of $150,000, 3,297 remain.
In the college football Last Man Standing contest, which pays an aggregated payout of $100,000, 3,121 people signed up, and only 1,437 remain. “Over half have dropped off after week one, which is a relatively high number this early into the season,” Esposito said.
Bets To Know
UFC 331 is this weekend and STN Sports is on top of it, with a slew of betting options and props for each of the fights. Check the app before IT’S TIME.
Weekly Winners
$1,000 bet, $48,412.74 HIT! 💰 Congrats to this STN Sports bettor for hitting this ticket at +4741 odds this past weekend.
🏈 Iowa State +14 over Iowa
🏈 Texas / Ohio State u51
🏈 South Alabama +10 over Tulane
🏈 Utah -12.5 over Arkansas
🏈 Georgia State +8 over Kennesaw State
🏈 UCLA -13 over San Diego State