All due respect to Hank Williams Jr.: Are you ready for some football?! Our nation’s unofficial pastime kicked off on Wednesday with a Super Bowl rematch, and we’ve got a Thursday night divisional showdown between the Rams and 49ers. “We’re definitely seeing a little Rams money come in,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director.
“The Rams, being the Super Bowl favorite, are going to be a very public choice this year across the board. They look like a juggernaut at this point.” With the super team they’ve formed, the Rams could be more lit than Burning Man. 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…
Ready For NFL
The Rams may very well dominate the storyline of the NFL season if they stay healthy, but the Cowboys are getting a lot of early love from the bettors, too. Dallas has always been a very public team, so the early action is not surprising.
“We know offensively with Dak Prescott and George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, they’re really, really good,” Esposito said, noting that they’ve beefed up on defense, too. In the draft, Dallas snatched up Caleb Downs, the Ohio State Safety who can close faster than Cirque Du Soleil’s Mad Apple. Of the Cowboys, Esposito said, “They’re going to be way better because there’s not so much pressure on that offense.”
There’s much unknown when it comes to Week 1. Will teams look as good as advertised? Maybe worse? So, what’s a good gauge for betting in the first week? First, a good gauge is how the team did last season. Second, look at what teams did in free agency, and whose team changed like it was the Toshiba Plaza.
“I think you can look at last year’s team, and I think a lot’s based on what teams did in free agency, how healthy teams are, and how they did in the draft,” Esposito said. “So I think it’s kind of a wait-and-see a little bit with what teams did in the offseason to help them and how healthy they are right now.”
College Ball
When it came to college football, guests were moving and grooving like Chris Brown and Usher at Allegiant Stadium. “We saw a lot of these big favorites cover. A few did not, but overall, I think college football was a decent weekend for the bettors,” Esposito said. “Saturday night having UNLV cover late, UCLA cover late, and LSU covering late, all were really good for the guests.” Texas -29.5 and Alabama -28 were also big wins for guests, as 82% and 85% of the tickets were on them, respectively. “We had a decent morning with a lot of the results, but gave a lot of the back late in the day, especially with LSU’s big win that night against Clemson,” Esposito said.
Last Man Standing
Last call! Signups for STN’s Last Man Standing contests, the popular NFL and college football winner-take-all competitions, are ongoing, but ending soon. Each entry costs $25, and guests must sign up in person at any Station Casinos Sports Book. Any contestant who purchases four entries will receive a fifth free. While still active in the competition, guests must turn in their weekly picks in person and select one game against the spread for each entry. The winner of the Last Man Standing competition of the college variety will win a guaranteed minimum of $100,000 (with an aggregate payout), and the NFL’s Last Man Standing winner will take home a guaranteed minimum of $150,000 (with an aggregate payout). To participate in the college football competition, sign up by Saturday, Sept. 12; to participate in the NFL competition, sign up by Monday, Sept. 14.
Bets To Know
It’s all about BOOSTS! Keep an eye on the STN Sports App as it is now offering multiple 10% odds boosts at certain times, instead of just one at a time.
Weekly Winners
One of the biggest decisions of the weekend hinged on Monday night’s game between SMU and Florida State. A guest hit on 11 straight games of a $65, 12-team parlay, which included Memphis -11.5, Notre Dame -20.5, Texas -29, UNLV -3, UCLA -1.5, LSU -10, Alabama -28, Miami -23.5, Penn State -24, Ole Miss moneyline and Pitt -16.5. In the final game, the guest bet on SMU on the moneyline. With SMU’s 27-24 win, the guest cashed a 12-team parlay to the tune of $92,184.60.