STN Sports Weekly Rundown

Hot takes, bad beats and all things sports betting, a weekly newsletter by Steven Money.

STN Sports Weekly Rundown

January 4, 2023

Damar Hamlin Situation, College Bowl Bad Beats, and More

On Monday night, the NFL was rocked to its core when Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game, of course, was postponed as football became an instant afterthought. All that mattered was the health of Damar Hamlin. Period.

In that moment playoff seeding didn’t matter, division titles didn’t matter and wagers certainly didn’t matter. After the contest was postponed indefinitely in the first quarter, Station Casinos and the STN Sports App fully refunded all bets immediately per house rules. As of now, lines for the next Buffalo and Cincinnati games have not been posted, and there is no timeline on when they will be. While Hamlin’s health is clearly the most important sports-related story of the past week, there were other substantial games played, which we will highlight.

With all that in mind (and with Hamlin in our hearts), let’s quickly look back over the sports landscape and dish out some insight on what’s ahead on the field, on the court, on the STN Sports App and at the Station Casinos Race and Sports Books.

Let’s Go Bowling
The final is set and, just like we all drew it before the season started, it’s Georgia vs. TCU for all the marbles. Moments after the Bulldogs pulled off a come-from-behind win against Ohio State, the spread for Monday’s National Championship game was posted, and the defending champs are laying nearly two touchdowns. Like a line at the Flamingo DMV, it has not moved. TCU, of course, has nothing to lose, as they weren’t even ranked to begin the season. In fact, the Horned Frogs had 500-to-1 odds to win the championship when the season began, and a few people actually tossed a couple bucks on it.

With high odds, a couple bucks here and a couple bucks there can add up quickly. The largest ticket on the Frogs at 500-to-1 odds? $25. One person — yep, just one — has a $25 wager on TCU raising the trophy. That ticket, should it cash, would be worth $12,500.

“They were relatively dominant against Michigan. Their quarterback, Max Duggan, has been tremendous,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos’ Race and Sports Book Director. “There’s the sentimental side of TCU, so I think we’ll see a lot of TCU money come in. My guess is we might be Georgia fans when this game kicks off.”

Over the past two seasons, you can count on one hand the number of times the Book has actually pulled for UGA. “We are in much better shape with Georgia on our future book than we are on TCU on our future book. So there is some liability with the Frogs,” Esposito said. Related: Keep an eye on the STN Sports App, as a slew of prop bets tied to the game will be posted.

The Rose Bowl
Things came up roses for the Sports Book when underdog Penn St. easily beat Utah in the “Granddaddy of them All,” but a late touchdown was a blessing for guests and a bad beat for the Book. Going into the third quarter, the under looked pretty rock solid, particularly due to the fact that Utah had a backup quarterback in and the offense had been looking stale. Hell, they hadn’t scored in the second half at all. But with under two minutes to go, Utah suddenly began moving the ball and ended up punching the ball into the end zone with 25 seconds left. That touchdown put the score at 35-21, which cashed for over bettors, as the game total closed at 54.5.

“That score really changed the complexion of the outcome dramatically,” Esposito said, noting that touchdown caused a “six-figure” swing. “That was a bad touchdown for us.” However, late scores by Tulane in the Cotton Bowl were a blessing for the House, as Southern California garnered the vast majority of the action. It looked like a SoCal cover was destined to happen with the Trojans up 15 points with four minutes to go. Then the Green Wave tsunami happened and Tulane rattled off 16 points via two touchdowns and a safety. Say hello to Tulane, your 2023 Cotton Bowl champs. USC fans, say hello to a big-time bad beat. If you flashback to the Pac-12 Championship game a month ago, a game wherein Utah beat USC, Esposito said that handle was “Super Bowl-esque.” This was similar.

Bad Beat Bulldogs
While Utah’s late touchdown and Tulane’s incredible finish amounted to bad beats, the worst of the worst came earlier on Monday in the Mississippi State/Illinois game. The Bulldogs entered the game at 4-point favorites, and they garnered the majority of the action at the Station Casinos Book and on the STN App.

Mississippi State never led until the final four seconds of the game. When the Bulldogs kicked the ball through the uprights to take a 13-10 lead, the Book was ready to celebrate, as Illinois was clearly on the way to covering the spread. The Fighting Illini needed a miracle to win this game as time expired during the ensuing kickoff, so they started throwing laterals. In the midst of this, quarterback Tommy DeVito fumbled. The ball was retrieved by the Bulldogs and run-in for a touchdown. Final: 19-10. Yes, they scored 9 points in four seconds! “It ended up covering the spread, teasers and just about everything else,” Esposito said. If Tommy DeVito messed up like this on “Goodfellas” he would have been wacked.

NFL Finality
Stop us if you’ve heard this: The Raiders game generated the largest NFL handle of the week. Everyone was laying the points with the San Fransisco 49ers, who won 37-34 in overtime. “I don’t think I can remember as many five-figure bets on a regular season game,” Esposito said. “Every time a large wager came across — whether it was $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 or $30,000 — it was always on the 49ers.” San Fransisco won the game but didn’t cover the almost double-digit spread, meaning the Book made out. “We were very clearly Raiders fans. Having them win outright would’ve been huge, but having them cover the spread was by far the biggest decision of the day,” Esposito said. “It was pretty close to a playoff-esque type of handle.”

Week 18 Wonders
Week 18 of the NFL is likely to be more confusing than the Facebook algorithm because some teams might have nothing really to play for. The Giants, for instance, are locked into their playoff spot, so are they really going to play against the Eagles, or would they rather rest guys have a quasi-bye? The Eagles are a two-touchdown favorite, so a win already seems likely. Plus, Philly is playing for the No. 1 overall seed and NFC East division win. Should Philly beat NYG, the Cowboys game then becomes meaningless.

The Bears, meanwhile, are guaranteed the first or second pick in the draft if they lose, and Justin Fields is now sitting. Down in the South, Tampa said it’s playing its starters against Atlanta. Tampa, though, is already completely locked into the No. 4 playoff spot, so that game is rather pointless, too. The importance of the Sunday night game between Detroit and Green Bay largely hinges on Seattle. We won’t know if Detroit has anything to play for until the Seahawks result, so the Lions will either be vying for a playoff spot or trying to spoil the cheesehead’s season.

“There’s a whole lot of smoke screens out there and things kind of change dramatically,” Esposito said. “Week 18 is eerily similar to the pre-season where you see some dramatic swings and quicker adjustments in NFL lines.”

Bets To Know
Lest we forget College Basketball, STN Sports just put up Regular Season Conference Championship Futures across the NCAA. UNLV to win the Mountain West, anyone?

Weekly Winners
8-team parlay in the back of the net for this hockey fan! $25 turned to $4,692 with this bet on January 2:

  • – Panthers -1.5 -130
  • – Rangers +110
  • – Sabres OV 6.5 -115
  • – Blues OV 6 -123
  • – Jets +105
  • – Islanders -115
  • – Kraken +125
  • – Lightning -1.5 -135
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