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

STN Sports Weekly Rundown

March 13, 2024

Golden Knights Trades, NFL Signings Shake Up Odds

The Pac-12 (RIP), Mountain West, WCC, Big West and WAC are all holding their men’s tournaments in the valley this week, which basically makes Las Vegas a hooper’s heaven.

“Anytime there’s an event here it always garners more handle and more interest,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos’ Race and Sports Book Director. “There’s so much more kind of openness in all these conferences with bubble teams looking to make a run.”

With all that in mind, let’s quickly look back at the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports app and at the STN Sports Books…

VGK Trades
The Vegas Golden Knights have a new look, but they didn’t have to go under the knife. Before the trade deadline passed, the hometown squad traded for Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha. “They’ve dramatically improved their roster,” Esposito said. “We’d been raising their odds because they were on the cusp of the playoffs, but we did lower the future’s odds after these moves.”

VGK still isn’t even the biggest Stanley Cup favorite in its own division, but that shouldn’t necessarily worry Knights backers, as they’re a good, experienced team who’s probably solely focused on being as healthy as possible in the playoffs, seeding be damned.

“Vegas is still a tough place to play. The Knights are going to be healthy, they’re going to be able to roll out four lines, they’re going to have a lot more depth,” Esposito said. “I don’t really worry about them too much as long as they’re all healthy and get [Mark] Stone and [Alec] Martinez back in the postseason. After the trades they made, I think they’re as good as anybody in the West.”

Having said that, all these moves — ie. loss of draft capital and taking on inflated contracts of older players — will eventually have a negative impact on the Knights, but who cares if they can hoist another Cup or two, right? “Flags fly forever,” Esposito said, referring to championship banners.

NFL Moves
NFL Free Agency is getting spicier than a Lindo Michoacan dish. We’ve seen big names like Russell Wilson, Derek Henry, Saquon Barkley, Brian Burns and more change their addresses over the past few days. However, no name moves the needle like Kirk Cousins, who signed with Atlanta. The Falcons Super Bowl odds dropped like a Beyonce album, and the Vikings odds shot up like a COVID vaccine. After losing Cousins, the Vikings now have the highest odds in the NFC North, behind the Lions, Packers and even the Bears. Right now the Vikings are starting Sam Darnold, which is quite a change from Cousins.

“I love the Atlanta fit for Cousins,” Esposito said. “It’s basically the same offensive system he played in. He’s got some really good young, skilled position players. The NFC South is also a very winnable division.” Atlanta is now the division favorite ahead of the Buccaneers. While Cousins is the clear starting quarterback in the ATL, things are different in Pittsburgh. Yes, they are signing Wilson to a one-year deal (and basically letting Denver pick up the tab) but he’s going to have to play his way into that job and beat out recent 1st Round pick Kenny Pickett.

“I think the Eagles helped themselves a lot with the addition of Barkley and Bryce Huff,” Esposito said. “The Vikings and Dolphins are probably the losers so far. Miami has lost four defensive players and one offensive lineman. They’re trending the wrong way. We actually raised their odds.”

Draft Day
The NFL Draft usually has more drama than the Oscars, and that’s not likely to change. STN Sports Books have been prepping for the NFL freshman of 2024, and have already posted nearly 30 draft-centric props bets — and, like a fame-hungry social media influencer, we’re not done posting either. One bet currently on the board is tied to the position the Las Vegas Raiders will address with their 1st Round pick.

“We were kind of waiting for the free agent frenzy to end so we have an idea of what teams have done and what they need,” Esposito said. “The Raiders just signed Christian Wilkins, so they probably won’t be going defensive line.” Other props currently available include the draft position of specific high-profile players, and guests can also bet on the number of quarterbacks, wide receivers, offensive lineman and cornerbacks taken in the 1st Round.

Live With Lobs
Your clocks notwithstanding, basketball teams often spring forward and go on significant runs during games. Lately, bettors have been pouncing via the STN Sports App’s in-play feature because of the odds boost. “Our handle is so phenomenal on NBA and college basketball and we’ve really seen an uptick is on the live wagering aspect,” Esposito said. “It’s really changed the dynamic, especially in basketball where score changes can happen so quickly and teams go on that 6, 8, 10, 12-point runs.” The in-play feature gets even more use when two-marquee are playing. Game to game, live wagering has grown like Vegas suburb.

Bets To Know
Guests can sign up for the Last Man Standing competition for NCAA Basketball Tournament! For just $25, players can purchase an entry into the winner-take-all competition in person at any Station Casinos property or Station-run Sports Books. Bettors can increase their chances of winning by purchasing multiple entries. Any contestant who purchases four entries will receive a fifth entry complimentary. The last man (or woman) standing will win 100% of the entry fee pot, with a minimum prize of $50,000.

Weekly Winners
March hoops is in full swing for this STN Sports bettor, $25 stake to win $4,411.16 on an 8-teamer across college and pro ball on March 11:

– Celtics -9.5 vs. Blazers

– JMU -5.5 vs. Ark. State

– Nicholls State -5.5 vs. Texas A&M

– Gonzaga -9 vs. San Francisco

– Cleveland St. +5 vs. Oakland

– St. Mary’s -11.5 vs. Santa Clara

– Lamar -9 vs. New Orleans

– Stony Brook +8 vs. Hofstra