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STN Sports Weekly Rundown
May 10, 2023
VGK-Lakers Parlays Growing Increasingly Common As Book Fears Wins By Both
While a coronation recently took place overseas, Vegas’ royal family — the Golden Knights — has been anointing itself the kings of courting cash. Not only are the fans backing the VGK with their voices and hearts, but they’re bedding betting Benjamins like Jennifer Lopez. Although VGK wins are beating up the Sports Books, the Knights and the teams’ fans give no pucks!
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 Station Casinos Race and Sports Books…
Derby Day
The Kentucky Derby, one of the pinnacle sporting events of the year, lost some luster this year after a number of horses were scratched like a lottery ticket in the lead-up to the race. “The overall handle was a little bit down, and I think that was just because of the number of scratches in the race, and especially with the favorite being scratched the morning of,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos’ Race and Sports Book Director. However, the atmosphere in the Station Books during “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” was more insane than a Lorena Bobbitt courtroom plea, as guests were loudly cheering their horses while sipping mint juleps and donning oversized hats. “Overall we had a really good day. The one kind of negative is that you had all the scratches,” Esposito said.
NHL Playoffs
The Knights are proving to be anything but fool’s gold. Guests at Station Casinos continue to bet heavily on the hometown team. Prior to the Edmonton series, there was suspicion that the Book might actually be cheering for the Golden Knights, but that has not been the case. “From a business standpoint, we’re never cheering for them,” Esposito said. After Edmonton stole Game 1, the Books were swimming in money. Then came Games 2 and 3. The Sports Book counters and STN app found themselves paying out money like a former U.S. President following a civil trial. “I can easily see this series going seven games,” Esposito said, noting that the Golden Knights are now the series favorite, which they weren’t prior to or after Game 1. “Edmonton is still extremely dangerous. Vegas needs to clearly stay out of the penalty box. To me, it’s still a wide-open series.”
Last week at this time Toronto and Edmonton were the favorites to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. But, after a few losses in their respective series, their odds moved like an Oakland A’s stadium site. In terms of the Maple Leafs, guests were still backing them in Game 3, believing they could rebound faster than your ex. “We were clearly Florida fans in that game. That was a really good outcome for us,” Esposito said. Bettors, however, might have jumped ship, as the early ticket counts in Game 4 favor the Panthers.
NHL playoff games are usually more physical than an Olivia Newton-John song, but things are shaping up differently. On Sunday, the Seattle/Dallas game saw nine goals; the Carolina/New Jersey series saw 12 that day. “There’s definitely been scoring, which is kind of a surprise to me because usually in the postseason it’s the exact opposite,” Esposito said.
Low-scoring, defensive games in previous years have sunk teams like Toronto and Edmonton, who play a more wide-open style. Somehow, those teams might blow it like an ESPN analyst talking about Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud. “This year in the postseason has been a contrast of what we’ve seen in the past,” Esposito said. To little surprise, guests favor betting the overs, as opposed to the unders. That pretty much goes for all sports all the time.
Laker Issue
Much to the chagrin of the Book, the Los Angeles Lakers keep winning. Based on the amount of liability the Lakers present, Station really needs the Lakers season to collapse like Clayton Kershaw in the MLB playoffs. “We actually needed the Lakers on Monday night, surprisingly enough. There was a lot of Warriors moneyline play,” Esposito said. “But at this point, clearly from the business side of it, we would love the Warriors to come back and win this series.” Should the Lakers get through to the Western Conference Finals, they will likely be the favorite against either Phoenix or Denver, largely based on the backing they will receive from guests. Still, from a power rankings standpoint, Denver is a slightly superior team to LeBron and Co.
Favorite Parlay
Vegas to L.A., it’s more than just a Brightline West high-speed railway line. One of the most popular bets of the postseason is the Lakers parlayed to the Golden Knights, especially if they play on the same day, which they often have. “That’s really popular. When they’re playing on the same night we are definitely rooting to chop those up somewhat because most parlays are rolling from one to the other,” Esposito said. We’ll call this the “Los Vegas” wager. From a bottom-line standpoint, the Books prefer a “Loss Vegas” wager.
Bets To Know
Rookies, report! STN Sports has posted Pro Football rookie props on a few key players for the upcoming season:
– Bryce Young O/U 25.5 Total Pass/Rush TDs
– CJ Stroud O/U 22.5 Total Pass/Rush TDs
– Bijan Robinson O/U 8.5 Toal Rushing TDs
– Bijan Robinson O/U 1125.5 Total Regular Season Rush Yards
Weekly Winners
$5 turns to $1,432.43 in this 6-teamer! Check out the baseball ticket from May 9, including a +650 HR leg and a few total bases props:
– A VAUGHN OV .5 HR +650
– K BRYANT OV 1.5 BASES +160
– B BICHETTE OV 1.5 BASES EV
– J TURNER OV 1.5 BASES +130
– CARDINALS OV 1.5 -140
– ASTROS OV 1.5 -115