Every significant event in sports, from injuries to record-breaking moments, directly impacts the sports betting market.
This betting buzz report highlights the key sports betting stories currently capturing attention.
May 7: Stephen Curry`s Injury Moves Warriors-Timberwolves Game 2 Line by Five Points
The Golden State Warriors remain slight underdogs against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their playoff series as oddsmakers track Stephen Curry`s hamstring injury from Game 1. Sportsbooks like BetMGM are monitoring the situation, noting that Minnesota would become significant favorites if Curry is sidelined.
Despite the Warriors` Game 1 road win, which would typically shift series odds, the uncertainty around Curry`s status keeps the Timberwolves favored. Adrian Horton, ESPN BET`s trading director, explained that a healthy Curry would make the series closer or even favor the Warriors, but coach Steve Kerr`s comments suggesting Curry was unlikely for Game 2 solidified the Timberwolves` favored position.
Consequently, the betting line for Game 2 shifted significantly. Minnesota opened as a 10.5-point favorite, a jump of four to five points from the Game 1 line.
Horton added that while a healthy Warriors team winning Game 1 would usually tighten the line for the next game, the expectation of Curry potentially missing a game or two led to the line moving against them, with early bets pushing it to Timberwolves -10.5.
Fanatics Sportsbook, under its `Fair Play` policy, refunded $500,000 in prop bets involving Curry. One customer notably won over $224,000 on a parlay where the Curry leg was voided due to the injury, while the other three legs hit.
May 6: Stars and Jets Advance After Overcoming Significant Live Betting Odds
In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, both the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets achieved rare comebacks, winning their respective Game 7s after trailing by multiple goals in the third period. Historically, NHL teams facing such deficits in Game 7s have won only a handful of times.
At their most challenging moments in those games, Dallas faced live odds as high as +2000 against the Colorado Avalanche, while Winnipeg hit +2500 against the St. Louis Blues near the end of regulation.
Before the playoffs began, Colorado was a slight favorite to win the Stanley Cup, closely followed by the reigning champion Florida Panthers. The Avalanche attracted significant betting volume across sportsbooks. St. Louis, though a long shot at 50-1, was considered a notable liability for some bookmakers.
The reward for both the Stars and Jets is facing each other in the second round. Dallas` path saw their Cup odds fluctuate significantly; after acquiring Mikko Rantanen, they briefly became co-favorites but dropped after a losing streak, only to emerge now as the overall Cup favorites at +400.
Winnipeg, ironically tied for the worst remaining odds to win the Cup despite a strong regular season, is not receiving much betting support. Dallas is heavily favored in the series matchup and has attracted the most bets for the Stanley Cup since the first round concluded.
NHL Odds & Ends
- Before the second round, no team with home-ice advantage was favored in their series, a rare occurrence. However, after winning Game 1, the Toronto Maple Leafs saw their series odds improve.
- Colorado`s Nathan MacKinnon was the most popular bet for the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), representing a significant liability for BetMGM.
- Despite a long Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams, they remain significant liabilities for sportsbooks due to high betting volume. The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams receiving the most betting support for the championship.
May 5: Golden State Warriors` Historic Streak of Being Favored in Playoff Series Likely to End
The Golden State Warriors, under coach Steve Kerr, have been favored in an unprecedented 27 consecutive playoff series since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger. This remarkable streak is expected to conclude this week.
Golden State is listed as +150 underdogs against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Western Conference semifinal series. This marks the first time they haven`t been favored in a series since 2014. Minnesota opened as -190 favorites, later settling around -175. The Timberwolves will aim to be the first team to eliminate both LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the same postseason.
During the regular season, Golden State won three out of four games against Minnesota, though Timberwolves` midseason acquisition, Jimmy Butler, did not participate in those contests.
NBA Playoff Odds & Ends
- Despite losing Game 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers remained favored in their semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder begin their series against the Denver Nuggets with a significant rest advantage, having been off for eight days compared to Denver`s two. Historically, teams with such a rest disparity have performed very well. The Thunder were 9.5-point favorites in Game 1.
April 30: Cleveland Browns Attract Significant Betting Interest Post-NFL Draft
Despite being listed as significant long shots for the playoffs (10-1) and having the lowest season win total (4.5) after the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns have seen surprising betting interest.
Sportsbooks reported increased action on the Browns. They were among the most popular bets for the Over on their 4.5 win total. At BetMGM, they received more Super Bowl bets (at 200-1 odds) than five other teams, and the most bets to win the AFC North among division rivals.
This marks the first time since 2016 that the Browns are the biggest preseason playoff long shots. Their quarterback situation remains uncertain, with several players, including veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, expected to compete for the starting role.
Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders` odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year are as short as 15-1, tied for the fifth-shortest. He has attracted significant support, with a large percentage of money wagered on OROY bets at BetMGM placed on him.
Christian Cipollini, BetMGM`s trading manager, noted that Sanders is expected to be a popular OROY bet due to his name recognition and favorable odds, making him their biggest liability for the award.
April 29: Pennsylvania Joins Multi-State Online Poker Compact
Online poker liquidity in the U.S. increased this week as Pennsylvania joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), enabling players in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, and Delaware to compete in shared online prize pools.
Caesars Entertainment announced the expansion of its World Series of Poker (WSOP) platform into Pennsylvania. This makes WSOP the first operator to connect players from four states (Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) for shared online games.
This expansion is timed perfectly, just before the prominent World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas in July. The 2025 World Series Online Bracelet schedule begins May 31, running concurrently with the live WSOP in Las Vegas. A highlight is a $250 buy-in tournament with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. Players can even participate in online events while physically present at the live tournament. Governor Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania`s compact agreement on April 23.
Danielle Barille, Vice President of Online Poker at Caesars Entertainment, stated that adding Pennsylvania players is timely and will enhance the experience by creating larger prize pools available throughout the summer`s jam-packed WSOP Online schedule. She expressed anticipation for seeing who wins the biggest online prizes.
April 24: The Betting Trend of Risking Big for Small Wins on Guaranteed No. 1 Draft Picks
Last April, during a league bowling championship, college student Zach Opengart was more concerned with a different kind of gamble. Just days prior, he had placed a bold bet after crossing into Illinois: over $11,300 on Caleb Williams to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft at incredibly long odds (-20000). He kept the wager quiet from his teammates.
Opengart, then a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, nervously checked his phone for draft updates, only occasionally looking up at the TV awaiting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It was a significant bet, perhaps too large a portion of his funds in hindsight, but he was confident the Chicago Bears would select Williams.
Finally, Goodell announced Williams as the No. 1 pick. Opengart`s bold wager resulted in a win of just over $56. Despite his distraction, his bowling team also won the league title, and Opengart happily bought drinks to celebrate.
Betting markets for events like the NFL draft are often volatile and feature extreme odds, posing challenges for bookmakers and forcing bettors to weigh the risk of wagering a large amount for a small return. For instance, quarterback Cam Ward`s odds to be the No. 1 pick this year were as short as -50000, meaning a $50,000 bet would net only $100. While Caesars Sportsbook hadn`t seen large bets on Ward at those specific odds, they confirmed such wagers occur in drafts.
Joey Feazel, Caesars Sportsbook`s head of football trading, explained that `information events` like the draft are challenging for setting odds. When a pick appears highly certain, such as Cam Ward seemingly being the top choice (as reflected in his extremely short odds), the odds are set to reflect that near-absolute probability.
Opengart, now working as an account manager, explained that he is drawn to betting on heavy favorites precisely because of the perceived certainty. He felt the Williams bet was particularly secure based on public comments from the Bears GM.
While he doesn`t plan to risk such a large percentage of his bankroll again, he continues to bet on strong favorites. However, this strategy isn`t foolproof; he lost thousands wagering on a heavy favorite (around -2800 money line), Alabama, which lost outright to Vanderbilt in college football.
Opengart maintains a specific mindset for this type of betting, saying you need the `memory of a goldfish` and must focus on long-term returns, not individual losses.
He likens the small wins to `free money,` enough for a steak dinner. His next planned `steak dinner bet` is on Cooper Flagg to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
