The Knicks’ stunning playoff run is drawing a lot of attention from bettors, with New York now the favorite in NBA Finals odds. Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup Final has been ridiculous through three games, taking bettors on a stomach-churning ride.
As for the World Cup? Those odds are about to dominate the sports betting landscape.
But not to be overshadowed, there’s been massive money flowing on tennis. That includes a couple high-roller parlay wins and a pair of seven-figure prediction market trades on the French Open.
More on those transactions, plus the latest on the NBA ladder bettor and other hoops and hockey wagers, as we recap the week that was in sports betting.
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French Connection
After the third round of the French Open, with four more rounds to go, a Fanatics Sportsbook customer felt good about who would nab the men’s and women’s titles.
The bettor plunked down $10,000 on a two-leg parlay of Mirra Andreeva as the Roland Garros women’s winner and Alexander Zverev as the men’s champion.
Further, the customer utilized an odds boost, taking the price from +1775 to +2219.
On Saturday, Andreeva beat Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to get the first half of that ticket home. Then on Sunday, Zverev survived a five-set marathon to beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
So that 10 grand netted $221,875 profit, for a total payout of $231,875.
In French Open action last Monday, a DraftKings Sportsbook customer came out an even bigger winner on an in-play parlay. The bettor put three matches on the $2,500 ticket, including a long shot of Matteo Arnaldi +1820 to rally and win his match vs. Frances Tiafoe.
At the time, Arnaldi was down 3-1 in the fourth set, three games from losing the match. But he rallied to take the fourth set 7-6 in a tiebreaker, then won the fifth set 6-4.
The other two legs got there, as well. At hefty odds of +23630 — just beyond 236/1 — the $2,500 bet turned into a whopping $593,260.80.
French Connection, Part Deux
Polymarket saw a pair of seven-figure trades on Sunday’s French Open men’s final, both on Zverev, who was a heavy favorite.
First, a trade of $5 million came in on the German at 80%, which translates to odds of -400. Then came a $1.8 million trade at 79% (-376).
The traders certainly got a huge sweat, with Zverev stretched much further than oddsmakers anticipated. But he got the five-set victory.
So the first trade profited $1.35 million (total payout $6.35 million), while the second trade netted $537,553 (total payout $2.33 million).
Knicks of Time
The Knicks are on a run for the ages in the NBA playoffs, going 13-0 straight up (SU) and 12-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 13 games. That includes Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, as road underdogs to the Spurs.
As we’ve reported over the past few weeks, a BetMGM customer is making ladders of point-spread straight bets on NBA playoff games, with phenomenal success. Friday’s Game 2 was the latest big splash for the whale bettor.
The customer put $445,000 across seven bets, on spreads ranging from +5.5 to +10.5.
As it turned out, the bettor didn’t need all those points, with the Knicks squeaking out a 105-104 victory. So, as has been the case on almost all these ventures, it was a perfect 7-0 night, and the bettor bagged $238,965 in profit (total payout $683,965).
Since April 27, when the first reported set of such bets came in, the customer is up an incredible $2.22 million. Don’t be surprised if another pile of money shows up for Monday’s Game 3.
In Game 1, a Hard Rock Bet customer went large on New York, wagering $177,500 on Knicks moneyline +195. Jalen Brunson & Co. delivered with a 105-95 upset victory on Wednesday.
The customer landed a healthy profit of $346,125 (total payout $523,625).
One Dollar Holler
How about wrapping up with a wager that’s much more relatable to all of us?
In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, a DraftKings customer put all of one dollar on a four-leg parlay of anytime goalscorers.
Then the Golden Knights and Hurricanes put up nine goals in a wild opener, with Vegas winning 5-4. The Knights’ Shea Theodore was the first of those four to score, in the first period, and the Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal netted a second-period goal.
Midway through the third period, Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere lit the lamp, tying the game at 4. So the sweat was on for that final leg.
Vegas’ Tomas Hertl obliged with just 3:24 remaining, which gave the Knights and the bettor a big win.
At huge odds of +100000 (1000/1), that lonely dollar turned into $1,001. Not a bad night’s work at all.