BetMGM, which took a $20,000 wager to win $80,000 on the Lakers to win the franchise’s 18th NBA championship, is on the hook for multiple six figures if Los Angeles wins it all.
Basketball
BetMGM took a $10,000 bet to win $1.5 million on the Hawks, who were as high as 500-1 to win the NBA title. Atlanta is a slight favorite over the Knicks in the first round.
In a span of 11 days that began Thursday, fans and bettors can feast their eyes on a smorgasbord of baseball, the Final Four and NCAA championship and the Masters.
If a bettor had placed a $100 money line wager on Oregon State and kept rolling it over during its six-game winning streak, the bankroll would be a little more than $250,000.
Bettors bank on Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim to help No. 11 Orange cover as 6½-point underdogs to No. 2 Houston at Hinkle Fieldhouse, site of the movie “Hoosiers.”
The NCAA Tournament games couldn’t have gone much better for Las Vegas sportsbooks, as underdogs went 24-15 ATS with 16 outright upsets Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Las Vegas sportsbooks welcomed back the NCAA Tournament on Friday after a one-year hiatus, and the biggest betting event of the year did not disappoint.
Sharp bettors and the betting public are banking on Ohio to cover the spread against Virginia, which opened as a 10½-point favorite but is down to -7.
Las Vegas bookmakers have been at odds for years with the NCAA selection committee, but there was only one instance Sunday in which a higher seed was favored over a lower seed.
Since 2002, when Ken Pomeroy started KenPom.com, 17 of the 18 NCAA champions have ranked in the top 20 in his offensive and defensive efficiency ratings.
Arkansas (20-5, 16-7-1 ATS), guided by fiery former UNR coach Eric Musselman, is listed at 70-1 odds at William Hill to win its first NCAA title since 1994.
LeBron James, at age 36 and in his 18th season, has played in all 26 games for the Los Angeles Lakers and appears to be on a mission to win his fifth NBA MVP award.
