Each Monday, our “What’s On Tap,” series will preview the week ahead in the world of sports betting. Come here for a summary of upcoming financial happenings, legislative and regulatory meetings, industry conferences, top games scheduled for the week, and much more. Also, check out our weekly review Get A Grip and Wide World of Gambling at US Bets for a look back at last week’s relevant news.
Tuesday, May 25
Nets seek commanding lead in opening round series
Following a comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets can take control of the seven-game series with a victory on Tuesday. The Nets defeated the Celtics 104-93 in Saturday’s Game 1 behind 32 points from Kevin Durant. In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
Odds to win the series (Phoenix up 1-0)
Odds courtesy of @BetMGM:
Lakers: -110
Suns: -110 pic.twitter.com/hVYsdFxtMS— BetQL (@betqlapp) May 24, 2021
The defending NBA champion Lakers opened their title defense Sunday with a 99-90 loss to the Suns. Despite the loss, the Lakers still have odds of -110 at BetMGM to defeat the Suns (-110) in the series. The West is wide open after the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers opened their respective series with defeats over the weekend.
2021 Western Conference Champion. Odds at DraftKings.
- Lakers: +275
- Clippers: +300
- Jazz: +333
- Suns: +600
- Mavericks: +1100
- Blazers: +1200
- Nuggets: +2500
- Grizzlies: +3000
Preds look to seize series lead
Down 2-0 in a Central first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Nashville Predators have clawed back with two straight wins to even the series. In fact, both wins came in thrilling fashion in double-overtime, including a 4-3 victory on Sunday. Although the Preds remain slight underdogs to win the series, Nashville has odds of +176 to win the final two of three games against the Canes (-225). The Over for Tuesday night’s clash in Raleigh is 5.5 goals.
MORE Game Winners💥
The Preds (+130) win a Double OT thriller!pic.twitter.com/e2wAQvseIG
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) May 23, 2021
Wednesday, May 26
EGR North America East Coast Virtual Briefing 2021
A host of top sports betting industry experts will take part in EGR’s North America East Coast Virtual Briefing 2021 on Wednesday. The webinar is highlighted by a Q&A session with New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck. Another session entitled “A spotlight on New York and the future of regulation in East Coast markets,” will focus on the critical aspects of the New York Gaming Commission’s closely-watched Requests For Applications (RFA) process that will begin in the coming weeks. The commission has been tasked with selecting a minimum of two platform providers to partner with the state in running New York’s mobile sports betting market. Other sessions will tackle initiatives on responsible gaming, media partnerships in the sports betting ecosystem, and ongoing compliance issues in sports gambling.
Saturday, May 29
Man City heavy favorites over English rivals in Champions League finals
Fresh off a season-ending win on Sunday in the English Premier League, Manchester City will capture a treble with a victory over Chelsea in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final. Manchester City finished the Premier League season 12 points ahead of second-place Manchester United with a 5-0 win over Everton. In Saturday’s Champions League final, Man City opened as -110 favorites at PointsBet over Chelsea (+360) to win an elusive title. Man City has already won a Carabao Cup and the Premier League this season, as the club pursues a third trophy on the campaign. The total is 1.5 goals, with the Over pegged at -250. A bettor will receive odds of +195 for the Under of 1.5 goals scored. The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious club soccer tournament in the world.
Sunday, May 30
Dixon favored at Indy 500
While Scott Dixon has captured the IndyCar championship six times, the New Zealand driver nicknamed “The Iceman,” has not won the Indianapolis 500 since 2008. Dixon emerged as the Indy 500 favorite on Sunday after he won the pole for the fourth time in his career. At FanDuel, Dixon has odds of +500 to win the historic race. Takuma Sato, last year’s winner, is the co-eighth choice with odds of +2000. Italian driver Patricio O’Ward is the second choice at +800, followed by Josef Newgarden (+850), Will Power (+850), Simon Pagenaud (+1500), and Colton Herta (+1600).
FOURTH #Indy500 POLE FOR @SCOTTDIXON9! #MustBeMay
Listen as the fans at @IMS salute The Iceman. pic.twitter.com/gJD8lv1FpJ
— IndyCar on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 23, 2021
Nadal chases record 21st Grand Slam at French Open
The French Open begins Sunday, albeit one week late due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a victory at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal will capture his fifth straight French Open title. Nadal will also eclipse Roger Federer’s record for career Grand Slam titles, with 21. The Spaniard, who has an astounding 100-2 career record at the French Open, currently holds the tournament record with 13 career singles titles. Nadal is an overwhelming -118 favorite at DraftKings to win his 14th title at the French. Still, Nadal isn’t a cinch to capture the tournament. Last month, Nadal suffered a rare defeat on clay when he lost to Russia’s Andrey Rublev at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo. Rublev subsequently lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. Rublev has odds of 33/1 to win the French, while Tsitsipas is the third choice at 8/1. Nadal also lost to Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. Zverev is the fifth choice at 18/1. Federer, meanwhile, returns to Grand Slam play after a lengthy absence from a knee injury. On the Women’s side, defending champion Iga Swiatek is the favorite at +280.
2021 French Open Men’s Champion: Odds at DraftKings
- Rafael Nadal: -118
- Novak Djokovic: +400
- Stefanos Tsitsipas: +800
- Dominic Thiem: +900
- Alexander Zverev: +1800
- Andrey Rublev: +3300
- Roger Federer: +7000
