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.
Monday, June 28
Lightning-Canadiens open Stanley Cup Finals in Tampa
Defying triple-digit odds, the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens open the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night as decided underdogs against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens, which entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the lowest point total of all 16 teams in the postseason, are making their first appearance in the finals since 1993. The Canadiens’ odds to win the Stanley Cup ballooned to 200/1 after falling behind 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round. But Montreal responded with 11 wins in its last 13 games, including a Game 6 victory in the Stanley Cup Semifinals last Thursday to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights. Tampa, meanwhile, advanced with a dramatic 1-0 on Friday over the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the semifinals series. The Lightning are -275 to win the Cup at DraftKings over the Canadiens (+225).
Stanley Cup Finals: Exact Outcome of the Series.
- Lightning in 5 — +365
- Lightning in 6 — +415
- Lightning in 7 — +450
- Lightning in 4 — +515
- Canadiens in 6 — +725
- Canadiens in 7 — +750
- Canadiens in 5 — +1150
- Canadiens in 4 — +2200
Djokovic pursues third straight major at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic arrives in London on a hot streak. The world’s number 1 in men’s tennis is coming off a triumphant performance at the French Open when he outlasted Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and rallied from two sets down to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. Djokovic, a five-time Wimbledon champion, began his title defense on Monday with a four-set win over Jack Draper. Wimbledon was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After winning titles at the Australian Open and the French, Djokovic is halfway through his pursuit of an elusive Calendar Grand Slam. With titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, he can join Rod Laver and Don Budge as the only men to accomplish the feat. Djokovic has odds of -140 at FanDuel to win Wimbledon, ahead of Daniil Medvedev (+750), Tsitsipas (+750), Roger Federer (+1300), and Matteo Berrettini (+1400). Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon champion, may be competing in the final Wimbledon of his illustrious career. In 2019, Djokovic withstood two championships points against Federer during his epic five-set victory. On the women’s side, Ashleigh Barty and Serena Williams are co-favorites to win the tournament with odds of +700. Djokovic had odds of +710 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set, but lost the first set against Draper. A Wimbledon champion has not won the title, while losing his first set of the tournament since Pete Sampras in 1993.
Imagine if he wins @Wimbledon – not only going for Slam (golden or regular) @usopen but winning would put him at 21 Majors, seizing lead..lot of potential history this summer https://t.co/a04ce97dRM
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) June 26, 2021
SEC rivals clash in Game 1 of College World Series finals
Vanderbilt had the weekend to rest after the NCAA declared its matchup against N.C. State on Saturday a “no contest.” due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Wolfpack team. A day earlier, the Commodores defeated the Wolfpack 3-1 on an afternoon when N.C. State only had 13 players available. Vanderbilt, the 4-seed in the NCAA tournament, is a -190 favorite at PointsBet to win the Best-of-3 series over Mississippi State. The Dores will face the 7-seed Bulldogs, a 4-3 winner over Texas on Saturday night. Vanderbilt has won two College World Series titles over the last seven years. Vandy took two of three against the Bulldogs during a three-game series in April.
Tuesday, June 29
England and Germany square off in Euro 2020 R16
In a matchup typically reserved for the finals of a major tournament, England will host Germany Tuesday in a Euro 2020 Round of 16 matchup in London. England went undefeated during the group stage, while Germany survived a challenging group that featured tournament favorite France and Portugal. England is a slight favorite to advance at BetMGM. One prop at BetMGM pays out +350 if England advances into the quarterfinals and forward Raheem Sterling scores in regular time. As of Monday morning, England remained the third-choice to win the tournament at +500, with Germany trailing just behind at +600. France remains the current favorite at +400, ahead of second-choice Italy (+475).
Bucks look to take control of series against Hawks
Trae Young heads to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury
Prayers up 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KqbwUuUHMr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 28, 2021
Heavily favored to advance to the NBA Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back from a seven-point, fourth-quarter deficit on Sunday night to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 113-102. The Bucks lead the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals 2-1 and can take a stranglehold on the series with a victory in Tuesday’s Game 4. While Hawks guard Trae Young torched the Bucks for 35 points in Game 3, Young twisted his ankle early in the fourth quarter. Hobbled by the injury, Young struggled to score down the stretch as the Hawks’ offense stagnated in the critical final minutes of the contest. Major sportsbooks have priced in Young’s injury, with the Bucks now a -2000 favorite to capture the series at DraftKings. Milwaukee had odds around -275 to make the NBA Finals before Game 3.
Thursday, July 1
New York Gaming Commission set to release RFA
After weeks of preparation, the New York Gaming Commission must release a closely-watched mobile sports wagering Requests For Applications (RFA) no later than Thursday. The release formally begins a competitive bidding process in which New York state will award contracts to a minimum of two platform providers for partnering with the state to run mobile sports betting in New York. Once the RFA is issued, sports betting operators will have 30 days to submit an application to the commission. At maturity, the New York market is expected to generate $500 million in annual tax revenue to the state. The sports betting industry’s top players including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars/William Hill are expected to submit applications this summer.
Sunday, July 4
Chestnut in search of 14th title at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
When Joey Chestnut captured the 2020 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest last July, the famed competitive eater won in dominating fashion by consuming a world-record 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Chestnut returns on Sunday in search of his sixth straight title. Last year, only three states — New Jersey, Colorado, and New Hampshire — offered live odds on the contest. DraftKings also offers a free-to-play contest on the annual Fourth of July contest. One prop asks entrants to select whether Chestnut will devour at least 77 hot dogs on Sunday afternoon. Another asks entrants to answer if the women’s record of 48.5 dogs will be shattered on Sunday. One competitive eater, Eric “Badlands” Booker will attempt to chug a gallon of lemonade on the undercard. A DraftKings’ prop asks contest participants to guess if Booker will finish the gallon in under a minute.
What does competitive eater Joey Chestnut have to do with marine predatory fish diets? Well, I'm not sure but @fishoscience is about to tell me all about it at @AMSAconf #AMSA21 pic.twitter.com/HTwFH9EKrY
— Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons (@MotherOfRays) June 28, 2021
