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, July 5
Lightning look to sweep Canadiens in Stanley Cup Finals
While the betting public largely expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to defeat the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, few expected Tampa Bay to prevail in four straight. The Lightning can sweep the Canadiens and win their second straight Stanley Cup title with a win in Montreal on Monday. At PointsBet, the Lightning are -100000 to win the title, meaning that you will need to risk $1,000 to win merely one dollar. For Monday’s Game 4, the Lightning have moneyline odds of -160 to defeat the Canadiens in four straight. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is an overwhelming favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, given annually to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vasilevskiy has odds of -134 at PointsBet to win Conn Smythe, ahead of teammates Nikita Kucherov (+100) and Brayden Point (+1000).
Tuesday, July 6
Bryson-Rodgers duo favored in The Match IV
While Phil Mickelson has taken part in the first three incarnations of The Match, a made-for-TV celebrity golf event, Bryson DeChambeau will make his first appearance in the match-play contest on Tuesday at Montana’s The Reserve at Moonlight Basin. DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers are -182 favorites at DraftKings to defeat the pairing of Tom Brady and Mickelson. DraftKings also offers longest-drive props between DeChambeau and Mickelson for three holes on the front nine. DeChambeau is a -200 favorite on all three, including the Par-4 8th hole, a difficult 500-yard hole that features a narrow fairway with a slight dogleg right. On the back nine, the golfers will be tested by the Par-5 17th hole, a mammoth 777-yard test.
Charles Barkley previews the match this week with Bryson DeChambeau…
“I might caddie for him” 🤣
🎥 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/trsodIE5Zf
— GolfNow (@golfnow) July 4, 2021
NBA Finals begin in Phoenix
When the NBA Finals tip off on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks will both make their first appearances in the league championship series in more than two decades. After dismissing the Los Angeles Clippers in six games, the Suns have been installed at -165 to win the series at BetMGM, while the Bucks are +145. Milwaukee captured the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is nursing a hyperextended left knee. Antetokounmpo’s status will impact game and series odds throughout the finals.
- Suns in 5 — +350
- Suns in 7 — +350
- Bucks in 6 — +450
- Suns in 6 — +450
- Bucks in 7 — +650
- Suns in 4 — +900
- Bucks in 5 — +1100
- Bucks in 4 — +2500
Wednesday, July 7
Arizona stakeholder meeting
Last Friday, Arizona gaming officials released a second version of proposed event wagering rules as the state moves closer to a planned Sept. 9 sports betting launch. On Wednesday, stakeholders and the public are invited to a third virtual meeting to offer comment. One industry source said the draft rules are “moving in the right direction” with the key updates added to the latest version. Last week, the Arizona Department of Gaming set the initial licensing fee for event wagering operators at $750,000, along with an annual renewal fee of $150,000. Under Arizona law, up to 20 event wagering licenses will be available statewide, half of which can go to venues of professional sports franchises.
Friday, July 9
Discussion of online sports wagering licensing actions in Wyoming
Three months after Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a sports wagering bill into law, the Wyoming Gaming Commission could finalize rules on online sports betting Friday at a meeting in Casper. One item on Friday’s agenda involves the discussion, consideration, and possible action on online sports wagering licensing. Wyoming is also the only legal state in which using cryptocurrency for wagering will be allowed, and there will be a 30-minute presentation titled Crypto & Gaming 101 during the meeting. When Wyoming eventually goes live, it will join Tennessee as the only states with online-only sports betting.
Saturday, July 10
Poirier slight favorite over McGregor at UFC 254
Months after announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts, Connor McGregor suffered the first knockout defeat of his career when Dustin Poirier defeated him via technical knockout in January. In Saturday’s rematch, Poirier is a slight -120 favorite over McGregor (-102) at FanDuel. Poirier, ranked first in the UFC lightweight rankings, has odds of +800 to record a second-round TKO on Saturday night in Las Vegas. In addition, there are odds of +330 on if the fight will go the full distance, with odds of -480 that the bout will end early. Stephen Thompson is a -172 favorite over Gilbert Burns on the undercard.
#UFC 264 betting odds: Dustin #Poirier or Conor @McGregor – Who's favorite to win the trilogy fight pic.twitter.com/21Xg4z5wtP
— UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs Conor Live Stream (@UltimateFight20) July 1, 2021
Sunday, July 11
Djokovic remains decisive favorite at Wimbledon
With a win on Sunday at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic will capture the 20th grand-slam title of his illustrious career. Djokovic would also tie rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the all-time record in career grand-slam titles. As of Monday morning, Djokovic remained an overwhelming favorite to win the season’s third major. In fact, Djokovic is the only player in the draw with odds under +600 to win Wimbledon. Several top players lurk on the other side of the draw including: Federer, Alexander Zverev, and Matteo Berrettini.
Euro 2020 wraps up with finals in London
Euro 2020 concludes Sunday with the tournament finals at historic Wembley Stadium in Northwest London. Group D winner England has sailed through the tournament without allowing a goal over its first five games. England can capture an elusive European Championship, but needs to defeat Denmark first in Wednesday’s semifinal. The winner will face the victor of Tuesday’s showdown between Italy and Spain in the first semi. As of Sunday evening, England remained the slight favorite to win Euro 2020 at BetFred Sports, ahead of Italy and Spain.
⚽ | #Euro2020 Outright Odds, England's to lose? 👀#ENG#ITA#ESP#DEN
🔞 | Please Gamble Responsibly
— BETFRED (@Betfred) July 4, 2021
