Each week, our “What’s on Tap” series previews the week ahead in the world of sports betting. Come here for a summary of financial happenings, legislative and regulatory meetings, industry conferences, top games scheduled for the week, and much more.
Monday, June 24 2w1d53
Oilers Seek Improbable Comeback 5h31
For the first time in more than 80 years, a team rallied from down 3-0 to force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals. With a win on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers will the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only teams in NHL history to win four straight after dropping the first three games in the Cup finals. At this time last week, the Oilers still had double-digit odds to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.
But the Oilers continue to adjust to Sergei Bobrovsky, forcing the netminder to move laterally when defending point-blank shots. The strategy has worked, as the Oilers have outscored the Panthers 20-5 since the second period of Game 3. Benefitting from home-ice advantage, the Panthers have odds of -114 at FanDuel to win on Monday night. The Panthers are slight favorites over the Oilers, which have odds of -105 to win their fourth straight in the series.
Regardless of the outcome, Connor McDavid appears to be a near lock to win the Conn Smythe Award, an honor given annually to the series’ most valuable player. McDavid has odds of -3500 to capture the award, far ahead of Aleksander Barkov, the next choice at +1200. McDavid needs five points to tie Wayne Gretzky for the most points ever in a given postseason. While the feat appears challenging, McDavid has recorded four points twice during the series.
Does Connor McDavid need a Stanley Cup to cement his legacy? https://t.co/XYBQ3yByHJ pic.twitter.com/wyIKLkMkKy
— The Province (@theprovince) June 24, 2024
Vols Face Aggies In CWS Final 5a2u4m
Tennessee crushed two home runs on Sunday to outlast Texas A&M 4-1 in Game 2 of the College World Series finals. The victory set up a decisive Game 3 between the SEC schools on Monday night.
Texas A&M announced Monday that sophomore pitcher Justin Lamkin will start against the Vols. Lamkin held Florida scoreless on multiple occasions in the College World Series.
Top-ranked Tennessee has odds of -250 at BetMGM to defeat the Aggies (+185). The Vols received the majority of wagering on Monday morning, following the Game 2 victory.
Wednesday, June 26 324k72
The French Connection at the NBA Draft 6n6k6o
Last year it was a foregone conclusion that the Spurs would take Victor Wembanyama from the moment the team won the NBA Draft Lottery. Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 center, became the first French player ever to be selected No. 1 overall. Now, two French countrymen are vying to head the Class of 2024.
As of Monday, forward Zaccharie Risacher and center Alexandre Sarr were projected to be selected with the first two picks, according to DraftKings to go No. 1 overall, followed by Sarr at +120. The Hawks own the top pick in the draft.
Remarkably, Bronny James has received considerable interest to be selected with the first pick of the Draft. Shortly after last month’s NBA Draft Lottery, James (200/1) garnered about 30% of all tickets at FanDuel to go first overall. Interest in James has waned somewhat since.
Recovering from a heart scare, James averaged 4.8 points per game last season for USC. LeBron James has expressed interest in playing with his son before entering retirement. The Lakers are the favorite to take James, with odds of +140. James has reportedly limited pre-draft workouts to only the Lakers and the Suns.
File this under Go Figure:
At @BetMGM, per @johnewing, Bronny James continues to lead the ticket count for #NBADraft No. 1 overall pick.
With opening odds of 200/1 and current odds of 250/1, James is unsurprisingly the largest liability.
However, while James is landing 25.2%…
— Patrick Everson (@PatrickE_Vegas) June 24, 2024
Thursday, June 27 624df
EGR North America briefing 425y5c
A litany of industry stakeholders will converge in Manhattan for EGR’s annual North American Briefing.
According to EGR, the event will bring together representatives from PENN Entertainment, DraftKings, and the NBA, among others. The NBA is mulling a potential ban on wagers involving two-way props in light of the Jontay Porter scandal. A host of leading state regulators are also expected to be in attendance.
Saturday, June 29 g6530
T-20 Cricket World Cup final 281x1c
After a surprising run to the Super 8 quarterfinals, the U.S. bowed out of the ICC T-20 World Cup on Sunday in a defeat to England. The victory gave the English a berth in the semifinals of one of the world’s largest cricket events.
The tournament comes to a close on Saturday in Barbados. England (+340) is the third favorite at FanDuel, behind India and South Africa. India is the top choice at +120.
opens knockout stage at Euro 2024 1o32e
Despite a 1-1 tie with Switzerland on Sunday, still won Group A at Euro 2024. , the host of the tournament, will face the Group C runner-up on Saturday in Dortmund. The Germans will likely face Denmark or England in Saturday’s Round of 16.
England, another tournament favorite, will likely need a win over Slovenia to capture the group. Nicknamed The Three Lions, England will face a more favorable draw if they can avoid over the weekend. England is the third choice at DraftKings at +450. remains the co-favorite with at +400.
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Have a good week, everyone!
