Everything that happens in sports has additional context when viewed from a betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.
Our betting buzz file -- with contributions from David Purdum, Doug Greenberg and others -- aims to provide fans a look at the sports betting stories that are driving the conversation.
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May 5: Warriors' record playoff streak of being favored to end
David Purdum: The Golden State Warriors have been favored in all 27 playoff series under head coach Steve Kerr. It's the longest such streak by any team since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger, according to ESPN Research. And it's poised to end this week.
The Warriors are +150 underdogs to win their Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves at ESPN BET. It's the first time Golden State hasn't been favored in a series since the first round of the 2014 series against the LA Clippers.
ESPN BET opened the Timberwolves at -190 favorites Sunday night. The price had dropped to -175 on Monday morning. Minnesota is a 6.5-point favorite in Tuesday's Game 1. The Wolves will be looking to become the first team to eliminate both LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the same postseason, according to ESPN Research.
Golden State won three of four meetings with Minnesota this season. Jimmy Butler, the Warriors' midseason acquisition, did not play in any of the games against the Timberwolves.
NBA playoffs odds & ends
Despite dropping Game 1, Cleveland Cavaliers remained the favorites in their semifinal series against Indiana Pacers. Cleveland was a -210 favorite in the series Monday, with the Pacers at +170 at ESPN BET.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (-900) begin their semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets (+500) coming off eight days of rest, while the Nuggets are back on the court just two days after winning their first-round series over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Since 2004, teams with a seven-plus-day rest advantage over their opponent are 8-0 straight-up and against the spread, winning by 17.1 points per game. The Thunder are 9.5-point favorites in Monday's Game 1.
April 30: Betting surge on Browns after NFL draft
Purdum: The Cleveland Browns, coming off a polarizing draft, are 10-1 underdogs to make the playoffs, the biggest postseason long shots on the board at ESPN BET, and their season-win total is 4.5, the lowest of any team. Yet, there is belief in the Browns from bettors.
Sportsbooks reported an uptick in interest on the Browns in the days after the draft. Cleveland was the fifth-most popular wager in ESPN BET's win totals, with 93.4% of the money wagered on over 4.5 wins. This week, at BetMGM, only five teams had attracted more bets to win the Super Bowl than the Browns, who are 200-1. Cleveland also has attracted more bets to win the AFC North than any other division rival at BetMGM.
At 10-1, the Browns are the biggest preseason playoff long shots in the league for the first time since 2016, according to ESPN Research. They are unsettled at quarterback, with 40-year-old Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett (now with his third team in four years), as well as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders expected to compete for the starting position.
Sanders is 15-1 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at ESPN BET, tied for the fifth-shortest odds offered in the market. He was 30-1 to win the award at BetMGM on Wednesday and attracting support. As of Wednesday morning, approximately 46% of the money that had been wagered on BetMGM's Offensive Rookie of the Year odds was on Sanders.
"We expect Shedeur Sanders to be among the most-bet-on players to win Offensive Rookie of the Year due to his name recognition and odds," Christian Cipollini, trading manager for BetMGM, said in a release. "The Browns quarterback is the biggest liability to win the award."
April 29: Pennsylvania joins online poker liquidity compact
Purdum: American online poker's liquidity grew this week, as Pennsylvania joined New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada and Delaware in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, allowing players to compete with other jurisdictions for shared prize pools on the web.
Caesars Entertainment announced Monday that it was expanding its World Series of Poker platform into Pennsylvania, becoming the first U.S. operator to allow players from four states to compete for shared prize pools. WSOP also offers online poker in Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan.
The expansion comes a month ahead of poker's most prominent time, culminating with the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas in July. The 2025 World Series Online Bracelet schedule kicks off May 31 and coincides with 56th annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The online tournament will be highlighted by $250 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed prize event begins on Day 1. Players will be allowed to play in the WSOP online will simultaneously competing in the in-person WSOP tournament in Las Vegas. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the compact agreement April 23.
"The addition of the Pennsylvania player pool to WSOP Online comes at the perfect time, and we're ready to give avid poker players in the Keystone State the opportunity to raise the stakes on their poker play," Danielle Barille, Vice President of Online Poker at Caesars Entertainment, said in a press release. "This expansion enhances the experience for players by building even greater prize pools that are up for grabs all summer long as a part of our jam-packed WSOP Online schedule. We're ready to see who earns our largest online prize pools ever once the first hands are dealt this summer."
April 24: From Caleb Williams to Cam Ward, bettors risk a lot to win a little on No. 1 picks
Purdum: The league championship was at stake on a Thursday night last April at Tropicana Lanes in Richmond Heights, Missouri, but struggling bowler Zach Opengart was sweating something else. Less than 48 hours prior, the local college student had crossed the border into Illinois to place a bet so outrageous that he refused to discuss it with his teammates: $11,311.52 on quarterback Caleb Williams to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft at -20,000.
Opengart, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis at the time, scrolled through his phone, searching for the latest draft scoop, glancing up only occasionally to watch for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to take the podium on TV. Opengart was nervous. It was a big bet, a large part of his bankroll. Probably too large, he says in reflection. At the same time, he was confident, convinced the Chicago Bears would take Williams at No. 1. Finally, Goodell walked up to the podium, welcomed everyone to the draft and announced Williams as the No. 1 pick.
Opengart had won $56 and some change off his $11,311.52 bet, and despite his unfocused performance, the bowling team went on to win the league title. The party was on. Drinks were on Opengart.
Betting markets on events such as the NFL draft are volatile and regularly feature extreme odds. They are difficult for bookmakers to manage and force bettors to consider whether risking a lot to win a little is worth it. Quarterback Cam Ward's odds to be the No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft could be found as short as -50,000 this week at some sportsbooks, meaning you'd need to bet $50,000 for a chance to net a $100 win. Caesars Sportsbook said on Tuesday that it had not taken any "notable" wagers on Ward to go No. 1 at the -50,000 odds it was offering, but added that such bets have happened in past drafts.
"Information events like the NFL draft are really tricky when it comes to offering odds," Joey Feazel, head of football trading at Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN. "When it appears that a team like the [Tennessee] Titans is set on drafting Cam Ward with the first pick of the draft, we will offer odds that closely reflect the 99.99% probability of something like that happening."
Opengart, now an account manager for a marketing firm in St. Louis, said it's that level of certainty that attracts him to betting on heavy favorites, such as Williams last year.
"My thinking was a lot about the surety of the [Williams] bet in comparison with prior drafts," Opengart said in a recent phone interview with ESPN. "I had heard the Bears GM laughing about the idea of taking anybody else. It seemed like a sure thing to me."
At the same time, he says he doesn't want to risk that much of his bankroll again, but he hasn't stopped betting big favorites -- and not all of them have been winners. Opengart says he lost a couple thousand dollars trying to win around $100 by betting on Alabama to beat Vanderbilt in a college football game last season. The Crimson Tide lost outright as 22.5-point favorites, around -2800 on the money line.
"It was brutal, but I always say with betting, especially my style, that you have to have the memory of a goldfish," Opengart said. "The only thing that matters is the long-term return.
"I'm the type of person, if you'll give me a free 50 bucks ... I'll take it every time, get myself a steak dinner and be happy about it."
Opengart says he plans for his next "steak dinner bet" to be on Cooper Flagg to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this summer.