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, July 1 4pk1d
Alcaraz Begins Wimbledon Defense 21y2w
Fresh off his title at the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz opened his Wimbledon title defense on Monday. As Sports Handle went to press, Alcaraz captured the first set over Mark Lajal of Estonia.
Last year, Alcaraz won his first-ever Wimbledon in an epic five-set win over Novak Djokovic. A seven-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic is coming off knee surgery last month that forced him to drop out of the French.
Neither Alcaraz, nor Djokovic, however, are favored to win Wimbledon. Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner (+160) is the slight favorite at BetMGM. Alcaraz is next at +175, followed by Djokovic at +400. Two powerful servers in Alexander Zverev and Hubert Hurkacz have double-digit odds at +1000 and +1100, respectively.
Sinner has never made it to the Wimbledon finals.
Teams Begin Pursuit of Klay After George g 2r6s6m
The Sixers landed the gem of the NBA free agency class on Sunday night when the team agreed on a four-year, $212 million contract with Paul George. The g positions the Sixers as one of the top challengers to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Odds on the Sixers to win the NBA title ticked up to +800 at BetRivers on Monday morning. At BetRivers, the Sixers are the co-second choice with the Knicks to win the championship. A day earlier, Philadelphia entered free agency with odds of +900 to win the NBA championship, the co-fifth choice on the site.
Teams with a void on the wing will now turn their attention to Warriors guard Klay Thompson, a five-time All-Star. The Mavericks and Lakers are among the teams that reportedly plan to meet with Thompson. Dallas has odds of +450 to repeat as Western Conference champions.
Klay Thompson plans to have discussions with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers and 76ers in the opening hours of free agency, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2024
Stamkos’ Return to Tampa in Question 3k4l12
Free agency also begins on Monday in the NHL. After negotiations stalled with Steven Stamkos, the Lightning allowed the seven-time All Star forward to test the waters. Stamkos, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, is a two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner, given to the league’s top goal scorer.
Although Stamkos is north of 30, the 16-year veteran is still extremely productive. Last year, Stamkos scored 40 goals, netting his third-highest total since 2014-2015.
The Lightning have odds of +2500 at DraftKings to win the Stanley Cup.
Other top free agents include: Jonathan Marchessault, Sam Reinhart, and Elias Lindholm.
MGC Holds Meeting on Bally Bet 25135s
Massachusetts early this month under an expansion plan where the sportsbook operator will go live in nine states.
On Monday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will hold a public meeting regarding the operations certificate for the sportsbook’s launch.
Bally Bet could go live in the Bay State this week. The operator is also expected to make its Maryland debut at some point this month.
U.S. Ends Group Stage vs. Uruguay 124f68
Deflated by a red card to forward Tim Weah, the U.S. suffered a stinging 2-1 defeat to Panama last week at Copa America. The loss dropped the U.S. into a second-place tie with Panama in Group C at the quadrennial tournament. The loss also probably requires the U.S. to defeat Uruguay on Monday to advance to the knockout stage. The U.S. has odds of +145 to prevail over Uruguay; the total is 2.5 goals.
At bet365, the U.S. has futures’ odds of +2800 to win the tournament. Uruguay (+600) is the third choice behind Argentina and Brazil.
Argentina, the defending champions, remains the favorite at +150. Led by Lionel Messi, Argentina will face the Group B runner-up in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
Thursday, July 4 4u713y
Esper Favored in Hot Dog Contest With Chestnut Out 6k4217
For the first time in years, Joey Chestnut will miss the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog contest. Chestnut, a 16-time champion, plans to sit out Thursday’s event amid a sponsorship dispute. With Chestnut out, DraftKings has installed Geoffrey Esper as the favorite at +100. Last year, Esper finished second to Chestnut with 49 hot dogs. James Webb, last year’s third-place finisher, is the second choice at +185.
On the women’s side, Miki Sudo will pursue her 10th title in the last 11 years. Sudo is a massive favorite at DraftKings, with odds of -1600. In 2023, Sudo consumed 39.5 hot dogs. Sudo is seeking her third straight victory.
Saturday, July 6 3z3c61
England Eyes Spot in Euro 2024 Semis 2g1q3a
England forced overtime on Sunday with a spectacular bicycle kick from Jude Bellingham, before defeating Slovakia 2-1 in extra time. With the victory at Euro 2024, England advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals against Switzerland. The Swiss upset Italy 2-0 to advance to the quarters at the European Championships for the second consecutive time.
Aided by a favorable draw at the bottom of the bracket, England is widely expected to make the finals of Euro 2024. Two others, Spain and , have booked spots in the quarterfinals. Spain will face on Friday in Stuttgart. England is the +290 favorite at FanDuel to win the tournament, followed by Spain and at +390 and +440 respectively.
, the fourth choice at +600, will face Belgium on Monday.
A moment of pure Jude Bellingham magic keeps the England dream alive. 🌟#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/30TyCzkNQM
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 30, 2024
