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Vegas Golden Knights go from long shot to liability at sportsbooks

Posted: 11:26 PM, Apr 10, 2018
Updated: 2018-04-11 13:58:15Z

As the Vegas Golden Knights prepare for the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs hundreds of fans have a few thousand extra reasons to cheer them on.

This as their early season bets on the "Vegas Born" team are still alive, something experts setting the betting line never expected.

"Not in a million years did we think they would make the playoffs," William Hill US Director of Trading Nick Bogdanovich said.

The Golden Knights are now -140 favorites to defeat the Los Angeles Kings (+120) in the opening round of the playoffs, its the early season numbers that are drawing attention.

VGK opened at 150/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup moving to 200/1 during the preseason.

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Then as the team raced to an impressive start, that number quickly fell as the Golden Knights climbed to the top of the standings.

The VGK sitting at 35/1 by the end of the first month of the season and becoming among the favorites to win the cup at 8/1 to start 2018.

Entering the playoffs, the Knights sit at 6/1 to win the Stanley Vup.

William Hill says its biggest liability on the Golden Knights came from a $7,100 bet placed in January that would pay $46,150, but its the smaller bets at longer odds that could add up.

we are told they took 183 bets on the VGK at 150/1 and another 36 at 200/1, the largest of those being a $100 that would pay $20,000.

We didn't have to go far to find an early supporter who stands to score big if the Golden Knights accomplish the once unthinkable.

KTNV engineering and operation manager Ken Johnson placed two $10 bets on the Golden Knights in June, one at 250/1 the other at 200/1. 

For those bad at math, that is a potential $4500 payout.

"I thought what the heck I'll throw ten dollars down, it's not going to hurt me," Johnson said.  "I was just hoping we'd have a decent season. I didn't think I would be thinking about it now."

It's those long-shot bets that could hurt the sportsbooks, but those running the biggest books say they are still rooting for the Vegas Born team.

"Its a big payout, but fortunately we are doing pretty well in other sports so we will be able to absorb it," Nick Bogdanovich said.

Nick Bogdanovich also said Golden Knight fever led to a lot more money being bet on the NHL this season, saying the total bet this season was up about 50 percent compared to the 2016-2017 season.