2025 Big Bets report: Bettor still riding 5-leg title parlay for $270k
Nobody is on a bigger roller-coaster ride in the sports betting universe right now than a DraftKings Sportsbook customer sitting on a lottery-ticket futures parlay.
The bettor needs titles from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Edmonton Oilers to finish it off. But with the bet comes the sweat.
And at the moment, he's drenched.
Read on for more on that wager, other potential big payouts and notable big bets tied to NBA Finals odds, Stanley Cup Final odds and a little MLB.
Parlay Pressure
As noted a couple of times previously, a DK customer is looking to turn $13 into a massive six-figure win. The five-leg parlay: Liberty to win the WNBA title
Dodgers to win the World Series
Eagles to win the Super Bowl
Oilers to win the Stanley Cup
Thunder to win the NBA Finals
The first three legs are in. But the last two legs — with the Thunder and Oilers both opening their series as favorites — have become quite the grind.
OKC stunningly dropped Game 1 at home and is still down 2-1 vs. the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. Edmonton trailed Florida 2-1 in the Stanley Cup series, and a cashout option that was once more than $100,000 tumbled to $58,321.94.
And then Edmonton dug itself into a 3-0 hole in the first period of Game 4. But the Oilers rallied in the second period to tie it at 3-3, then went on to a riveting 5-4 overtime win.
To reset: OKC is down 2-1, but is again favored Friday night in Game 4 on the road. And Edmonton has tied the series 2-2, with two of the final three games at home, if the series goes the distance.
Following the Oilers' comeback, the bettor's cashout option leaped to almost $50,000.
It appears he's going to continue letting it ride, in hopes of turning that $13 into $270,761.40. More power to him for that decision.
I wouldn't be as bold with $107,591.51. That's life-changing money. But the roller-coaster is on its way up the next hill. Let's hope he enjoys the ride!
Long-Shot Luck
Also, as previously reported, there's a lottery-ticket futures bet that's quite live at FanDuel Sportsbook. On April 29, a big Pacers fan put $1,000 on Indiana +8500 to win the NBA championship.
The Pacers are up 2-1 in the best-of-seven Finals, heading into tonight's Game 4 at home. So the bettor is just two wins away from $85,000 in profit (total payout $86,000).
I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie
It's not just sportsbooks taking major action. Prediction markets such as Kalshi have entered the sports fold in just the past few months.
One Kalshi trader went heavy on Game 2 of the NBA Finals, putting $264,749 on OKC to lose, for a potential payout of $1.37 million.
The Thunder were coming off a stunning 111-110 Game 1 home loss to the Pacers. But a second straight setback wasn't in the cards for this trader, as Oklahoma City rolled 123-107.
As the above parlay bet shows, we're also fans of betting a little to win a lot, even if such a wager has virtually no chance of cashing.
Such is the case for a bet made by a Nevada customer of Caesars Sports. The bettor put $19.99 on the Colorado Rockies +500000 — that's 5000/1 — to win the World Series.
Through games of June 12, the Rockies are a putrid 13-55, the worst record in the majors by far. But if lightning strikes and Colorado wins the Fall Classic, then the bettor pockets nearly $100,000.
Good luck with that. It'd be a story for the ages.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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