More money has been bet on the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup than any other team at Nevada's largest sportsbook, William Hill U.S., which is now facing a liability of more than $1 million on the expansion franchise.
The Golden Knights were as high as 300-1 to win the Stanley Cup in the offseason. Heading into Monday's game at the New York Islanders, though, the Knights were 40-1 at the Westgate SuperBook.
"It's been consistently brisk," Westgate assistant manager Jeff Sherman said of the betting action on the Knights.
Asked on a busy college football Saturday what the SuperBook's biggest decision was, Sherman responded playfully, "the Golden Knights not to win the Cup."
At William Hill, 18 percent of all Stanley Cup futures bets have been on the Knights. The next-closest team, the Chicago Blackhawks, has just 7 percent of the bets. Nearly 50 percent of the bets on Vegas at William Hill were placed from Oct. 16 to Oct. 29.
While the majority of the bets on the Knights have been small in size, $10 and $20, there have been some larger wagers. Last week, the Westgate took bets between "$200 and $500" on the Knights, according to Sherman. And sportsbook operator CG Technology reported taking a $500 bet on Vegas when it was 100-1. That bet would net $50,000.
Overall, CG Technology vice president of risk Jason Simbal said his book's liability on the Knights was currently in the mid-six-figure range.
Vegas improved to 8-1 on the season with a 7-0 win over Colorado. The Knights' next six games are on the road.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the current Stanley Cup favorites at 7-1, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs, who are each 10-1 at the Westgate.