One bettor completed the parlay of a lifetime on Sunday night.
Back in December, a BetMGM customer used a $500 free bet and decided to put in a three-team parlay on the champions of the NFL, NBA and NHL. Nearly seven months later, it all came to fruition when the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup with their win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night.
The bettor parlayed the Los Angeles Rams (+1000 to win the Super Bowl), Golden State Warriors (+600 to win the NBA title) and Avalanche (+600). The odds for that parlay were +53800, leading to a payout of $269,000.
That’s right. This bettor managed to turn a $500 free bet into a whopping $269,000.
It all started with the Rams’ dramatic run to the Super Bowl back in January and February — a run that featured three-point victories in the divisional round, conference championship and then in Super Bowl LVI versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
On the NBA side, the Warriors were always among the betting favorites to win the title — but never the favorite until the Finals against the Boston Celtics. But when the Celtics took Game 1 in San Francisco and later took a 2-1 edge, the Warriors were on the ropes. They responded in a big way though. Steph Curry put up 43 points in Game 4 in Boston, propelling the Warriors to three straight wins to close out the series in six games.
For the NHL, the Avalanche were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup at BetMGM and that preseason status from the oddsmakers proved to be correct. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Colorado was clearly the best team. The Avs swept the Nashville Predators in the first round, took down the St. Louis Blues in six games in Round 2 and then swept the Edmonton Oilers in a high-scoring Western Conference Finals.
The only thing that stood in Colorado’s way — and in the way of a massive payday for this bettor — was the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and they gave the Avs a battle.
Colorado went up 2-0 but was on the verge of the series being tied 2-2. Game 4 in Tampa Bay went into overtime, but the Avalanche were able to eke out a 3-2 victory, their second OT win of the series. The Lightning won Game 5 in Denver but the Avalanche finally ended the series with a 2-1 decision in Game 6 on Sunday night.
With the win, the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001 — and cashed an epic parlay.
