NBA, NHL Futures Betting Report: Bettors Await Potential Huge Paydays

With a pair of postseasons about to start, numerous noteworthy bets — often made months ago — draw closer to cashing in on NBA futures odds and NHL futures odds. That includes futures parlays that are on the brink of big paydays, needing either the NBA Finals winner or Stanley Cup winner. One particularly prescient parlay is in good position for a six-figure haul. Read on for more on that bet, along with one bettor’s long-shot chance at $1 million and other notable wagers tied to NBA Finals odds and Stanley Cup odds. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Money Avalanche On Jan. 6, a Hard Rock Bet customer put $200 on a four-leg futures parlay. The first leg settled up less than two weeks later, when Indiana beat Miami to win the College Football Playoff national title. The second leg required a little more good fortune. Before the NFL playoffs even began, the bettor predicted a Seahawks win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The third leg: Michigan to win the NCAA Tournament. That box was checked on April 6, when the Wolverines topped UConn. There’s one leg remaining, and it’s on the best team in the NHL. So the bettor is in a pretty enviable spot, needing the favored Avalanche to lift the trophy in June. The odds on all four legs getting there: +76445, or just over 764/1. If Colorado wins it all, then that 200 bucks becomes a whopping $153,090. That’ll be worth the five-month-plus wait. Philadelphia Flier The 76ers beat the Magic 109-97 in an NBA play-in game on Wednesday night. That allowed Philadelphia to secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Which means a Round 1 date with the Boston Celtics, with Philly a +800 underdog just to win that series. But that didn’t stop a Caesars Sports customer from taking a $5,000 flier on the Sixers to go all the way. In fact, the bettor made the wager Tuesday, when the 76ers faced at least one and perhaps two play-in games to advance. At hefty odds of +20000 (200/1), if Joel Embiid & Co. somehow pull off a miracle run, then the bettor wins $1 million. Dare to dream. Stars Struck Parlays often lead to unusual combinations, and a FanDuel Sportsbook customer has a ticket that certainly bears that out. Back in October, the customer put together a parlay combining three tennis plays with a Yankees-Red Sox game and a New Mexico State-Sam Houston State football game. All those events took place on Oct. 2, which means the wager would’ve settled up that day if the bettor stopped at five legs. But in an apparent “Why not?” moment, the customer then added in Seahawks +3300 to win the Super Bowl and Stars +800 to win the Stanley Cup. Arguably the best part about this ticket is not that it’s one leg from the finish line, at monster odds of +293916 (approximately 2939/1). Rather, it’s that the customer utilized a $50 bonus bet. So it’s ostensibly a free ride. And the final leg is certainly more live than the aforementioned parlay that closes with the 76ers. Among the 16 playoff teams, Dallas is the +1300 sixth choice in FanDuel’s Stanley Cup futures odds. Should the Stars hoist the treasured chalice, the bettor banks $146,958.46. I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie The Spurs are among the biggest surprises this year in the NBA. San Antonio’s regular-season win total was 44.5, but Victor Wembanyama & Co. blew that away, going 62-20. Only the Thunder (64-18) had a bettor record. Now, the Spurs are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and No. 2 in NBA championship futures odds, as well. BetMGM has San Antonio as the +450 second choice, with OKC the favorite at +120. And file this for reference: The Spurs went 4-1 against the Thunder this season. A BetMGM customer was a latecomer on San Antonio but still ponied up $50,000 on Spurs +650 to win it all. If that happens, then the bettor collects $325,000 in profit (total payout $350,000). Also at BetMGM, a customer put $25,000 on Pistons +1400 to win the NBA Finals. Detroit (60-22) is the No. 1 seed, but is now +2000 to win the championship, trailing Eastern Conference peers Boston (+550) and Cleveland (+1600), along with OKC, San Antonio and Denver (+1000). Still, the Pistons are certainly in the mix. A Motor City run to the NBA title would net that bettor $350,000 profit (total payout $375,000).