LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Canada's 3-2 overtime victory over the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night set single-game hockey betting records.
BetMGM Sportsbook said it was the most bet-on hockey game in its history, and it was 2 1/2 times greater than any NHL game this season.
Betting also was strong throughout the tournament. Five of the games at BetMGM were among the seven most wagered-on hockey games this season.
“The 4 Nations tournament was a great success for BetMGM," BetMGM trading manager Halvor Egeland said. "Canada winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook.”
The U.S. was a 1 1/2-goal favorite. Both teams were -110 on the money line at the puck drop.
Caesars Sportsbook also said the championship attracted heavy action, and that it was second in bets placed only to last season's Game 7 victory by the Florida Panthers over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
That game also had more than two times the number of bettors, bets and money gambled at Caesars than any NHL game this season.
“A Game 7 atmosphere and style of play is what we anticipated and it was exactly what we got in every which way," Caesars head of hockey Karry Shreeve said. "Customers were all over the USA out of the gates, especially when they went down 1-0 and were around +150 to bet on to win. ... The betting only ramped up when the game did go to OT, proving everyone was locked in until the very end.”
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