Bettor needs team to win NBA title to turn $100 parlay into $1.7M
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor has been sweating out a parlay that pays $1.7 million for almost a year.
The gambler placed a $100 three-team futures parlay in May 2023 on the Texas Rangers to win the World Series (22-1), the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl (6-1) and the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA championship (70-1).
The Rangers won the World Series on Nov. 1, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.
The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium.
Now the bettor needs the Thunder to win the NBA title to cash the 17,145-to-1 long shot and collect $1,714,500. The bet would normally pay 11,430-1, but the bettor used a DraftKings promotion for a 50 percent parlay boost.
DraftKings doesn’t operate in Nevada.
Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the 16-1 fifth choice to win the NBA championship behind the Boston Celtics (+160), Denver Nuggets (3-1), Los Angeles Clippers (14-1) and Dallas Mavericks (14-1).
“He’s got good value with Oklahoma City at 70-1 for the final leg, and he’s probably got some hedging opportunities if he wants,” DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “It’s a nice bet. It’s exciting.”
Another DraftKings bettor recently hit a $100 four-leg futures parlay that paid $231,678.
The bettor hit the first leg on Ilia Topuria (+105) over Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298 on Feb. 17.
The second leg hit Feb. 18 when Hideki Matsuyama, a 66-1 long shot, won the Genesis Invitational by three strokes.
The gambler closed out the parlay with South Carolina (+125) winning the women’s basketball NCAA title and Connecticut (+650) winning the men’s NCAA title.
The Gamecocks beat Iowa 87-75 in the championship game April 7, and the Huskies beat Purdue 75-60 in the title game April 8.
“Those futures were something you couldn’t even parlay at one time,” Avello said. “They’ve become really popular.”
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Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
