Las Vegas casino owner wins $16K on NCAA betting binge

As the buzzer-beaters went down in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the fortunes of Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens shot up.

Stevens, who owns the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, wagered a total of $363,000 on the first 32 lines posted on the tournament during a live Selection Sunday show on VSiN.com with broadcaster Brent Musburger.

Stevens bet $11,000 to win $10,000 on each game on his mobile apps at the South Point and Golden Nugget sports books. He inadvertently took Loyola-Chicago twice, but the mistake proved profitable as he won $20,000 when the Ramblers upset Miami 64-62 Thursday as 2½-point underdogs on Donte Ingram’s long 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

“It was a little crazy,” Stevens said. “But that’s the great thing about March Madness.”

The thrilling win helped Stevens win $16,000 after finishing 17-14-2 ATS on his wagers (counting Loyola twice). That was a vast improvement from his inaugural NCAA Tournament betting binge in 2017, when he lost $109,000 after going 10-19-3.

“I just figured I couldn’t do any worse,” Stevens said.

$1 million Michigan man

Fortune also favored Stevens on Saturday, when Jordan Poole’s deep 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Michigan a dramatic 64-63 victory over Houston. The unlikely shot kept alive Stevens’ $25,000 futures bet on the Wolverines at 40-1 odds that will pay $1 million if Michigan wins it all.

“I have never seen a crowd roar like they did after that shot,” he said. “That was a ridiculous play.”

A Michigan graduate, Stevens placed the futures bet March 3 at the Golden Nugget sports book. Tilman Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget, as well as the Houston Rockets.

“It’s great that another downtown Las Vegas casino owner is willing to take the action,” Stevens said. “The greatest thing for me is that Tilman and I get to text each other and bust each other’s (chops) a lot.”

Fertitta tweeted to Stevens on Sunday that he’s pulling for him “because you beat my @UHCougarMBK team with a miracle shot. Good luck! But, I don’t want another loss and you beat me out of a million.”

The Wolverines are 2½-point favorites over Texas A&M on Thursday.

“That’s a tough matchup,” Stevens said. “We’ve still got four long games to go. I don’t want to get my skates ahead of me.”

$3,294 to win $39.60

In case you missed it, two William Hill bettors wagered a total of $3,294 to win $39.60 and lost. One bet $2,000 to win $26.65 on Cincinnati on the in-play money line Sunday and another wagered $1,294 to win $12.95 on Virginia on the money line.

$40 to win $7,280

On the flip side, a William Hill bettor hit a $40 two-team money-line parlay on Maryland-Baltimore County and Marshall on Friday that paid $7,280.

Underdogs and under

Underdogs went 7-1 ATS on Sunday to finish 24-22-1 ATS (UNR-Texas was a pick’em) in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Unders finished 28-20.

In a trend to remember for 2019, first-half unders finished 24-12 in the first round, including the First Four games.

Westgate contest

Three contestants went 20-8 ATS in the Westgate’s inaugural Hoops Madness Challenge, which covered 28 first-round games Thursday and Friday and featured a field of 161 entrants who paid $100 apiece. The tiebreaker was total points scored in Florida State’s 67-54 win over Missouri. The winner had 135 points and won $8,000. Second place was worth $4,800 and third $3,200. Seven contestants went 19-9.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.