In a thrilling championship match of the 4 Nations Face-Off held on Thursday night, Canada edged out the United States with a 3-2 overtime win, setting new records for hockey betting.
The event marked the most wagered-on hockey game ever at BetMGM Sportsbook, drawing in bets that exceeded those for any NHL game this season by a factor of 2.5.
Overall, the tournament generated significant wagering activity, with five of its games landing in the top seven most bet-on hockey games of the year at BetMGM.
Halvor Egeland, the trading manager at BetMGM, described the tournament as a resounding success for the sportsbook.
He noted that Canada’s victory in the final was an especially favorable outcome for their operations.
Before the puck dropped, the U.S. was favored by a margin of 1.5 goals, with both teams listed at -110 on the money line.
Caesars Sportsbook also reported substantial wagering activity surrounding the championship game, identifying it as the second-most bet upon event, just behind last season’s Game 7 win by the Florida Panthers over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
This previous game had more than twice the amount of bettors, bets, and overall money placed compared to any NHL match this current season, maintaining a strong interest among hockey fans.
According to Karry Shreeve, head of hockey at Caesars, the atmosphere and intensity of the game mirrored that of a Game 7 playoff scenario, which was anticipated and fully delivered.
He highlighted that the betting activity was especially vigorous when the USA fell behind 1-0, igniting interest in betting on their potential comeback at odds of approximately +150.
The excitement only escalated when the game proceeded to overtime, demonstrating that fans were closely engaged until the conclusive moments of the match.
