Bruins, Blues, and Scott Berry Will Let It Ride in Decisive Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final

Posted on: June 12, 2019, 05:46h. 

Last updated on: June 13, 2019, 03:39h.

There will be a lot on the line Wednesday in Boston as the Bruins host the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The winner skates off with the Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy in professional sports.

Boston’s Brad Marchand tries to get the puck past St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington during Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The teams will play a decisive Game 7 Wednesday night in Boston. (Image: NHL.com)

But it’s not just the Blues or the Bruins who could end up as big winners.

If the Blues win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, Scott Berry would win $100,000. The Missouri native went to Las Vegas on a business trip back in January when the Blues were struggling. He ended up putting $400 on them at Caesars sportsbook, where the team had 250-1 odds.

As the Blues drew closer to the Stanley Cup, interest in Berry’s bet has grown. Before Game 6, when the Blues had a chance to clinch the Cup at home, he turned down a $75,000 offer to sell the ticket through PropSwap.com, a secondary online market where people can buy or sell bets.

After the Blues lost on Sunday, the market value of Berry’s ticket was nearly cut in half. Luke Pergande, PropSwap’s co-founder, told Casino.org the latest offer on Berry’s ticket dropped to $37,900.

Letting It Ride

In interviews, Berry has remained adamant about keeping the ticket, even though he’s received a lot of advice to sell. A superstitious Blues fan, he believes selling the ticket might jinx his team’s chances.

Berry’s not the first high profile ticket that PropSwap’s tried to market. In January, the site sold an $8,000 New Orleans Super Bowl futures bet valued at $160,000 for $60,000. During the NCAA Tournament, it tried unsuccessfully to sell a $1,500 bet on Texas Tech to win it all. At odds of 200-1, the bet was worth $300,000. That bettor turned down bids of up to $57,000 for it before the Red Raiders lost to Virginia in the championship game.

If I end up being the Texas Tech bettor 2.0, then so be it. I’ll live with it,” Berry told ESPN before Game 6. “This has been an incredible ride, to say the least. In my opinion, the $400 I spent was well worth this experience.”

Attempts to reach Berry on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The reaction on social media to Berry’s steadfastness has been critical for the most part.

Some called him out for not hedging his bet, although Berry had mentioned previously that he might hedge at some point. Others said he should have taken the highest offer.

“Sorry Gordon Gecko but in this case greed is not good,” tweeted Bob Harvey Sports. “Should have taken the $75 K.”

Bruins Favored Wednesday

The host Bruins enter Game 7 with most sportsbooks listing them as a 1.5-goal favorite, although as of 7 am Wednesday morning (ET), the MGM Mirage offered Boston giving just a half-goal, according to VegasInsider.

On the straight-up moneyline, the Las Vegas lines vary from -145 at the MGM Mirage to -170 at William Hill and CG Technology. Outside of Nevada, FanDuel offers the Bruins at -170, and PointsBet offers them at -171.

The Blues odds to win straight-up is +150 at most Las Vegas books, although the MGM Mirage lists them at +125. FanDuel lists them at +145, and PointsBet offers them at +146.

Oddsmakers have Boston goalie Tuukka Rask as the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs most valuable player. PointsBet lists him at -200, while FanDuel offers him at -155.

St. Louis forward Ryan O’Reilly is the second choice, with both books offering him at +300.

Big Year for PropSwap Continues

Even with Scott Berry not selling his ticket, PropSwap has come out a winner again during the Stanley Cup Playoff thanks to the publicity the site’s received.

Currently, the site is approved in 12 states, meaning people with a billing address in Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia can buy tickets listed on the site.

Co-founder Luke Pergande said he came up with the idea in 2013 after he placed a bet on the New Orleans Saints to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. At the time, their odds were 50-1. After New Orleans won seven of its first eight games, Pergande saw the team’s odds drop to 15-1, prompting him to ask his friend Ian Epstein if he knew anyone who would want to buy the ticket.

As of Wednesday, the site listed 231 bets for sale in such sports as college basketball, college football, golf, baseball, hockey, pro basketball, and pro football. The site receives a commission for each bet it sells. The company expects to broker 3,000 bets this year.