Sports Betting: June 9 - 15, 2025

• Sports Betting: June 9 - 15, 2025

  • Community Cappers Lock In Their Weekly Picks

  • Underdog’s Billion-Dollar Valuation Still Matters

  • Upcoming on Building Bankroll

Community Cappers Lock In Their Weekly Picks

Last Week: 2-0 | +1.79u

• Dustin May Under 5.5 Ks (-145) ✅ / The UNDERground Lab

• T. Stephenson & S. Steer Hit Parlay (+110) ✅ / Locksmith

• Oilers to Win the Cup (-120) ⏳ / Nuke Bets

2025 Record: 35-30 | +6.01u 📈

His changeup has also lost a little velocity and vertical break but just enough for hitters to catch on.

However, his slider remains elite and does well against hitters with poor plate discipline and lock contact outside the zone.

The Brewers are the opposite of that as they don’t chase much and are making contact when they do.

With the Brewers not looking for LD’s much, I don’t think the slider does much damage as we’re used to seeing.

His elevated four seamer will also make it difficult for him to throw the Brewers’ timing off with his slider.

• Going for the regression spot here. Let’s go 🤝

Santana is a switch hitter who excels at hitting lefties - And matching up against Wade Miley.

• Career vs Miley: 7-15 (.467 AVG), 1 HR, 2 RBI

Miley isn’t known for being a big strikeout pitcher (Line set at 2.5 tonight), and sees a LOT of contact each outing.

TJ Friedl is batting leadoff, and has been one of the Reds’ more consistent hitters (batting .292 this year).

While Luis Ortiz is holding lefties under .200 this year, I like Friedl to take advantage of this lefty/righty matchup.

He’ll use his changeup to rotate deceiver hitters and generate the GB (ground ball).

The DBacks have aimed for GB’s at home against righties and could make a lot of contact here IMO, especially with today’s heat.

Fastballs should get hit, changeup should see less movement, and his slider that causes the most K’s along with his fastball should see less break.

Median is 4, so the edge here is straightforward especially with today’s heat and the DBacks tendency to make a lot of contact.

Big Money, Bigger Moves: Underdog’s Path Forward After Series C

Back in late March, sports gaming platform Underdog closed a $70 million Series C funding round led by Spark Capital, bringing the company a valuation over $1 billion.

While the deal is no longer fresh news, the impact of that funding is still unfolding, especially for those in the betting community watching where the industry is headed.

Here’s why this raise still matters.

A Closer Look at the Funding Round

• Amount Raised (initial close): $70M, with the total round expected to surpass $100M

• Valuation: $1.225B pre-money—nearly triple its Series B in 2022

• Lead Investor: Spark Capital, making one of the largest VC bets on U.S. sports gaming to date

This investment officially gave Underdog unicorn status - reserved for privately held startups valued at over $1B.

For reference, PrizePicks’ latest funding round (March 2024) brought in $8.7 million.

Why It Matters to Bettors

1. Product Development on the Fast Track

Underdog isn’t sitting on this capital.

The company is actively channeling funding into:

• Building new betting features and fantasy tools

• Improving user experience through faster updates

• Hiring top-tier talent to keep product innovation moving quickly

Expect regular product enhancements, new betting markets, and improved user interface features as the company scales its operations.

2. U.S. Focused Market Strategy

Unlike many operators who repurpose international models, Underdog is built from the ground up for U.S. sports fans.

The company is already active in the following states:

With regulatory momentum building in more states, Underdog is well-positioned to expand further when the time comes.

3. Proprietary Technology = Faster Innovation

Underdog stands out as the only top-tier U.S. operator built fully on its own tech.

That means:

• Faster rollout of new features

• Less reliance on third-party software

• More control over the user experience and product roadmap

That’s good news for bettors who want speed, reliability, and evolving functionality.

Beyond Betting: Content and Player Safety

Underdog is also investing in original content and responsible gaming, aiming to be more than just a betting app:

• Media Moves: Multiyear extension with "Gil’s Arena," hosted by Gilbert Arenas, as part of a broader push to build a sports entertainment ecosystem.

• Responsible Gaming: Through its $1M GuardDog fund, Underdog is backing research and tools designed to promote safer, more sustainable betting.

Even months later, this Series C round continues to ripple through the industry.

For bettors that means watching not just where Underdog goes next, but how other operators respond to a better-funded, more aggressive competitor.

I’m a big fan of Underdog, especially when comparing it against other DFS/Pick ‘Em options. If you haven’t tried it out already, I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Upcoming on Building Bankroll

As NHL and NBA wind down and we head towards the yearly "sports betting winter" stretch, here’s what’s on the slate for future Building Bankroll issues:

• Reviewing an up-and-coming bet tracking software for rec bettors, pick sellers, and all bettors in between

• A sports betting fundamentals "whitepaper"

• Deeper dives on common (and uncommon 👀) betting systems, strategies, and modeling

  • (Think along the lines of our martingale deep dive)

• More of what YOU want…👇

What do you want to see broken down, analyzed, or challenged in future issues?

Whether it's a betting strategy you've heard about but never tried, a topic that confuses you, or something nobody's talking about - drop it with the button below.

Building Bankroll is about building smarter bettors, and your questions can help shape where we go next.