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Since officially launching on February 15, The Gaming Juice has provided bold, fun and free betting advice in a wide variety of sports along with weekly wisdom during fantasy football season. We appreciate all of our readers who’ve come to the site for wagers ranging from boxing to the WNBA.
It was a memorable year in sports and sports betting. The Gaming Juice writers compiled their standout individual picks of 2024 — the best and the worst.
What were your best (or worst) bets of the year? Share them in the comments!
Best picks of 2024
Best WNBA bet — Caitlin Clark +340 to record 1+ 3-pointer in every 2024 WNBA regular-season game and to play 28+ regular-season games
Ben Wittenstein: Luckily for us, the ‘books underestimated the greatness of Clark before the season, so I was able to cash in — but not without some sweaty moments. In Clark’s second game, she only hit one of seven 3-point attempts and she made that lone 3 at the end of the third quarter. That truly would’ve been a terrible way to lose this bet. However, Clark came through, and I’m pretty proud of this pick, especially because I didn’t see anyone else giving out this exact bet for her rookie season.
Best golf bet — Xander Schauffele +1400 to win the PGA Championship
Nate Jacobson: People who have been betting golf for years know the frustrations of betting Schauffele to win outright tournaments. His statistical profile looks like one of a prolific winner, but he has so many near misses in majors throughout his career. Those final-round struggles are one of the reasons I would stay away from betting Xander to win because he was often priced as one of the tourney favorites. For the PGA Championship at Valhalla, I decided now was Xander’s time to break through after he was chased down by Rory McIlroy the previous Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship. Schauffele went on to win by shooting 21-under-par, which was the lowest score to par in major championship history. He won another major two months later at The Open Championship (a victory which I didn’t bet), but it felt good to be on his first major title in what I expect to be a very decorated career.
Best soccer bet — Jamal Musiala +600 to be Germany’s top goal scorer at Euro 2024
Nate Jacobson: Soccer isn’t a sport I have much experience betting on, but I did my homework for The Gaming Juice’s Euro 2024 previews and predictions. This prop ended up being a +300 bet because I split my unit into two wagers at +600 on Musiala and fellow wonderkid Florian Wirtz to lead Germany in scoring. Being a novice observer of the German Bundesliga, I knew Musiala and Wirtz would be key attacking pieces if the host country was going to make a run in the tournament. I got a perfect start to the bet with Wirtz and Musiala both scoring within the first 20 minutes of Germany’s 5-1 thrashing of Scotland to open the Euros. Musiala added a goal in the group stage against Hungary and took the team lead in a round-of-16 match against Denmark. Wirtz scored a crucial goal to force extra time in a classic quarterfinal match against Spain, but Germany lost after 120 minutes to secure the bet on Musiala.
Best college football bet — Vanderbilt -130 to go OVER 3 total wins
Ben Wittenstein: The legend of Diego Pavia continues! My sweet, sweet Diego brought his unmatched enthusiasm and quick legs to lead Vanderbilt to a 7-6 record, including a 35-27 Birmingham Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. I’d love to say I saw all of that coming, but realistically, I thought four wins would be the maximum for the Commodores. Instead, they knocked off Alabama, came within a field goal of beating Texas and took down Kentucky and Auburn both on the road. Clark Lea has Vandy rolling, and I’d like to think I played a small part in the ‘Dores’ success, too.
Best fantasy football prediction — Bo Nix's rookie season breakout
Brad Evans: There were a number of betting wins this calendar year, but incorporating all gaming takes, forecasting the Broncos rookie quarterback to greatly exceed expectations was probably this idiot’s best. Nix’s accuracy, multidimensionality and chemistry with Courtland Sutton have paid dividends in fantasy circles (and for Sean Payton). Teetering on the QB1 overall production line in 12-team leagues, the former Oregon Ducks star has turned a massive draft-day profit. Back in August, he was essentially a penny stock as his 184.61 ADP (QB29) suggested. Even better, those riverboat gamblers who sprinkled a little action on his +1100 Offensive Rookie of the Year odds are hoping to cash a ticket. Washington’s Jayden Daniels, however, might have something to say about that. Still, we’ll take the victory lap on a player most fantasy prognosticators considered an afterthought.
Best college football bet — Oregon +250 to win the Big Ten
Nate Jacobson: After I spent months of preseason preparation for college football betting, it felt very rewarding to be right about the only FBS team to finish the season undefeated. The Ducks started slow, but they figured out some offensive line issues by Big Ten play and unleashed their offense in a home upset over Ohio State. Oregon coasted the rest of the season with a spot in the Big Ten championship game and caught a break in the final week of the regular season when the Buckeyes were shocked by Michigan to put Penn State in the conference title game. The Ducks closed as about a field goal favorite in that game, and I never considered a hedge because of my confidence in quarterback Dillon Gabriel and head coach Dan Lanning to finish the job in a new conference. Oregon went on to win 45-37 to lock up the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and cash my conference future.
Best NFL bet — Raiders +190 to finish fourth in AFC West
Joe Lago: Talk about easy money. First-year general manager Tom Telesco set up the Raiders to fail by 1) not re-signing Josh Jacobs, 2) chickening out on drafting a franchise quarterback and 3) not devoting significant salary-cap space to upgrading the offensive line. Half-measures get you nowhere in the NFL, and that’s exactly what happened to Las Vegas, which was never going to compete in the AFC West with two incapable QBs in Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell trying to execute plays scripted by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy (who was fired after nine games). A defense devastated by injuries — including defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the team’s key addition in free agency — ensured that this futures wager would hit.
Best NHL bet — Opening night wagers on Panthers and Connor Bedard
Brandon Velaski: My best bet of 2024 came on opening night when Florida (first-period spread -0.5 vs. Boston, +145) didn't let me down in the first period. Also, Bedard (OVER 2.5 shots on goal at Utah, -155) not only hit his SOG prop but went over the 3.5 alt line, which I also recommended to jump on.
Worst picks of 2024
Worst soccer bet — USMNT -130 to reach Copa America quarterfinals
Joe Lago: It doesn’t get much worse than putting your trust in Gregg Berhalter. Last summer’s South American championship played in the United States was going to be the only meaningful competition to test the U.S. men’s national team’s readiness for the 2026 World Cup on North American soil. The Americans’ Copa America chances — and Berhalter’s hopes of keeping his job — both imploded after Tim Weah’s red card in a shocking collapse against Panama sent the USMNT’s tournament spiraling. At least I was right about how USA’s failure to advance from the group stage would lead to Berhalter’s dismissal.
Worst college football bet — Rutgers -4 vs. UCLA (-110)
Ben Wittenstein: Honestly, this is what I get for spending my time and money on Rutgers football. You would’ve thought that a cross-country trip after playing Oregon and Penn State would’ve been enough to decimate UCLA’s spirit, but nope! All the Bruins apparently needed was to play Rutgers. So instead of the Scarlet Knights winning by more than four at home, they lost by three and helped kickstart a three-game winning streak for UCLA. Who would’ve thought? Clearly, not me.
Worst NHL bet — Rangers OVER 3.5 goals at Capitals (+110)
Brandon Velaski: My worst bet of 2024 came courtesy of the Rangers when I was hooked by their inability to score a fourth goal at Washington. In the 5-3 defeat, they also had the audacity to lose on the puck line instead of cover the 1.5 like I mentioned.
Worst college basketball bet — UConn +155 to win the 2024 Maui Invitational
Brad Evans: This -EV bettor registered many laughable losses in 2024, but this one no doubt takes the cake. Yep, a gashing Maui owie. Entering the 2024-25 college basketball season, the reigning national champions were widely believed to be a contending team. Based on UConn’s incredible draw in Feast Week’s top event, I immediately fired off a ticket on Danny Hurley’s Huskies to mush through the field. The exact opposite occurred. They finished dead last, dropping all three games in spectacular fashion. UConn was inept and mostly uncompetitive and looked like a shell of the team many anticipated would vie for another national title. Of course, there’s an eternity to go this season, but the Huskies’ face plant still has this buyer wiping egg yolks from the eyes.