http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sports-654303-vegas-march.html
A guide to betting in Las Vegas for March Madness: Even if
you lose, sports books are great places to watch NCAA
hoops
BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH
2015*03*14 20:11:50
The true madness that lies within the heart of March Madness, the annual
fixation that is the three*week NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, isn’t
inside any arena, nor in the tens of thousands of offices where otherwise
conscientious workers stare at TVs, cheering or despairing over how their
brackets are faring.
Ground zero for experiencing the tourney at its rabid, unfettered and
frenzied best – especially in the initial rounds, when 48 games are played over 96 hours – is Las Vegas.
Specifically, in the casino sports books all over town that are each transformed by the event from a surprisingly
sedate space into the hedonistic heart of the action.
It’s here, amid the smell of stale cigar smoke and the howls of utter frustration from thwarted bettors, that the
true essence of March Madness – gambling – is experienced in a delirium of sports wagering unfolding on
dozens of video screens in huge, communal spaces.
Think the Super Bowl is big? Las Vegas handles more than $200 million in legal bets during the tournament,
more than twice what is wagered on the average football championship, according to The New York Times.
This year, the peak pandemonium happens Thursday through March 22, with 63 Vegas casino sports books
happy to host and separate the unlucky from their cash.
Three destinations OFFER better*than*even odds for a good time
during this rite of spring, Page 3.
Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook
What’s in a name: Never heard of the biggest sports book in the United States? How about LVH? Still no?
How about, for decades, the Las Vegas Hilton? There you go – this is that property: Westgate is a Florida timeshare
company run by 79*year old mogul David Siegel, who snatched up the hotel complex last July.
The big show: Not only the largest room in Vegas – 30,000 square feet – this is the most important when it
comes to betting. That’s because most of the lines for odds on sports betting in the United States – as well as
the wildest array of proposition bets – originate here, coming from SuperBook Director Jay Kornegay. Beyond
that, this admittedly worn venue has the most seats and the most screens and attracts probably the hardest
hard*core gambling constituency in Las Vegas.
Nostalgia is what it used to be: The best entry to this monstrous cavern is to drive around the back of the
complex to park. Happily, Westgate’s iteration of the SuperBook is still guarded outside the glass doors by the
bronze statue of “The Mostest Horse,” aka legendary 1930s racehorse Man o’ War, which speaks to this
venue’s equal interest in the ponies as well as sports betting.
Drinks on them: Unlike the pricing insanity elsewhere, you can get a free drink voucher for as little as a $1
quinella bet on a horse race.
Healthy viewing: Next to the book is a new and fresh*feeling (and well*vented), smoke*free, 40*chair room
3/15/2015 Print Article: A guide to betting in Las Vegas for March Madness: Even if you lose, sports books are great places to watch NCAA hoops
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=654303 2/3
uncreatively christened the Ultimate Fan Cave.
Final score: The closest thing to a guarantee of a good time, even if all your wagers crap out. The big,
boisterous betting clientele, fueled with drinks, makes this sports book the undisputed everyman’s experience in
town.
Information: westgateresorts.com
Wynn Race & Sports Book
Heaven knows: If you are a sports bettor, this is what you might hope to find beyond the pearly gates. Steve
Wynn’s upscale touches elevate the proceedings here. From the design flourishes of light to dark brown
paneling, rich, multihued carpeting and bright yet discreet lighting, this is easily the classiest betting space on
the Strip. Even if the bets are not paying off as the day goes by, the ambiance certainly won’t further darken the
mood.
But is that a good thing? As clearly the most attractive sports gambling cathedral in Vegas, the question is
whether there is cheering in church. Some books combine nice with noisy. But here it’s hard to picture a fan
with Kentucky in a parlay bet, seeing the Wildcats pushed into overtime and letting loose the uncouth scream of
frustration this scenario would require.
Pals: A slight drawback to the seating arrangement – each of the 100 cubicles has a 15*inch screen and a
comfy leather swivel chair – is if you are doing March Madness with a group. The cloistered cubicles feel like
solitary cells, with only betting slips for companionship. As an alternative, a nearby bar, with plenty of screens,
has a few couches and chairs to group around small tables.
A sobering experience: What’s the minimum sports bet for a free drink here? $200! One clerk, in a muted
tone, indicated that bets over $100 and a polite plea can sometimes score that drink on the house. In any case,
sip, don’t guzzle.
Final score: Like cheering a John Wooden UCLA squad or Duke in the ’90s, you’ll feel like a winner but might
miss the drama.
Information: wynnlasvegas.com
Red Rock Casino, Resort, Spa’s Race & Sports Book
Far from the madding crowd: Few tourists know about this Taj Mahal. One of Station Casinos’ chain of 10
locals*centric spots, it’s a 10.6*mile atmospheric drive off the Strip out West Charleston Boulevard. Just keep
eyes on Red Rock Canyon and the mountains on the near horizon, not the endless strip malls you’re passing.
Red Rock proves to be an homage to the proposition that viewing can be better for the bettor.
The ultimate view: A jaw*dropping, 96*foot video wall dominates this airy, high*ceiling room. This is anchored
by the two largest video panels in town, with each mammoth screen capable of being quartered down to
present simultaneous multiple games at a size that’s still epic. Twenty*three flat panels ring the large, airy book
on three sides, plus there are nearly 200 personal small screens in the seating section cubicles.
Itchy trigger finger: Massive screens during March Madness are only as good as the behind*the*scenes
programmer controlling them. A couple of on*site regulars said this place is satisfyingly sensitive to the viewer.
Screens change during key momentum shifts and the final seconds in close contests, meaning that when there
are heart*pumping upsets in the making, that game suddenly takes over the biggest screen.
Creature comforts: Somehow, Red Rock does it all in a low*key, unsnooty way. This makes it the Goldilocks
choice between Westgate and Wynn: In terms of all the creature comforts, it’s just right. Logistics are ideal – the
sports book is 50 feet from doors to the main parking structure, while less than 25 feet in the other direction.
The Wieners Circle snack bar allows March maniacs to scarf down a between*games gut bomb for $8.99 or
less.
Final score: A buzzer*beater environment worth the drive.
A guide to betting in Las Vegas for March Madness: Even if
you lose, sports books are great places to watch NCAA
hoops
BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH
2015*03*14 20:11:50
The true madness that lies within the heart of March Madness, the annual
fixation that is the three*week NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, isn’t
inside any arena, nor in the tens of thousands of offices where otherwise
conscientious workers stare at TVs, cheering or despairing over how their
brackets are faring.
Ground zero for experiencing the tourney at its rabid, unfettered and
frenzied best – especially in the initial rounds, when 48 games are played over 96 hours – is Las Vegas.
Specifically, in the casino sports books all over town that are each transformed by the event from a surprisingly
sedate space into the hedonistic heart of the action.
It’s here, amid the smell of stale cigar smoke and the howls of utter frustration from thwarted bettors, that the
true essence of March Madness – gambling – is experienced in a delirium of sports wagering unfolding on
dozens of video screens in huge, communal spaces.
Think the Super Bowl is big? Las Vegas handles more than $200 million in legal bets during the tournament,
more than twice what is wagered on the average football championship, according to The New York Times.
This year, the peak pandemonium happens Thursday through March 22, with 63 Vegas casino sports books
happy to host and separate the unlucky from their cash.
Three destinations OFFER better*than*even odds for a good time
during this rite of spring, Page 3.
Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook
What’s in a name: Never heard of the biggest sports book in the United States? How about LVH? Still no?
How about, for decades, the Las Vegas Hilton? There you go – this is that property: Westgate is a Florida timeshare
company run by 79*year old mogul David Siegel, who snatched up the hotel complex last July.
The big show: Not only the largest room in Vegas – 30,000 square feet – this is the most important when it
comes to betting. That’s because most of the lines for odds on sports betting in the United States – as well as
the wildest array of proposition bets – originate here, coming from SuperBook Director Jay Kornegay. Beyond
that, this admittedly worn venue has the most seats and the most screens and attracts probably the hardest
hard*core gambling constituency in Las Vegas.
Nostalgia is what it used to be: The best entry to this monstrous cavern is to drive around the back of the
complex to park. Happily, Westgate’s iteration of the SuperBook is still guarded outside the glass doors by the
bronze statue of “The Mostest Horse,” aka legendary 1930s racehorse Man o’ War, which speaks to this
venue’s equal interest in the ponies as well as sports betting.
Drinks on them: Unlike the pricing insanity elsewhere, you can get a free drink voucher for as little as a $1
quinella bet on a horse race.
Healthy viewing: Next to the book is a new and fresh*feeling (and well*vented), smoke*free, 40*chair room
3/15/2015 Print Article: A guide to betting in Las Vegas for March Madness: Even if you lose, sports books are great places to watch NCAA hoops
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=654303 2/3
uncreatively christened the Ultimate Fan Cave.
Final score: The closest thing to a guarantee of a good time, even if all your wagers crap out. The big,
boisterous betting clientele, fueled with drinks, makes this sports book the undisputed everyman’s experience in
town.
Information: westgateresorts.com
Wynn Race & Sports Book
Heaven knows: If you are a sports bettor, this is what you might hope to find beyond the pearly gates. Steve
Wynn’s upscale touches elevate the proceedings here. From the design flourishes of light to dark brown
paneling, rich, multihued carpeting and bright yet discreet lighting, this is easily the classiest betting space on
the Strip. Even if the bets are not paying off as the day goes by, the ambiance certainly won’t further darken the
mood.
But is that a good thing? As clearly the most attractive sports gambling cathedral in Vegas, the question is
whether there is cheering in church. Some books combine nice with noisy. But here it’s hard to picture a fan
with Kentucky in a parlay bet, seeing the Wildcats pushed into overtime and letting loose the uncouth scream of
frustration this scenario would require.
Pals: A slight drawback to the seating arrangement – each of the 100 cubicles has a 15*inch screen and a
comfy leather swivel chair – is if you are doing March Madness with a group. The cloistered cubicles feel like
solitary cells, with only betting slips for companionship. As an alternative, a nearby bar, with plenty of screens,
has a few couches and chairs to group around small tables.
A sobering experience: What’s the minimum sports bet for a free drink here? $200! One clerk, in a muted
tone, indicated that bets over $100 and a polite plea can sometimes score that drink on the house. In any case,
sip, don’t guzzle.
Final score: Like cheering a John Wooden UCLA squad or Duke in the ’90s, you’ll feel like a winner but might
miss the drama.
Information: wynnlasvegas.com
Red Rock Casino, Resort, Spa’s Race & Sports Book
Far from the madding crowd: Few tourists know about this Taj Mahal. One of Station Casinos’ chain of 10
locals*centric spots, it’s a 10.6*mile atmospheric drive off the Strip out West Charleston Boulevard. Just keep
eyes on Red Rock Canyon and the mountains on the near horizon, not the endless strip malls you’re passing.
Red Rock proves to be an homage to the proposition that viewing can be better for the bettor.
The ultimate view: A jaw*dropping, 96*foot video wall dominates this airy, high*ceiling room. This is anchored
by the two largest video panels in town, with each mammoth screen capable of being quartered down to
present simultaneous multiple games at a size that’s still epic. Twenty*three flat panels ring the large, airy book
on three sides, plus there are nearly 200 personal small screens in the seating section cubicles.
Itchy trigger finger: Massive screens during March Madness are only as good as the behind*the*scenes
programmer controlling them. A couple of on*site regulars said this place is satisfyingly sensitive to the viewer.
Screens change during key momentum shifts and the final seconds in close contests, meaning that when there
are heart*pumping upsets in the making, that game suddenly takes over the biggest screen.
Creature comforts: Somehow, Red Rock does it all in a low*key, unsnooty way. This makes it the Goldilocks
choice between Westgate and Wynn: In terms of all the creature comforts, it’s just right. Logistics are ideal – the
sports book is 50 feet from doors to the main parking structure, while less than 25 feet in the other direction.
The Wieners Circle snack bar allows March maniacs to scarf down a between*games gut bomb for $8.99 or
less.
Final score: A buzzer*beater environment worth the drive.
