Harrah's Entertainment CEO and President Gary Loveman is taking particular delight in the resurgence of the Boston Celtics this season, and not just because he's been a fan of the team since the glory days of Larry Bird.
Loveman, a Massachusetts resident since the early 1980s and a former associate professor at Harvard University, officially became a minority owner of the Celtics last week, just as the team equaled its best start to a season at 20-2.
A caveat to the deal is that all Harrah's Entertainment sportsbooks, including Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, Flamingo and Rio, have pulled Boston Celtics game off the board. This was a move that came as no surprise since the Palms casino, which is operated by the Maloof family that owns the Kings, has not accepted bets on NBA teams since it opened in 2001. Also, The Golden Nugget does not accept bets on games involving the NFL's Houston Texans because the casino's chief executive, Tilman Fertitta, has a minority stake in the team. And when Andre Agassi owned part of The Golden Nugget, the sportsbook stopped taking wagers on professional tennis.