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Full-Court Press
THERE was a time when most Las Vegas sportsbooks were limited to a single window at the independent betting establishments that dotted the desert landscape. Vegas’ comfy
gambling is evolvingIt's not that people didn't drop a C-note or two on baseball in the spring or football in the fall, while betting on the ponies. But most gamblers of that generation favored the $2 daily double over the $10 three-team parlay.
Even as late as the early 1980s, only a few places in this rapidly growing community saw the potential of today's palatial parlors that are now in nearly every major casino on The Strip. The Las Vegas Hilton and Caesars Palace were the first to build these gambling rooms that left you shaking your head in wonder.
Banks of televisions and colorful computerized boards stretched across the room like modern-day drive-in movie screens, allowing gamblers to not only bet on daily events, but to see the odds of the weekend football games -- college and pro alike.
Caesars installed comfortable chairs disguised as NFL helmets to lure alternative gamblers, who didn't find horse betting an attractive venture.
Unlike members of the older generation, who felt this futuristic approach intimidating, gamblers of the new-wave era weren't fazed by the myriad of options. Instead, they thrived on it, spending the week with fellow young guns discussing the hot picks and sucker bets with equal fervor.
Over the years, more and more casinos built bigger and better gambling halls that forced nearly every independent operation in downtown Las Vegas and on The Strip to fade from view. Why go outside in the scorching heat or the blowing dust to bet on something that's already in the hotel?
Wise guy hotel operators also built the sportsbooks next to the horse racing parlors to keep the action going at a fever pitch. If a young gambler stayed in the sportsbooks long enough, he might wander over to do a little horse trading with the men who served in the Great World War.
TWO decades after the Hilton and Caesars first showed everyone the way, today's sportsbooks are making further improvements. One is future betting.
Not so long ago, fans could wager on which team would win the World Series until opening day. There were few places that took bets once the ump yelled, "Play ball!" for real. That has changed.
At the Golden Nugget, you can still bet on which team will win the NCAA Final Four, NBA title or Stanley Cup. The sportsbook not only gives you what the odds were when they were first posted last summer, but the current numbers, too.
As an example, the Los Angeles Lakers opened on June 21 of last year as a 5-2 favorite to successfully defend their title. Those are still the current odds for the reigning NBA champs, but others have changed drastically.
The Chicago Bulls opened as a 75-1 favorite last June. They are now a 9,999-1 choice. Duke is a 12-5 favorite to win the Final Four. The Blue Devils' closest competitor is North Carolina at 5-1. The only team from the WAC on the big board is Fresno State at 100-1.
The Detroit Red Wings were the favorites last June to win the Stanley Cup at 9-2. But they are currently 6-1. The favorite is the Colorado Avalanche at 5-2.
What the books concoct to keep generation next in the building is anyone's guess. But much like horse racing was king back in the day, and the NFL is now, you can bet something different will come along to alter the desert landscape once more.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.
Email Paul: parnett@starbulletin.com.