Locals flock to new Las Vegas sports book, Fiesta Henderson
August 23, 2006
As sports bettors continue to get the worst of it in the turbulent offshore world, with tens of thousands of players stuck with balances at sportsbooks which may never settle accounts, there is one group that is sitting in the catbird seat: Las Vegas punters.
Amidst criticism that the city's books shun wiseguys and that comp drinks are becoming an endangered species, at least the hordes of casual and recreational players can make their plays in comfort and with confidence of getting paid. In some casinos, sports bettors are valued customers whose business is eagerly sought.
Surprisingly, the most vigorous courtship of sports bettors is conducted not by the neon-studded casinos on the Vegas Strip, but by the locals-oriented emporiums whose bean counters realize a robust bottom line is one that capitalizes on repeat business. Diligently wooing regulars who have a natural affinity for action, the bet shops concentrate their marketing efforts on a demographic that needs little prompting to put their money where their mouth is.
Outpacing their Vegas competitors is ubiquitous Station Casinos and its race and sportsbook director Art Manteris. "We intend to service this market with the best product not only in the state, but in the world," he stated. That means refurbishing and redesigning the books in all of its current locations, as well as creating world-class facilities in new casinos, which are currently on the drawing boards.
Manteris acknowledged that upgrading these amenities is an ambitious and costly undertaking, but said it is a top priority. "We value this market and want to be their first choice when it comes to selecting a race or sportsbook."
Station Casinos operates more sportsbooks than any other entity in Las Vegas. Under its various brands, a total of 15 locations offer wagering on sports. All are full-service operations with a comprehensive betting menu, a wide variety of parlay cards, contests for both low- and high-end bettors, and competitive vig. Books at its larger hotels offer ample seating areas with enough TV monitors to display all the early NFL games on Sundays.
The gaming giant recently launched major sportsbook expansions in three of its properties -- Fiesta Henderson, Green Valley Ranch and Santa Fe Station. The sportsbook at Fiesta opened, and the racebook begins taking action August 25. GVR is slated to be finished in October, and the new book at Santa Fe is due to open by late 2006.
The new race and sportsbook is part of a $70 million expansion at the Henderson casino. Seating has increased to 137 from eight, and the upgraded facility is described by race and sports manager Dan DeMeglio as "a functional, comfortable and easily accessible place to bet on sports and horses." Directly behind the book is a spacious sports lounge with a full complement of TV screens.
In order to fully accommodate bettors and accurately track their action, player cards from different brands -- Amigo cards from Fiesta properties and Boarding Passes from the other Station Casinos -- are being integrated.
Betting limits are 20 dimes on the NFL and $5,000 on college sides. "We'll take limit bets from anyone," said Manteris. However, he cited regulatory prohibitions against messenger bettors and beards, who put in action for professionals and syndicates.
The red flag goes up on players sporting beepers, cell phones and clipboards. Enforcing regulations is mandatory and not discretionary, since a shop can be fined -- or the book's license can be revoked -- if it is lax in taking action against violators.
"As a publicly traded company, it is essential that we err on the side of caution," Manteris noted. "Having said that, let me point out that we have always had high limits, and our casino players can go far beyond the normal limits," he added.
Back in the 1980s and '90s, Manteris was the high profile race and sports vice president for the Hilton properties. He zealously guarded the books' bottom lines and, fairly or unfairly, acquired a reputation for taking a hard line against professional bettors.
The sports betting exec is well aware that many wiseguys consider him their nemesis. He accepts the barbs and criticism as simply coming with the territory, but insists that he is highly selective in refusing action.
He noted that recently when listening to a local sports talk show that mentioned talking on cell phones is prohibited in sportsbooks, a listener phoned in to say that the ban was "the Art Manteris rule." But the notion that Manteris is responsible for fostering that regulation is nothing more than urban legend.
"It is simply not true," he emphasized. "The ban on cell phones in the books was initiated by regulators without input from me or any race and sports execs. It was not a good rule, since it targeted anyone who was simply in possession of a cell phone." Given their popularity, enforcement was impractical and could cause unnecessary problems.
"So Vince Magliulo, who was at Caesars Palace, and I went to the Board to try to get the ban on cell phones in the books lifted," Manteris noted. "It was a struggle, until they finally agreed that the phones would be permitted, but that talking on one in a race or sportsbook would be prohibited. That is where it stands today. I have tried to get regulators to further modify the rule and restrict only conversation that involves transmitting information from the book … but no luck."
Meanwhile at Fiesta Henderson, DeMeglio noted that with an attractive new book that can handle a much larger crowd than previously, the object is to draw in new bettors, not cannibalize other Station properties. "We're looking to be the players' home-town sportsbook and be part of the Henderson community. Already we're getting in lots of new faces. As long as we increase what we write, the win will take care of itself."
Et Tu, Nick. The tout industry just got a little classier as a new 'capper has entered the fray. However, the following should not be construed as an endorsement, but rather as a commentary on the marketing approach of the new entry.
We recently received a mailer that announced Nick Bogdanovich is now selling his picks. For the uninitiated, Nick is a popular and respected ex-bookmaker who ran several top shops in Vegas: Binion's Horseshoe, Stratosphere, Mandalay Bay and Golden Nugget.
His last gig at the Nugget ended because the casino was acquired by a corporate group that did not wish to emphasize sports betting, and thus had no need for a top-of-the-line bookmaker. So Bogdanovich entered a few handicapping contests -- which he won -- and kept body and soul together by betting.
It became apparent that he was not likely to get another shot at running a Vegas book, or be offered a position commensurate with his experience and high-limit approach.
The town has lots of sportsbooks but only a handful of hubs, which are the nerve centers for all the shops in an organization. Consolidation in Sin City has dramatically reduced the number of competitors. For instance, Harrah's, which was once a single entity, now controls the Flamingo, Rio, Caesars Palace as well as Bally's and Paris.
So, selling picks would seem to be a natural segué for a man who wishes to capitalize on his reputation and stay in the business, so to speak. And the marketing brochure he sent out ranks as one of the best we've ever seen. It cites his credentials, and is written persuasively with just the right amount of braggadocio and salesmanship.
Full disclosure: we've interviewed Bogdanovich several times and have a very positive impression of him personally and professionally. Also, we competed against him last football season in Leroy's Money Talks football contest, which had a $1,500 entry fee. Our clash came in the semifinals when he bested us; he then went on to defeat Bryan Leonard in the finals to take home first prize.
Since we are friendly with many professional 'cappers who sell their picks, our policy is to never offer recommendations of any service or individual, for obvious reasons.
But based on Nick's past performance, it looks like he'll be among the sports services that are emerging as credible entries in the pay-for-picks industry. These shops eschew boiler-room tactics, making outrageous claims and using devious strategies to get info on prospects, who are then cold-called.
Despite criticism on many Internet posting forums, those services which are considered the worst of the worst -- for which the sobriquet "scamdicapper" was coined -- continue to flourish. Apparently a vast number of sports bettors are relentlessly gullible, and have a dysfunctional learning curve.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that it is most unlikely that Bogdanovich was the copywriter for the slick flyer announcing his service. So, let us hope that whoever he is affiliated with on the marketing side is a partner, not a rapacious advisor who manages the business in the traditional -- read objectionable -- fashion. In other words, we hope that the tail does not wag the dog.
-- Buzz Daly (EOG.com)
