Casino City’s Friday Five: March Madness edition

8 March 2019

By Dan Ippolito

March Madness tips off next week, a time when there is nonstop college basketball for viewers, fans and bettors straight through the National Championship game on 8 April. This week, we go over places to watch March Madness in Las Vegas, William Hill taking over U.S. sportsbooks in a newly regulated market and in Las Vegas, a massive jackpot win in Florida and weekly prizes at Intertops. Let’s get it started with the jackpot: 5. Miami resident wins $708,405.33 jackpot After spending just an hour at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on 27 February, a Miami resident placed a $22 bet on a Dancing Drums machine. That bet ended up being the one that hit for a $708,405.33 payday. This slot machine is one of the winner’s favorite games to play and he is a regular at the Hollywood casino. He has been going to the casino since the opening in 2004 and usually is there about four times a week. “I woke up that morning and tended to a business matter, and had a feeling I would win if I went to the casino. After a short stop at Seminole Classic Casino to get a gift, I went over to Hard Rock and played for a little while on that machine, then switched to another one right next to it and went back to the first machine; and about three minutes later hit the jackpot,” said Antonio. He plans on putting a down payment on a house for his son and daughter with the winnings. 4. $240,000 in prizes at Intertops Casino Red Until 29 April, players have the opportunity to compete with each other for $30,000 in weekly prizes as part of the $240,000 Fairy Fortune contest at Intertops Casino Red. Players at the online casino can earn points when they play slots and casino games. Intertops Casino Red will award up to $500 each to the 300 players with the most points. The top 20 weekly winners will then go into a final draw for an additional $1,000 cash prize. “Some players play practically every day, others just drop in once in a while for a few spins,” said Intertops Casino’s manager. “This contest rewards frequent players, but we also give occasional players a chance to win with random draws every Thursday. Everyone that’s played so far that week can win those!”

Build your "Fairy Fortune" at Intertops Casino! Good fairies will lead you to your portion of the weekly prizes! https://t.co/nSGDRI322i pic.twitter.com/UyekWJQj3X

— Intertops Casino (@IntertopsCasino) March 5, 2019

3. Top 10 March Madness viewing parties in Las Vegas The two busiest days of March Madness take place on 21 and 22 March. There are 16 games played each day and are surely the craziest 48-hours in Las Vegas sportsbooks. If you are aiming to be in Las Vegas for March Madness there are a few places to keep in mind when you are out there. Here are a few: From 19 March to 8 April, Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas will have March Madness viewing parties that include live betting and plenty of beer. The rooftop bar with views of the Strip will also offer game-day food and beverage packages for up to eight guests from Thursday, 21 March through Sunday, 24 March. You can enjoy over 100 beers, including 36 choices on tap. The Book at The LINQ Hotel & Casino is another good choice. The new, 11,000 square-foot, "futuristic" sportsbook just opened last fall and features a "living room" style with couches, video games and 87 TVs, including what Caesars claims is the Strip’s highest-resolution LED video wall. An open bar and an all-you-can-eat buffet sounds like a pretty good day, with basketball on top of that. For $350 a ticket that is what is included for guests. If you wanted to go the more private route with a larger group, the VIP Fan Cave experience is the way to go. This is $4,000 for eight people and includes private seating, an open bar with premium bottle service, and the buffet. If a group has more than eight people, it is $250 for each additional person. From Thursday, 21 March through Saturday, 23 March at SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Umami Burger, Beer Garden & Sports Book, The Foundry and Paradise Lounge will welcome guests with party packages. There are several options for guests to view games at SLS Las Vegas, and they can even decide on one option one day and another the next day. So you aren’t locked in to one place at SLS and can bounce around for the first few wild days of basketball.

March "you know what" is going to be MADNESS. Wear your team colors loud & proud and cheer on your teams with low hotel rates and fun viewing party packages. Reserve now: https://t.co/9vy5gNcjxn pic.twitter.com/1hDKFDoZOO

— SLS Las Vegas (@SLSLasVegas) March 2, 2019

2. William Hill and Penn National Gaming to run M Resort’s sportsbook On Tuesday, William Hill and Penn National Gaming announced an agreement for William Hill to operate the race and sportsbook at M Resort, located about 10 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip in Henderson. The sportsbook operator will begin taking over the Henderson sportsbook in May. It will extend William Hill’s presence in Nevada to 115 sportsbooks along with the sports betting technology and risk management services it provides to Penn National Gaming properties in Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “We are excited to expand our partnership with our friends at Penn National to operate the sports book at The M. It is a fabulous property, serving the Henderson and Southern Highlands areas, as well as guests from out of town, and we look forward to bringing our market-leading product to these customers,” said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S. 1. Tropicana Atlantic City announces permanent sportsbook Yesterday, Tropicana Atlantic City Casino & Resort announced the grand opening ceremony of its new sportsbook with partner William Hill U.S. The ceremony is taking place today at 1 p.m. The new sportsbook will feature the most seats of any sportsbook in Atlantic City. The 5,000-square-foot space will be able to display up to 16 games at once. Since four games are played at once on the first two days of March Madness, it will allow everyone to have a good view of each game. There will be a total of eight betting windows along with 180 seats, both bar and lounge style seating. “We are thrilled to bring our guests more exciting experiences with the addition of our brand new sportsbook,” said Steve Callender, Eldorado Resorts Senior Vice President of Operations - Eastern Region. “This venue will bring a new level of fun and entertainment to Tropicana and truly sets us apart from the other sports books in the city.”

Take a very special sneak peek at the @WilliamHillUS Sports Book at Tropicana Atlantic City!

Featuring the most seats of any sports book in Atlantic City, VIP seating options, and the ability to show 16 games at once, you’ll never miss a second of the heart-pounding action! pic.twitter.com/2aaTGmJwUK

— Tropicana AC (@TropicanaAC) March 7, 2019

Casino City’s Friday Five: March Madness edition is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.