Casino City’s Friday Five: Vermont sports betting edition

On Thursday, Vermont debuted mobile sports betting, becoming the 29th U.S. state to do so. This has been in the works since December, when Governor Phil Scott signed the sports wagering bill into law. Before we get into those details, we have a few other top stories to focus on as well. Caesars Palace saw two jackpots land in a matter of hours, The Brook’s giveaway in New Hampshire resulted in a huge windfall for one local family, The Venetian Las Vegas unveiled a new loyalty program, and Circa Sports paid out huge numbers from its NFL contests.

Let’s start off with some winners on the Las Vegas Strip:

5. Two jackpot wins at Caesars Palace
Earlier this week, two Caesars Palace guests each won six-figure jackpots one hour apart.

On Tuesday, 9 January at 5 p.m., a guest left the casino floor with $130,500 after winning a jackpot playing slots.

Just one hour later, another player turned a $7.50 bet into $125,000 after hitting a massive slots jackpot.

Last night, two @CaesarsRewards guests won six-figure jackpots one hour apart, totaling $255,500!

21+. Gambling problem? Call 800-522-4700. pic.twitter.com/xPxsmXtJKy
— Caesars Palace (@CaesarsPalace) January 10, 2024

4. Mother-daughter duo scores big at The Brook’s New Year’s giveaway
Marian Olson, a New Hampshire native, won the grand prize of The Big Ride giveaway at The Brook on New Year's Day – a $50,000 check to use toward the purchase of any vehicle at a Enxing dealership.

Olson's daughter, Serena Beauchesne found herself holding the gift box containing the second-place prize of $7,500 in cash.

“We’re still in shock,” said Olson. “When we arrived on New Year’s Day we didn’t think we had a chance to win. I’ve never won anything like this. It’s so exciting and to see Serena win second place made it even more amazing.”

Olson plans to give the new car to her grandson, a sophomore at Keene State College pursuing a degree in education.

3. The Venetian Las Vegas unveils new loyalty program
In March, The Venetian Las Vegas will launch Venetian Rewards, its new loyalty program. Existing Grazie Rewards members will be transitioned to Venetian Rewards with their current earned tier and points honored.

This program will encompass both gaming and non-gaming expenditures, enhances earning transparency for slots, provides tangible and valuable benefits, and unlocks more ways to earn Rewards Points.

Venetian Rewards consists of Tier Points, allowing guests to progress through the tiers and Rewards Points, functioning as a form of currency.

Tier Points are not only earned by playing on the casino floor (slots, video poker, and table games) but also throughout a guests’ entire stay — accommodations, dining, entertainment, retail, and spa.

2. Circa Sports pays out $15.2 million in 2023/2024 NFL contests
Circa Survivor and Circa Million V came to an exciting close last weekend, where a record-breaking $15.2 million was paid out amongst the winners.

The largest prize pot of $9,267,000 was split between four Circa Survivor finalists – Circus Master, IndianaJet, Jax Jags and LAJoneser. All four winners finished the season with a 20-0 run, which earned them $2,316,750 apiece.

In Circa Million V, Saint31 took home the full season, first-place prize of $1 million and a coveted, handmade Circa Sports blue jacket. The Circa Million V contest came down to the wire as Saint31 and contestant RDLOWN were half a point apart at the start of the final regular season game.

Throughout the course of the NFL season, Circa Million V gave away a total of $6 million in prizes, including $500,000 to RDLOWN for second place overall, and $375,000 each for the third-place tie to Two Gun and LPCA.

#CircaSurvivor 2023 ????
2023 Winners

?? Winners: https://t.co/kt3TshDXFv pic.twitter.com/eALNGkx6LD
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) January 9, 2024

1. Mobile sports betting launches in Vermont
Yesterday, Vermont became the 29th U.S. state where mobile sports betting went live just in time for the NFL playoffs.

Last month, it was determined that DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel and Fanatics Sportsbook would be the three operators in The Green Mountain State and they started accepting wagers yesterday morning.

Online sports betting continues to spread all across the country and it shows no signs of slowing. North Carolina is expected to follow Vermont and launch mobile sportsbooks hopefully before March Madness kicks off.

According to the state’s Department of Liquor and Lottery, Vermont anticipates bringing in up to $7 million in revenue during the first full year of mobile sportsbook operations and between $15 million and $18 million annually as the Vermont market grows.

WHERE TO NEXT??? ??

Vermont just became the 21st state to welcome FanDuel Sportsbook! ? pic.twitter.com/bzHcPU0Kir
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 11, 2024