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Buzz Daly: Sportsbook Scene

It's always satisfying when conventional wisdom regarding sportsbooks and their patrons, as dictated by casino bean counters, is flagrantly ignored.

That's what happened when the movers and shakers behind the Palms, the newest and glitziest casino in Las Vegas, designed the property's sportsbook. It defies the recent trend which treats sports bettors as marginal customers, to be either exploited or ignored.

The city's newest casino - put up by the Maloof family, whose first facility, the Fiesta, quickly became a locals' favorite - debuted Thursday night to a packed house, preceded by a Vegas-style VIP shindig.

We attended the gala opening, a by-invitation-only affair, that drew the likes of movie star Samuel L. Jackson and ex-jock Dennis Rodman, and Chris Webber of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. The Maloofs, it should be noted, own the Kings.

It should also be noted that our invite came as a result of a high roller from Phoenix, who couldn't make the opening. Our buddy Jan asked his local contact, casino host extraordinaire Bobby Garcia, to extend the invite to us.

And so we mingled with an eclectic crowd of celebrities, media and invited guests.

A more specific description of those assembled would include muscular dudes in black leather outfits, young trendy guys and distinguished looking older men, all looking very dapper in black suits; young women with big hair weaving through the crowded ambiance on stiletto heels, wearing short, skin-tight black skirts and dresses, frequently accompanied by geezers.

There was also more than a smattering of tastefully dressed older women who make up a vital part of a casino's marketing base, the slot brigade which play fairly high.

We hooked up with race and sportsbook director Marc Nelson, who proudly described his newest facility. We knew Marc when he ran the Fiesta where his managerial style was based on high energy and innovation. He promised that this race and sportsbook would offer more to the players than other shops in town.

The race and sportsbook, which has about 225 comfortable, modern-looking chairs, is a spacious well-designed amenity, rather than the cursory, Spartan accommodation plopped down in other casinos in recent years. It is conveniently accessed from one of the parking areas.

The book at the Palms is a standalone, which means it isn't connected to any other satellite operations. Nelson said his numbers would often be different than others around town because they would include opinion, and move on action, not air.

Limits are $10,000 on NFL sides and $5,000 on college football sides. Other sports, such as baskets and bases, will also have generous limits, and compare more with Strip books than locals shops, he said.

Nelson didn't have much time to talk as the crowd around him was getting deep, but we arranged for him to do a phone interview on The Winning Line later that night.

It turned out that Jimmy Vaccaro, who is featured on the show, frequented the Fiesta sportsbook on a regular basis when he lived on that side of town. Nelson said he recognized Jimmy on many occasions when he was in there betting.

There is no question that this new book will be a boon to most bettors, particularly racebook patrons. Now they can wager from where they sit. There will be 50 interactive player terminals which track bets electronically.

Bettors post up funds, get a PIN and are ready for action. Nelson suggested that none of these bettors would have any excuses for getting shut out of a race since they would not have to stand in line to wager.

A similar arrangement for sports bettors is more difficult to implement, but it is being investigated, said Nelson.

The race and sportsbook are rimmed by 17, 70-inch TV screens, and 20 smaller monitors. The space is divided among 150 racebook seats and about 75 in the sportsbook.

Nelson is a young veteran with the enthusiasm and smarts to really put this book on the map in Las Vegas. In addition to running the Fiesta, Nelson also put in a stint offshore, at St. Maartens, where he ran a walk-in sportsbook in a casino.

One disturbing note, which we hope is just our paranoia and cynicism showing: In the elaborate press kit which extols the virtues of the Palms, from its fancy restaurants to trendy dance club, state-of-the-art health spa, etc., there was scant reference to the sportsbook.

In the 10-page promotional supplement in the local newspapers, the Palms is described lovingly, rapturously and in hype-laden verbige, supplemented by photographs and display ads.

But only a miserly one and one-half paragraphs were devoted to the race and sportsbook, with half a paragraph mentioning the adjacent lounge and sports bar.

We hope this oversight on the part of the P.R. agency is not indicative of where the book and its patrons fit in the general scheme at the Palms.

We'll close by noting that we blended in very nicely with the crowd, which like all freeloaders descended with a vengeance on serving stations from the food court to fancy restaurants.

We cruised the expensive eatery section, sampling peel-and-eat jumbo shrimp and a frozen margarita at the Blue Agave Oyster and Chile Bar.

But since our time was limited, we hied ourself over to the fast food court where we indulged in a large and tasty helping of nachos, washed down with lemonade at Garduno's Fresh Express. Then a couple of slices of pizza at Pizzeria Regina. Our next to last stop was Panda Express where we scoffed down fried shrimp and egg rolls.

We departed carrying a cup of Ben and Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream smothered in hot fudge sauce, whipped cream and nuts. It was devoured before we reached our car, in the far end of the parking lot.

This place looks like a winner.

Our Face Is Red. After years of chiding Ken Weitzner, better known as The Shrink, for writing stories on his website, The Prescription, which we felt were off kilter for one reason or another, he has authored an extraordinary piece that takes to task the offshore industry, entitled, "The Ten Biggest Lies Told by Sportsbooks."

Anyone who bets offshore should find it informative and entertaining. He cites a litany of legitimate gripes and has the good judgment not to mention any books by name.

While some of the books' offenses rate more as annoyances rather than serious transgressions, they are committed, as The Shrink points out, by both reputable and disreputable shops.

He did put in a plug for his own site, which in view of the competitiveness of the Internet, is reasonable.

Of course, given the opportunity, we're sure some of the bookmakers could come up with similarly pointed material about the players, or even sites that cover offshore gaming.

Super Tout. Don Best Sports, which earned its reputation as arguably the offshore industry's premier line service, is expanding its horizons and is now offering handicapping information and services from Who2BetOn.com.

Who2BetOn president Lawrence Rabie, who runs the Toronto-based website, has ambitions of someday being the number one handicapping service in this hemisphere.

The aggressive entrepreneur realizes that such giants as Jim Feist, Marc Lawrence, Phil Steele, Wayne Root and Vegas Insider are not trembling, but with the uncalculated arrogance of a 32-year-old wunderkind, Rabie feels that is their problem.

Under the agreement, Who2BetOn will provide free picks, trend sheets and feature articles for the Don Best website and rotation schedules. Premium picks will also be offered for sale at the site.

As part of the arrangement, veteran handicapper Greg Daraban has joined Who2BetOn.

"This exciting new partnership will add value to our site," said Rick Allec, general manager of Don Best. "We could have done something similar years ago, but finally we have found the right partner. Who2BetOn has a solid reputation and the best handicapping content."

Sportsbook Scene is familiar with Lawrence, since one of his companies, Deezul, built our website. He routinely bites off more than it would appear he can chew, but his digestive apparatus is uncommonly efficient.

Of the partnership with Don Best, Lawrence said, "Our association with them is good for our clients and website visitors and is proof of our commitment to be the best sports betting portal in the industry."

What we find interesting is that despite the proliferation of tout/sports services, the definitive organization - as defined by customer acclamation, not self-serving pronouncements - has yet to be recognized.

Please send comments, questions, etc. to buzzdaly@aol.com.

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