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March Madness Action in Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – As reported by the USA Today: "Who says Sin City lacks heart? Exactly 6,786 points have been scored so far in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and the hoops head-cases who crammed into the casinos' sports betting rooms here last weekend to watch opening-round games cared about every last one of them. Deeply. To the depths of their wallets.

"…So, no disrespect to San Antonio, the host of this year's Final Four, but the tournament already has a permanent spiritual home, where hopes, dreams, satellite feeds, point spreads, $9.99 buffets, high-rollers, low-renters and thousands of reuniting frat rats converge. The gambling-phobic NCAA may wince, but that home is Vegas, the neon asylum at the heart of March Madness.

"…'Who cares where they play the games? Here you get to see four games at once,' says Michael Kiffney, 30, of Arlington, Va., while waiting for Friday's action to begin in the Caesars Palace Race & Sports Book. 'Once we came here, we knew we could never go back to sitting in front of a TV somewhere waiting for CBS to take us to a game.'

"…Most of the country was confined to watching CBS cut back and forth among the 48 games played last weekend. But here, many of the area's 70-plus sports books (rooms for wagering on horse races and other sporting events) receive multiple television feeds via satellite, and they show nearly every minute of every game. On giant screens. And they offer cocktail service. And nearby access to 24-hour craps tables.

"…Nevada is the only state that allows wagering on sports other than racing or jai alai — a game like handball — so fans always have flocked to this desert oasis for prizefights, football bowl games and other major championship events.

"As the men's NCAA basketball tournament has grown into a national obsession over the past 15 years, it also has joined the ranks of must-visit weeks here.

"…The major sports books have added seating and TVs, set up auxiliary bars and expanded their hours for the tournament, and still there is overflow…"

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