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Vegas Sports Books Ready for their Big Weekend

LAS VEGAS — Lines of free-spending gamblers are expected to stretch well-outside of sports books by midday Sunday as bettors wager millions of dollars on the Super Bowl.

That much is clear.

What is less certain is where this weekend's game will rank on the scale of big-game money makers.

The favored St. Louis Rams are known in sports book lingo as a public team — one that's so popular with bettors that they'll place money on the team's games no matter the opponent.

But the New England Patriots?

They opened the season with one win and three losses, are led by a first-year starter and don't offer the betting appeal of a West Coast or public team. So in the days leading to Sunday's game, the Rams have remained a 14-point favorite, with little movement in the line.

"Right now we're still in the calm before the storm," Art Manteris, vice president of race and sports book for Station Casinos, said Friday. "A lot of bettors right now are in a holding pattern on this game. A lot of people are sitting back waiting to see what's going to happen with this line."

Many of those waiting and watching Friday were Las Vegas gaming bosses who are hopeful that this weekend's game will boost the city from its recessionary doldrums.

Executives from Caesars Palace to the Riviera to the Stardust say they expect hotel sellouts.

"This has been kind of a launching point for people to get back to normal," said Riviera President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Vannucci. "It's like everybody was waiting for something. I think the Super Bowl was it."

Stardust Race and Sports Book Manager Joe Lupo added: "New Year's and Super Bowls really set the tone for the year. I think it's really important we follow New Year's with a big event. It'll play into how things go for the next quarter."

Sports books generate as much as 5 percent of their yearly winnings from a Super Bowl, making it the biggest single event they book.

Last year's victory by the Baltimore Ravens over the New York Giants saw Nevada sports books win $11 million from a total of $67.7 million bet.

The most ever wagered on a Super Bowl at Nevada sports books was $77.3 million in 1998 when the Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers by a score of 31-24, although the books won just $472,033 that year.

The one-week period between the conference championships and this year's game has created something of an uncertain betting picture for casino operators.

Typically, the pre-game hype lasts for two weeks, but the Sept. 11 terror attacks led the NFL to push its schedule back a week, creating a seven-day run-up to the game.

"That's a significant issue with one week less to bet on the game," Manteris said. "It'll obviously impact the (amount of money bet), but I don't know how.

"When the tourists hit town Friday evening is when the money starts flying."

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