Travel Agent - January 21, 2008 - (Page 50) DESTINATIONS L AS VEGAS SPORTS BOOKS Our insider’s report on where to go in Las Vegas to bet on, or just watch, sporting events IN LAS VEGAS, ALMOST ANYTHING GOES, and that includes betting on professional sports. In fact, it’s the only place in the country where wagers can be legally placed on such major sporting events as the Super Bowl, college basketball’s March Madness and the World Series. Most casinos have a sports book—a room or section where people can place their wagers and watch the games that are being bet on. An afternoon at a sports book doesn’t have to cost much, and it can be fun, easy and entertaining. “It’s the best bang for your buck you can get in Las Vegas,” said Robert Walker, race and sports book director with MGM Mirage, equating the cost of a bet with the price of a movie ticket. “It’s a great escape from the rest of the casino. You can get away and watch your favorite team play.” Nobody is obligated to do any betting: Walker says all his company’s sports books are open to everyone. Chuck Esposito, assistant vice president, race and sports book operations, at Caesars Palace, adds: “There is no place better to be than the sports book on a Saturday or Sunday. Caesars Palace opened one of Vegas’ first sports books BY GLENN HAUSSMAN Every seat is like being on the 50-yard line as you watch the game on a movie-sized screen. It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.” Be sure to tell your clients to get a space early. Our experts tell us that for big games like the Super Bowl people start grabbing seats early in the day. Esposito notes that people have been known to even camp out overnight in the sports book to hold on to the best seats. They’re able to do so because food and drink delivery to the seats is typically available. Sports books are generally divided into several distinct areas: a section with group seating, a cluster of tables where people can hang out and eat and drink, and rows of desks designed for horse race handicappers to watch events they choose on a small personal monitor. down or how many points will be scored in the first half of a game. The Caesars Palace Race & Sports Book is massive. There’s comfortable seating for 150 people to watch six screens measuring a total of 123 by 15 feet, as well as 16 fifty-inch plasma screens. There are also 120 monitors at seats, many with onscreen wagering information. The facility is able to air up to 30 different broadcasts simultaneously. For more information, visit www.caesarspalace.com or call 702-731-7915. MGM Grand Adjacent to Studio 54, MGM Grand’s Race & Sports Book is an elegantly curved room featuring 36 sixty-inch plasma TVs, eight 42-inch plasmas, six electronic display boards and 17 betting counters. The room can hold more than 100 people, but it might get tight on game day, so be sure to encourage your clients to arrive early. For an unforgettable afternoon or evening, suggest that your clients ask for one of the four Skyboxes. Ranging in size from 300 to 325 square feet, they hover over the floor, each equipped with the latest technology available, including plasma TVs, surround-sound audio and CD systems. Each can comfortably fit eight to ten guests. Caesars Palace Originally opened in the center of the casino in 1985, this was the city’s first modern sports book. Esposito says it’s also home to the firstever proposition bets—which are special bets on things besides the outcome of a game, like whether a specific player will score a touch- Bellagio Finely appointed, the upscale sports book at Bellagio features a bar with 32 flat-screens. Leather-clad seats abound in this low-key environment. Racing lovers will be happy the Bellagio shows races from 25 different tracks. There is a total of 150 screens, including 99 individual racing monitors and one large racing screen. Foodies will appreciate that they can get a meal delivered to them from any of the resort’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 50 | TravelAgent January 21, 2008 http://www.caesarspalace.com
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