Mirage/MGM terminate phone betting in Las Vegas

[JackStraw+]

Received letter today. It's being cancelled before Superbowl. All this does is enable the
runners for Billy Walters and others to get better numbers. The books that offer phone wagering usually have the same numbers. If all the books that offered phone wagering in Las Vegas did what Mirage did there would be a big
increase in offshore sign ups. There is too much traffic on the Las Vegas Strip to shop numbers. Mirage is also incredibly stupid to
end phone betting before Superbowl. Who wouldn't want to book that action!

 

[wilheim]

Jack did'nt the Gaming Control Board heavily restrict limits on in-state phone wagering? Seems like I read something like that somewhere lately.

wil.

 

[scott]

Wilheim, phones have been closed for years now, for all intents & purposes. $2200 per day limit, thats a total of ALL bets. You call them and they must call you back by beeper or something. You can't just call & make a laydown. If you tried to give them your money, if you wanted to just get rid of it they would give you a difficult time. I get a headache just thinking of whats happened to a once great market.....ScottyS

 

[mvbski]

A few places have closed loop betting but they still have all those stupid resctrictions

 

[WildBill]

Especially when the pager didn't always work. Stations gives out a pager with scores and lines that seem to be updated yesterday. The dumbest thing the state regulators ever came up with those pagers. The reason why they were afraid? They thought some guy so desperate for action would set up some kind of call forwarding system where they could be in another state and have everything rigged so that it looked to the system like it was a Nevada number calling. They had agents that knew ever piece of specifications of the existing phone systems and found a way to beat them and acted like that was Joe Blow, gambling addict, or even worse Freddy the Fed on the other side of the line. Someone obviously didn't tell them that there were 100 sports books outside the country that would make it just a tad easier to do without a slow pager system.

 

[JackStraw+]

The pagers suck but with GCB approval you could bet more than $2200 a day. The fact is before offshores got plentiful there were people who took an apartment in Las Vegas and used call forwarding equipment from another state. This was before pagers and limits. If you ran a small book in NYC and could layoff in
Las Vegas you would do pretty good. Back in the old days customers would have six figure + in their phone accounts. You could call Mirage and bet 10 dimes over the phone. The Hilton also took big bets.

 

[soccerbob]

Jack- As Scotty said, phone betting just like all sports betting here has been banned for quite some time. MGM- Mirage shutting down their phone accounts is just like a Shakespeare play. "Much Ado About Nothing". They did little business as you would have to be off your rocker to use that silly pager. I laughed for three days straight when I watched someone try to make a bet and having to use that thing. I was rolling on the floor. I could have driven offshore and got the bet down faster than he did.

That's just one of the idiotic regulations that the Nevada Gaming Commission has come up with since Bobby Siller took over the top spot there. This guy is absolutely clueless. The only way this clown could find a casino is if the Wicked Witch of the West dropped one on him. Hey, I can wish. These guys sit around all day long and try to figure out more stupid rules and regulations for the entire casino industry here and all they accomplish is driving the gambling dollar elsewhere.

 

[mvbski]

The Horseshoe when Nick was there had the largest phone limits in the state you could basicly bet whatever you wanted to with Nick

 

[Horseshoe]

Exactly Jack, many offices(not all NYC) and many pros sprinkled across the country, were firing into Vaccaro's & Manteris' phone banks in the back during the late '80s/early '90s via this setup..lotta layoffs & lotta premium opening numbers at Mirage, plus lotta fat closing numbers at Hilton.

What year was it when it was rained-in?..'95 ,96 or '97?..I forget

 

[WildBill]

I remember when Stardust made you bet $200 minimum on the phones. Well maybe it was $100 but I can't remember. Now all the phone books want you to bet $200 maximum, or so it seems with their marketing combined with the regulations.

 

[Horseshoe]

MVBSKI, yes the Shoe had big limits, but often played favorites, and would unethically often freeze-out some people for a number(until it was gone), or decision to allow a play on a side at all, to give a competing pro that number(as usually the elite sharps were all racing for their numbers via phone), and the army of six-figured sport-chip carrying/earpiece-wearing runners(though the runners all helped each other(for their pockets) with info behind their bosses backs.

Chinaman, Tiger, Poker gang, and the seperate Billys' ruled that roost!

 

[mvbski]

Yes they did but that was per Jack's orders Nick did not like having to show them favortisim but what else could he do,Billy and his band of beards always got first crack at his numbers

 

[soccerbob]

mvb- I remember those days when the Horseshoe took huge action. On the phones and over the counter. I'll never forget the day that one of their big players known as "The Bridge Builder" walked up to the counter and bet a 4 team, 14 point teaser for $100,000 to win $50,000. You had to lay 2-1 on that bet which is way out of line but the guy didn't care what the vig was. I remember Nick took it and didn't even blink.

horseshoe- You're absolutely correct. There was a time where guys would set up phones in an apartment and use the call forwarding system and they could phone in bets to Las Vegas if they were on the top of Mount Everest. That went by the wayside not because of the stupid pager and the daily limit rule which did put a dent in the phone wager volume but rather when Las Vegas got out of the sports betting business. But at one time Las Vegas sportsbooks took big phone action.

 

[Horseshoe]

Yep fellas, and I would have to think that a few SB Mgrs would have to plead the 5th, if asked did they know that non-Nevada action was coming in?

[This message was edited by Horseshoe on January 17, 2004 at 12:48 AM.]

 

[mvbski]

Soccer I work'd in the racebook there almost ten years,the cash that flowed through there was amazing the two biggest bettors there was Carl Ichan and the guy that owned King World TV I cant remember his name but they were bigger than whales LOL.We were just about the only place in town that took teasers in the NFL playoffs and they would come out of the cracks to bet them

 

[mvbski]

Horseshoe I thought a runner was someone who didnt pay there bill in the restraunt LOL

 

[Horseshoe]

..I'm too full to run after a trip to Tillerman, Piero's, Celebrity Deli, or Cafe Michelle..ante-up.

 

[Horseshoe]

Yes, the KingWorld Bros are heavy players, and were always in town for NATPE week.