WILL VEGAS EVER GO TO REDUCED VIG IN FOOT'S AND BASKET'S ?

G.MONEY · Jan 9, 2004

I WAS JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE HERE THINKS THAT SOME BOOK'S WILL GO TO A LOWER VIG. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE, SO MAYBE SOME ARE, BUT I DO NOT THINK THEY ARE.

I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE A WAY OF GETTING MORE BUSINESS THRU THE BOOK'S. WHAT ARE THOSE IN THE KNOW'S THOUGHTS.......G.

THE SHRINK · Jan 9, 2004

ZERO chance...

Vegas wants to discourage sports betting so that their visitors will play the one armed bandits and other games where the house has more of an advantage...

Ken

mvbski · Jan 9, 2004

these days the books only purpose is for there casino customers they are not in the bookinmaking buiness anymore,there arent any real bookmakers there anymore anyway.They quit trying to attact buisness years ago

PO69 · Jan 9, 2004

No need to offer reduced juice! Bet would place about the same number of bets if the juice was 15% as they do at 9%. I would recommend that most hotels switch to a 12-15% juice on straight plays. You will still get just about the same amount of action. GAMBLERS NEED TO GAMBLE!

krackman · Jan 9, 2004

If most places had there choice they would charge more then the 110 now. It is really a joke out there.

wilheim · Jan 9, 2004

soccerbob · Jan 9, 2004

They could go to -120 on straight bets and the same rubes would be at the window two minutes before the game starts betting their sucker parlays. Las Vegas got out of the sports betting business a long time ago.

The sports books are there just as a part of the whole hotel-casino operation. They would be thrilled if they didn't write one ticket over fifty dollars all day long.

Las Vegas is a complete has been when it comes to gambling but the convention authority will still manage to attract forty million suckers to come here this year.

mvbski · Jan 9, 2004

Soccer,exactly what I said but you said it much better,but I use to refer to them as fleas

WildBill · Jan 9, 2004

You guys forget to mention that a lot of these people would be just as happy if you didn't gamble that much, but just spent your days in their high priced shops and eating at their high priced restaurants topped off by a night in a club with a $25 cover. When your day is done, you spend $250/night in a hotel room that used to cost about $100. Yes indeed it is true, Vegas really is minimizing gambling more than ever. They realize everyone has a ton of gaming options closer to home, they are now just selling the idea that why go to LA or NY on vacation or for a convention, come to Vegas and do your business, get your nightlife and foodie experiences and stay in a really nice hotel...and if you want to play the slots hey we still got that too.

bulldog77 · Jan 9, 2004

I remember when the Sands tried -108 on Football games for several years before it closed in '96. It didn't seem to help business much at all. (though I gave it much of mine).
They(the casinos) equate reduced juice to European(single zero) roulette. Single zero roulette reduces house advantage to about 2.7% versus 5.4% with typical American double zero roulette. The few places in Vegas that tried single zero to get more business soon discovered that it doesn't increase the hold at the table. The reason is that anybody willing to play roulette, and fight that ridiculous edge, isn't smart enough or doesn't care enough to know the difference betweeen the 2! Therefore, just keep it at double zero and screw the morons to the hilt!

bryan305 · Jan 9, 2004

so what if some of these offshore books decided to set up shop in vegas? From what I hear, it wouldn't be too hard to have the nicest sportsbook in town. That way they could get all the action in town with their reduced juice and have the online thing going on.

mvbski · Jan 9, 2004

Bryan,I seriously doubt that they could get licensed its not like offshore you just dont roll into town and open shop

Buffalo66 · Jan 10, 2004

WildBill, my impression is that the hotel rooms and food in Vegas are generally cheaper than at other tourist destinations because they are partially subsidized by the gambling.

The gambling sucks in Vegas anymore (what with the 6-5 blackjacks and double zero roulette etc.), but I always generally liked the food and the relatively cheap rooms, even at the nicest places on the strip.

Fishhead · Jan 10, 2004

When I worked at the Sands as a supervisor/oddsmaker, we offered -108 vig on football and basketball.

So it has been offered, even BEFORE offshore attempted it.

WildBill · Jan 10, 2004

Vegas is no longer any cheaper than the rest of the country. It used to be and at special slow times it can be, but go there almost any weekend and you won't get a decent room for under $125. You can stay at the cheaper places off the strip, but then again you could stay in a motel in any other city as well. The old food teasers, the cheap prime rib and such are almost gone. The buffets are all much more expensive now, although if you do eat a lot not a bad value. The focus though for new hotels and new restaurants is very high end. Sad but there just isn't anything in the budget category on the Strip south of the Frontier. No wonder so many people pack into Dennys there at the Casino Royale...

Railbird · Jan 10, 2004

There is a sportsbook that charges 105 on Thursdays or Fridays, I think the Hilton

tuleythetout · Jan 10, 2004

This past season...
Aladdin had -105 on Mondays
Caesars/Hilton/etc. had -105 on Thursday
MonteLago had -105 on Wednesdays and Thursdays

Stations had 14-5 on two-teamers and 6.5-1 on three, etc. on Fridays

So, promos like that could be found if you kept eyes/ears open...but certainly far and few between.

Fishhead · Jan 11, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FISHHEAD:
When I worked at the Sands as a supervisor/oddsmaker, we offered -108 vig on football and basketball.

So it has been offered, even BEFORE offshore attempted it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

By the way, this was a 24/7 offering.

Adding to the list, Circus Circus offered free half points on NFL and NCAA football one night a week.

mvbski · Jan 11, 2004

The Sands was the first book in Vegas to offer rebates on horse racing to,That fish guy is pretty smart

Fishhead · Jan 11, 2004

MvB-

I had very little to do with the RACE side of the book.

The thing I will always remember from those racing rebates was the ability it offered to track a players play on the computor because they had to give a slot card to the writer before betting, thus allowing to show EVERY bet they placed and how much they won or LOST.

I kid you not. Of the 200-300 players that had wagered at LEAST $500, I think there were 2-3 that showed a profit.

ANYBODY that beats horses, my hats off to them.