Working in Vegas

Brock Landers · Jun 25, 2003

Anyone who lives/lived in Vegas, ever work as or know someone who worked in the sportsbook industry? Even as a ticket writer..

I am wondering what possibilities there are in becoming someone like Joe Lupo for instance, race and sports book manager of the stadust (former i think).

Just curious!

winkyduck · Jun 25, 2003

i'm sure someone who lives there can give you a better answer - but i think it will be the same as mine.

vegas in 2003 is not the same as vegas used to be. corporations now rule the books - and all they really want is a nameless, brainless person who can change lines every so often.

the odds of you becoming the next joe lupo aren't very good. you will have to start as a ticket writer - ans odds are really good after a few months you will be so upset at it all - you will say f**k it - and leave!

MrKennedy · Jun 25, 2003

Joe Lupo !

I wan't to meet that guy when I am in Vegas.. a fellow Clevelander...

I gotta remember to take my book (The Odds) for him to sign.. I couldn't put that book down when I started reading it.

winkyduck · Jun 25, 2003

if you want lupo to sign the book - you'll have to go to atlantic city - buz he no longer works in vegas.

vegasguy39 · Jun 25, 2003

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by MrKennedy:
Joe Lupo !

I wan't to meet that guy when I am in Vegas.. a fellow Clevelander...

I gotta remember to take my book (The Odds) for him to sign.. I couldn't put that book down when I started reading it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Kennedy

I believe that Joe Lupo is no longer in Las Vegas. He is still with the Stardust Parent, but now works in Atlantic City.

TheOldBallgame · Jun 25, 2003

I don't live there but I have friends who do and work in sportsbooks. Writing tickets is a boring job, they're laying people off of the sportsbooks, not hiring.

vegasguy39 · Jun 25, 2003

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by winkyduck:
vegas in 2003 is not the same as vegas used to be. corporations now rule the books - and all they really want is a nameless, brainless person who can change lines every so often.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Winky

For a small player like myself, I love the Las Vegas Hotels. When I win ! I never have a problem collecting.

MrKennedy · Jun 25, 2003

Did not know that !

oldmantime · Jun 25, 2003

VegasGuy--Are you saying the hotels comp your room?

krackman · Jun 25, 2003

Lupo took a marketing position at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

I drove by the place this morning and the place is shaping up to be the first must see place in AC. Grand opening is in 6 days and I am looking forward to a Vegas scale casino. But with East coasters on both sides it will only take a few months before the place has the same fvck the public attitude the rest of the dump holes in AC have.

SteveMcGarrett · Jun 25, 2003

Brock,
Most places are just satellites, so you most likely wouldn't be moving lines if you become a supervisor. Also, most places will expect you to work and learn both horses and sports. Your main job will be customer service, keeping the customer happy as opposed to any real bookmaking. But, if enjoying talking sports and horse betting, you can make enough to get by, but you wont get rich.

Most places are just looking for people who are hard working and courteous. Do that, and you'll go far. I say, if you have no domestic responsibilities, i.e., family, go for it!

soccerbob · Jun 25, 2003

Brock- Forget about it. The sportsbook industry in the city has been dead for about 5 years. The hotels got out of the sports betting business long ago. And morons like Joe Lupo, Robert Walker and Art Manteris have played a big part in burying what was once a big business. Joe Lupo is the ultimate corporate d**k sucker. He has no guts at all and the dumpy Stardust has the exact same lines that every other hotel has. Lupo is a perfect example of a guy going pretty far in a corporation with no personality, no balls and very limited bookmaking and sports knowledge. A dive place like Atlantic City is a perfect place for him to end up.

All the sports books make sure they have the same numbers. They watch the screen and as soon as one place moves a half point or a nickel on the money line, they all move. So all the sports books want is a yes man to smile and impress the idiot tourists from Podunk that get a thrill out of betting 5 dollar parlay cards.

vegasguy39 · Jun 25, 2003

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by soccerbob:
So all the sports books want is a yes man to smile and impress the idiot tourists from Podunk that get a thrill out of betting 5 dollar parlay cards.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bob
You are too critical buddy. Personally, I am a ($50-$100) bettor. When I win, I have no problem collecting from Las Vegas sportsbooks. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for many offshore books.

Peace

WildBill · Jun 25, 2003

Bob is right, except for football. Still a ton of line differentials, especially colleges. The rest of the sports they are pretty much the same until 3:30 or so most days when the numbers will move on action. Football is another story, you can get 2 or 3 points sometimes by cruising around downtown and getting to choose between Coast lines (Plaza), Mirage lines (Nugget), Stardust (Fremont/Main St/Cal), Leroys (Golden Gate/4 Queens), or Horseshoe. It ain't quite offshore, but its not quite as bad as Bob thinks it is.

Agreed though, forget about a career here. The little secret is that unless you have a job like Lupo did, a true division manager type job, you make about 30-40k running a book and working about 60-70 hours a week.

ChuckSims · Jun 25, 2003

Sure, come on down to Las Vegas to be a ticket writer! Will you be bringing your own cardboard box to live in or will you find one here? Vegas sportsbooks just take up space this time of year. Caesars Palace has put up some futures on Lebron James. All sucker bets. Like Lebron's highest scoring game for 2003-04 season: 0-2 points at 500-1. He must play at least one game so you better hope he blows out his knee on the opening tip. To put up a bet like that makes you think the Vegas books think there is a sucker born every second.

[This message was edited by Chuck Sims on June 26, 2003 at 03:22 AM.]

WildBill · Jun 26, 2003

Hey Chuck, he could go live with the other gamblers in the dumpy apartments behind the Flamingo!

Ticket writers make about $7/hour when including the token tips, but at least if you pick the right casino you get the freebie dealer grub. Someone who worked at the Frontier for awhile swore it was nothing more than leftovers from the buffet. How gross is that? I used to sneak into the dealer spread at the Mirage on occasion and it was actually better than anything I would cook. Pretty sad when your job selection comes down to figuring out who has the best free food. In other words find another career...

TIGER · Jun 26, 2003

There goes a dream......

Brock Landers · Jun 26, 2003

A friend of mine is a floor supervisor at the Harrah's casino poker room in East Chicago, Indiana. He is thinking of making the move to Vegas and possibly the Mirage where he has a contact. Seems that sort of a position will pay min 60,000 a year.

WildBill · Jun 26, 2003

Uh maybe if the company is structured to where its truly and executive position, which is to say at maybe 5 places in town someone could make that much. But think of the odds, you have about 20 employees in a book and usually its the guy with the good education credentials that doesn't know beans about a book before he works there a year and then gets promoted. If you want to make money, go work somewhere else in the casino. As in everything in life there is a simple motto, its called FOLLOW THE MONEY and I got news for you, it ain't in the sportsbook! At a nice joint there probably are 10-20 guys that manage in the pit plus a handful of others that manage the slot floor that make more than the guy who is completely in charge of the sports book. Its all about the money you generate for the casino and the book isn't generating it. The guys that make good money do so because they are good at cultivating players either from the marketing side or just in plain managing other aspects of the casino floor.

Poker room people make a little more money, but not much. If he is the lead manager or even second in charge I could see him getting close to 60k. Poker room at the Mirage actually brings in good cash because the management of MGM Mirage and Steve Wynn before that realized that a lot of serious poker players blow a lot of money in the pits and bring big spending wives who play slots. Most management teams don't realize that, but when you think about the fact that Bobby Baldwin holds a high position in the organization then you can see why its one of the few places that does give poker a good standing on the casino floor and pays its people better than most.