I don’t know if you have this in the UK, but since it was mentioned on your facebook wall, I thought I’d make an entry out of it. Aside from the buffet tables, it’s probably the most likely place you’ll find me in Vegas. Sportsbook is a portmanteau of the words “sports gambling” and “booking”, so as probably have already realized, it’s an area within most Vegas hotels (and casinos in other establishments) where sports bets can be placed. They’re usually in a semi-enclosed area with multiple large screen tvs with odds of a number of sports matches placed on the walls. Generally, most bets start from around $5, although it probably depends on the Casino, and various types can be made. My favorite are parlays – you select the outcome of a number of games (against the spread; in other words, you aren’t betting for the straightforward outcome, but against the outcome with of a match in which the underdog is given an allotted point advantage. For example, if the spread is –7/+7, the underdog can lose by 6 points and still beat the spread/win.) If all your games in your parlay are accurately predicted, you receive a payoff according to the number of bets you placed (a 3 game parlay yields a 6:1 payoff, for example). There are also, of course, straight up bets, and over and under bets (in which you predict whether or not the combined score of the two teams go over and other the amount that has been predicted at the sportsbook). A “push” describes a bet when neither side wins, in which case you are returned your original wager. I love sportsbooks cause they’re a fun place to just hang out, talk, and watch multiple matches. Even if you don’t know the others in the sportsbook, there’s an automatic camaraderie developed between you and others cheering for the same team, and the atmosphere in a closely contested game is almost as exciting as being in the game yourself. The fun is also enhanced by the (normally scantily clad) hostesses that walk around taking orders for free drinks. The drink menus are usually quite limited, and aren’t exactly free in that they require a tip, but still, an enjoyable touch. Quite often while I’m in Vegas, my schedule is oriented around the sportsbook, in that I wake up early to check the odds/place bets, and when I’m not sitting in a sportsbook watching games that are in progress, I’m running around from casino to casino checking the game scores. So I apologize in advance, but hopefully you’ll fall for the excitement of sportsbetting as well.
