Turns out the Internet has changed not only the real world, but the surreal world of Las Vegas.
Back in the day, Vegas sports books were filled with what the people behind the counters called public players. Loosely defined, a public player was someone who, when pondering what team to wager on, used his heart more than his head.
“In the ’80s and ’90s, that’s what we had – public players,” said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton sports book. “You’d have a guy in a Cleveland Browns shirt who’d say, ‘Gimme two thousand on my Brownies.’ That still happens, but it doesn’t happen as often as it did back then.”
The age of information in which we live has further strengthened the bonds of matrimony in what always has been the perfect marriage – gambling and football. Or, more specifically, gambling and the NFL.
Football in general accounts for about 45 percent of the action in Las Vegas sports books. Of that 45 percent, Kornegay estimates that 65 percent of the wagers are on the NFL, the rest on college ball.
Translation: The NFL, more than any other entity, makes the world turn in the Vegas sports books. Aside from the constant ding-ding-ding of the slot machines, there’s no sweeter sound to the Vegas bean counters than a horde of bettors putting the rent money on Peyton Manning.
While gambling on the NFL has always been a public passion, things have changed for the Vegas books. Bottom line is, the books have to work harder for their money these days. Why?
“Basically, because the players have the same kind of information we have,” Kornegay said. “Before, you had to dig to find information. It took a lot of effort to gather it. Now you just turn on your computer. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites out there filled with information.”
How thin is the line between winning and losing for the books? Consider this: Las Vegas sports books lost money on the NFL in 2004 and 2005. Sure, the fact that an inordinate number of favorites covered the point spread factored in. But the public had to be armed with information to jump on those favorable spreads.
“In our world, we’re dealing with more educated players than ever before,” Kornegay said. “These guys have so much information at their fingertips. If there’s a handicapping angle or a trend, they hear about it. Is there pressure on us? Sure, there’s some pressure. But we don’t really feel the pressure until the money starts coming in.”
The obvious question: What is so attractive about the NFL that entices so many people, inside or outside Las Vegas, to bet on it? Familiarity, for one thing.
“America cannot get enough football, whether it’s June or October,” said Kornegay, a CSU graduate. “That’s what we grew up on. That’s what we know.”
It’s more than that, though. The hype surrounding NFL game day is unmatched in the sports world. Part of it is simple math. While basketball and hockey play 80-plus games a season, and baseball twice that many, NFL teams play 16. The relative importance of every game, said Kornegay, creates heightened public interest.
And, of course, the media are always there to prime the pump.
“It’s the buildup,” he said. “The games are more meaningful because there are only 16 of them. And the kind of media coverage we have now is unbelievable. It’s just huge. It’s a whole event, the week leading up to the game. You have the recap on Monday and the injury reports on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, in the next couple of days, they break down the game plan and eventually it’s the next week’s game.
“The NFL has always been king, ever since the sports books became relevant in the ’70s. But all this exposure has generated even more fans.”
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
