During a trip to Las Vegas last year, I sparked up a conversation with one of the friendly Caesars Palace sports book staff members. The main topic of our brief chat was regarding the imminent take over by Cantor Gaming and how it would change the Caesars Palace sports book as well as the other sports betting facilities around town. He just smiled and said, “the deal fell through.” Great I thought – sports book comps (Total Rewards in this case) are still alive and the free refreshments for sports bettors? Still a go at Caesars Palace and its sister properties.
Well, the talk that Cantor will be taking over Caesars sports books is heating up again, and in a recent Vegas Chatter article, the date of January 1, 2013 is being tossed around as the date that Cantor “might” take over operations of Caesars Properties Sports Books, which include: Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Flamingo, Rio, Harrah’s, Bally’s, Imperial Palace, and Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall. A few of the aforementioned sports books could use a face-lift and Cantor is just the ticket for that, as they play no games in constructing new and shiny sports books in record time (Venetian is one example). However, I’m not too sure how the classic look of the Caesars Palace sports book could be improved by the corporate look of Cantor’s shiny red desks and glossy betting counters.
Venetian Sports Book by Cantor
Cantor would potentially operate over 16 different sports books starting at the M Resort at the south end of town and up Las Vegas Boulevard towards the north end of the Strip. As mentioned before in our blog, Cantor has brought a unique approach to sports books in Las Vegas with sleek décor, the best high def screens in all of Vegas, and the introduction of mobile technology and in-game wagering. What Cantor lacks is an adequate comp system (yes Cantor, people still feel that getting a free drink at the sports book is important) and quite frankly, customer service. Based on my experience at Cantor sports books that I have visited, there is still some work to do in the customer service department (slow and disinterested ticket writers, unfriendly sports book managers, etc.). They’re working on it, and hopefully getting there.
Caesars Palace Sports Book
Competition is good for everyone and this potential move will certainly decrease competition amongst sports books on or near the strip. This is just conjecture, but if the Cantor/Caesars deal comes to fruition, it would not be surprising to see sports book operator William Hill get into the mix and look at getting a deal done with MGM Resorts or another property on the strip. That would certainly lead to an overall consolidation of sports books on or near the strip, leaving only a few (LVH, Wynn, TI, Gold Coast) casino-operated sports books in and around Las Vegas Boulevard. I guess we’ll know in less than 90 days whether this is just a rumor or if less comps and less free drinks will be flowing.
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