Finding a spot where you can place a sports bet in Las Vegas is like locating a pineapple in Hawaii. There are countless betting parlors to bet on games while watching giant TV screens in rooms packed with (often degenerate) sports gamblers. But that just means you can get really picky about where you want to bet. We consulted famed professional sports bettor Bill “Krackman” Krackomberger on the best places to bet on football in Vegas. Here are his five favorites:
The Prop Shop
Do you enjoy wagering on which team will score first, the over/under on the number of completed passes, which running back will have the most yardage? If so, then you’re a diehard fan of proposition bets, and Krackomberger suggests setting up shop at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton), where loads of prop bets are always available.
Krackomberger says: “These are fun bets to make because they keep you in action. You may be out of the game right from the first play, but if you bet that the quarterback will throw for a certain number of yards, you’re in there until the end. Prop bets have a fantasy feel and keep you rooting for something.”
The Fan Club
Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo is TV superchef Emeril Lagasse’s fan-friendly shrine to Nola-inspired bar bites (like the Stadium’s fried oyster po’boy or andouille sausage-topped Creole Burger) as well as America’s favorite sport. The seating is stadium style, the walls are plastered with football memorabilia, and the screens rank among the most gigantic in town.
Krackomberger says: “Between fans yelling and the rising seats, you feel like you are actually at a live game—except you can bet on it. If you’re a sports fan, you’ll find it to be a really cool experience.”
The Chick Magnet
Anyone looking to meet attractive young women probably shouldn’t be hanging out in a sportsbook, which skews heavily toward aging dudes who like to gamble and watch football. One exception is the sportsbook at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which happens to be situated alongside the wildly popular Marquee nightclub entrance.
Krackomberger says: “On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, you have beautiful girls lining up, right in front of the sportsbook, waiting to get into the club,” says Krackomberger. “Go out there during half-time, and start chatting with them. They’re doing nothing but standing around anyway.”
The High Tech Take
Anyone can take bets on the outcome of a game. But the experience atHard Rock Hotel & Casino is considerably more high-tech. You sit at a workstation outfitted with a computer and small monitor, load your account with money, and gamble like a madman. Lines for the outcome of the game change as the minutes tick down—you can bet on who’s going to win right through the fourth quarter—and you can bet on whether or not first downs will be made.
Krackomberger says: “It’s like playing the stock market. As the game progresses, situations evolve and the odds change. You can keep taking different sides and different positions on how it will end.”
The Big Boy Betting Parlor
Caesars Palacemight be the best spot in town to bet big on football, mostly because of their refreshingly lax approach to taking large wagers. Go big or go home.
Krackomberger says: “I just bet $5,000 on a total there and they took my bet without any questions. I was surprised. Usually, for a total bet, sports books ask for ID. They want to make sure you’re not sharp and want to make sure you don’t have the best of it. Not at Caesars. I went there last weekend, and I’ll keep going back.”