CDC Gaming
Written By: Buck Wargo
Boomer’s Sportsbook and Caesars Entertainment each opened new sportsbooks in Nevada last week and are poised to open more in the coming weeks, including one that will target Idaho residents. At its February 11 meeting, the Nevada Gaming Control Board also brought up prediction market operators, which are not licensed by the state and are thought to have been used for Super Bowl wagers that were not placed with licensed books, contributing to the state’s lowest handle for the NFL’s big event in the past decade.
Boomer’s opened its first Reno sportsbook Friday at the Bonanza Casino, replacing one operated by William Hill.
Caesars Sportsbook extended its reach to the west Las Vegas valley by opening a sportsbook last week at The Resort at Summerlin. It replaces an operation linked to the South Point Casino.
The Board granted Boomers and Caesars, through Caesars’ William Hill brand in Nevada, tentative approval to open additional sportsbooks in the state. The Nevada Gaming Commission has the final say later this month.
Boomer’s will operate at the Grand Lodge Casino at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Stockman’s Casino in Fallon, and Club Fortune in North Las Vegas.
William Hill will operate at Barton’s Club 93 in Jackpot in the north of the state on the Idaho line.
With the addition of the three new properties seeking approval, Boomer’s will operate 10 sportsbooks since launching in August as the state’s only independent operator. There are plans to return before gaming regulators in April for two more licenses to operate sportsbooks. A 13th is expected to open this summer.
“This would be our first sportsbook in the Lake Tahoe area and a premier property in Incline Village and a great place to be,” said Boomer’s CEO Joe Asher.
It will be a staffed location with a betting kiosk adjacent to the counter. It will open March 1st after William Hill departs the property.
“There will be some construction work on the counter and a freshening of the area,” Asher said.
Asher told the Board the sportsbook is still offering a $250 mobile sign up, and claimed they offer better pricing than competitors.
Since opening its first sportsbook in Elko, Asher told regulators, “big picture, it’s going reasonably well, brick-by-brick and customer-by-customer, and I’m really happy with the progress we are making. I feel like we’re starting to get a little bit of momentum. With these new applications and ones pending with the Board certainly prove their appetite in the market. We just signed another contract, and we haven’t filed that with the Board yet and hopefully will soon. We look forward to continuing to build the business.”
Clarity Game Nevada operates the Stockman’s Casino, and its plans call for Boomer’s to have a kiosk-only sportsbook. Asher is a small owner in the property and said he has seen first hand the work that has been put into the casino. The sportsbook will open on May 1st after …….
