In addition to the cover feature, I’ve got a Green Felt Journal in this week’s Vegas Seven that takes us behind the scenes, into William Hill’s sports betting war room:
It’s 8:30 on a Sunday morning in October, but for the crew of bookmakers at William Hill headquarters on Grier Drive, just south of McCarran, the workday is well under way. Their business is overseeing the bets flowing in from sportsbooks from Whiskey Pete’s in Primm to Stockmen’s Casino in Elko, betting kiosks at PT’s Pubs and Buffalo Wild Wings, and phones and mobile devices. And judging from the mood, business is good.
Note: I was in the war room about three weeks ago, so this isn’t what went down last weekend, when the books had their worst day ever.
I’ve got to say I had a lot of fun writing this one. And the funny thing is that my time in surveillance still affects the way I think. When I saw that the story art was a photo of the war room, I felt this immediate panic–“Oh no! They let people see inside the room!” When I worked in CCTV it was taboo to let any non-CCTV person into the room at all, with a few exceptions. It’s an almost religious prohibition. But I guess that sports books are, indeed different. Still, I couldn’t help but think of “He’ll see the big board!” from Dr. Strangelove.
My ramblings aside, I hope you enjoy this little insight into what bookmakers do on Sunday morning.