Almost everywhere he goes, Jimmy Vaccaro wears a white sweatshirt, and not necessarily because it matches his hair. But a plain appearance belies his colorful personality.

Vaccaro, part of the Las Vegas sports betting scene for more than 30 years, jokingly refers to himself as "kind of an interesting guy." The truth is, his innovative ideas with football contests are making things much more interesting.

As public relations director for Leroy's sports books, Vaccaro kicked off Las Vegas' only college football handicapping contest last summer, and he's adding to the contest pile this year.

"The contests have a lot of life left in them if you get a little creative," Vaccaro said.

Aside from the numerous and often bland NFL contests open to the public at most casinos, Vaccaro is hosting two events for professional handicappers that are sure to attract attention.

The most intriguing might be a head-to-head challenge between former sports book director Nick Bogdanovich and professional gambler Steve Fezzik, presenting the public a chance to hear opinions from two of the sharpest handicappers in Las Vegas.

Bogdanovich and Fezzik each put up $25,000 and will make six plays for 12 weeks. The duel begins Sept. 8 and will air at 2 p.m. Fridays on KENO-AM (1460).

The long-running Stardust Invitational handicapping tournament met its demise, so the Leroy's "Money Talks" invitational assumes its place. With 16 handicappers each putting up $5,000, and Leroy's adding $20,000, the prize pool amounts to $100,000.

The event will take place at the Silverton and airs on KSHP-AM (1400) at 8 p.m. Fridays beginning Sept. 8. The field includes Jorge Gonzalez, Andy Iskoe, Marc Lawrence, Bryan Leonard, Al McMordie and Ken Weitzner.

As for contests open to the public, the Leroy's "College Challenge" requires a $250 entry fee with a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000. The first year of the contest drew 360 entries, and it remains the only major college contest on the market.

"I thought for sure somebody else would do a college contest. I still don't get it why the big properties don't do it," Vaccaro said.

"It does take work. But if you do it and do it fairly, you're going to get people to buy into it."

For nearly two decades, the Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest has been the most prestigious NFL handicapping contest. It has a $1,500 entry fee, and drew a record 505 entrants last year.

The Hilton has some high-end competition now from Harrah's, which is unveiling the "Glory of the Gridiron" contest with a $2,000 entry fee.

"We wanted to give the serious handicapper an alternative to the other contests out there," Caesars Palace sports book director Chuck Esposito said.

The Harrah's and Hilton contests differ slightly in their rules, but both involve selecting NFL games against the spread.

Esposito said the goal is 200 entrants for the Harrah's contest, which could prevent the Hilton from setting another record.

"It's going to be interesting to see if it affects us. I'm sure that could happen," Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. "It has been growing tremendously the past few years, and I've heard it through the grapevine that there are just too many people in the SuperContest now."

Coast Casinos, Station Casinos and the Palms are also competing in the market with NFL contests offering big-money payouts.

Station Casinos sports book director Art Manteris is running low-end ($25 entry) and high-end ($1,000 entry) contests to give players a variety of options.

Leroy's offers a free NFL contest, but the free contests at the Hard Rock and Stardust are not available this year.

Vaccaro said as he sees Nevada's sports wagering handle gradually increase each year, he thinks there is room for more contests.

Leroy's doubled the guaranteed payout this year in its college contest, and Vaccaro said he hopes to add $50,000 again next year.

"I think you're getting people playing multiple contests," he said. "My theory is, if you keep putting more money in it, it's going to help people to play."

Scouting the Football Contests

A rundown of this year's biggest contests offered by Las Vegas casinos:

COAST CASINOS*