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Sports wagering fixture makes $1 million Riviera comeback
There's nothing to chose between college and the school of hard knocks February 5, 2008 Leroy's Horse and Sports Place was a downtown institution in the 1970s and 1980s. The smoky stand-alone book in a rundown strip mall on First Street across from the Golden Nugget attracted gamblers with its liberal betting lines, singular commitment toward sports and horse-race wagering and its atmosphere. Portions of the movie "Casino" were filmed inside Leroy's. The strip mall has since been demolished to make way for an expansion to the Golden Nugget, and Leroy's has taken a different approach to business. Leroy's is now a subsidiary of American Wagering Inc. and operates Leroy's branded satellite sports books in 61 casinos around Nevada. But the stand-alone Leroy's is making a return, sort of. Crazy Leroy's has opened inside the Riviera. The 10,000-square-foot race and sports book features 50 high-definition flat-screen televisions, two dozen sit-down cubicles with built-in television monitors and a 60-foot by 5-foot, high-definition electronic reader board posting live scores and wagering lines. Crazy Leroy's also has its own bar and grill, with food and drink offerings that are a far cry from the snack bar and vending machines at its historic downtown location. "This will be Leroy's flagship operation in the Las Vegas area," said John Salerno, director of games for Leroy's. The sports book celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, just in time for the Super Bowl. Riviera President Robert Vannucci said the renovated race and sports book cost $1 million and was part of the company's $25 million overall renovation program inside the casino. Almost four years after acquiring Coast Casinos in a $1.3 billion buyout, Boyd Gaming Corp. has moved to make the gambling halls more than just a subsidiary. In January, Boyd launched the first phase of "One Card," a companywide customer loyalty program, often referred to as a players club. Gamblers not only receive rewards for longer play, but Boyd Gaming is able to gather valuable customer data, such as wagering habits and gaming preferences. The initial rollout targets Boyd customers at its Las Vegas locals casinos, including the Coast-operated Suncoast, The Orleans and Gold Coast, as well as Sam's Town, one of Boyd Gaming's original properties. Initially, Coast customers can redeem rewards at any of the four properties, but the program will eventually be nationwide at any of Boyd Gaming's casinos in five states. The Borgata in Atlantic City and the company's future casino in Florida are not part of the program. "Our goal is to build and reward customer loyalty, drive cross-property visitation and offer the ability to seamlessly earn and redeem rewards at any Boyd Gaming property throughout the country," Boyd Gaming Chief Operating Officer Paul Chakmak said. Boyd Gaming plans to implement the program at the company's downtown properties and in its Midwest and South region by the end of June. Progressive Gaming International Corp. said it has received approval for a server-based Texas hold'em poker game based on the World Series of Poker. The approval, granted by Gaming Laboratories International, is the first step toward placing the gambling device in casinos operated by Harrah's Entertainment. The casino giant owns the rights to the World Series of Poker. GLI is a gaming regulatory lab used mostly by American Indian casinos and properties in multiple states. Unlike a typical video poker sot machine, "World Series of Poker 'Peer to Peer' Texas Hold'em" is an Internet poker style multiplayer game. Players play against other players inside a casino on wireless hand-held gambling devices. Progressive Gaming showcased the game at the International Casino Exhibition gambling trade show in London last month. "The product re-creates the excitement of an Internet poker room within the confines of a regulated casino," said Derek Harmer, Progressive Gaming's senior vice president of global sports and wireless operations. "Its functionality allows operators to leverage available floor space that previously was not used for gaming options." It's unclear if and when the game would be available at Las Vegas casinos. The device will need approval from Nevada's Gaming Control Board gambling device and technology laboratory. Howard Stutz writes for the Business Press' sister publication, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 477-3871. |
