Where Can I Bet on the Presidential Election in Las Vegas?

I’m going to Las Vegas and want to bet on the 2020 presidential election. Where do I do that? I guess a similar question is who has the best sports betting and other oddball-betting sports books in Las Vegas? What was that sports book where Stupak placed the million-dollar bet on the Super Bowl decades ago? Are there many places like that? It would seem they could be quite risky if a big bet went against them and they just closed down. Do they have to have a big bond or something to cover them going bankrupt to cover debts?

To answer your questions in reverse order, the late Bob Stupak made his million-dollar bet at Little Caesars, a standalone sports book and mini-casino where Paris now stands. The owner of Little Caesars, Gene Mayday, who took Stupak’s bet, was a fearless bookmaker who faded monster action — but had a hard time comping a hot dog.

When Mayday lost the bet (Stupak took the Cincinnati Bengals +7; they lost to the San Francisco 49ers by only 4), he paid Bob out of his own bankroll. In return, Stupak gave Mayday a custom three-wheeled car, which he parked in front of Little Caesars and became a landmark.

Standalone sports books are a thing of the past. To our knowledge, none of the old books ever went bankrupt. They protected themselves in various ways, not the least of which was laying off big action on one side in order to balance out their accounts.

The Westgate’s SuperBook is perhaps the best sports book for prop (what you call “oddball”) bets, posting upwards of 400 of them for every Super Bowl. As for the best book for sports betting, that’s hard to pinpoint. Lines can change book by book, which is why you have to shop around.

Finally, you can't bet on non-sporting events in Nevada sports books. If the books do post lines on elections and other non-sports events (such as the Academy Awards), they’re just for fun; Nevada books are prohibited from taking bets on them.

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Jeffrey Small Feb-18-2019

Oddball bet

Regardless of your statement that non sporting betting is prohibited in LAS my favorite bet was made many years ago at the El Cortez.  The sports book was taking action on where Skylab would land.  The satellite was breaking up in the upper atmosphere--the book was offering 30-1 on any country in the world.  He also listed all the states.  I bet that it would shower debris all over the east coast--would have made $$$ if that was true (I recall that the odds were 450-1 on Delaware, 300-1 on Rhode Island--I told him that his geography was backwards) If you recall, a chunk landed in Australia--kicking myself for not taking that whole continent at 30-1!

That Don Guy Feb-18-2019

Answer: you can't

According to Nevada Gaming Commission Regulation 22.1205, section 3:
"No wagers may be accepted or paid by any book on (...) The outcome of any election for any public office both within and without the State of Nevada."

That Don Guy Feb-18-2019

On the other hand...

You CAN bet on non-sporting events such as the Oscars now. The regulation that banned them without express premission of the Gaming Control Board no longer appears in the Regulations. There are only four things that are specifically banned:
1. Amateur sporting events other than collegiate and Olympic events;
2. A bet placed by a player, coach, or staff of one of the teams involved;
3. An election;
4. "Any athletic sports event sanctioned by a governing body where the Chair has made a finding that the governing body is not effectively supervising such event or is not ensuring the integrity of such event."

Something else that's no longer there; the ban on betting on a professional sporting event in, or involving a team from, Nevada, if the head of that league requests it in writing. Why do I have the feeling the Las Vegas Raiders, and a possible Las Vegas Super Bowl, has something to do with this?

That Don Guy Feb-18-2019

Why is there no "edit button" for posts?

Slight correction: you can only bet on non-sporting events that are either approved by the Gaming Commission or on some list of "pre-approved events" that does not seem to have been published yet.

Kevin Lewis Feb-18-2019

We already have action

We're all betting on the 2020 Presidential election, whether we want to or not--with our lives! And our comps have already been cut way back...that's what happens when you only have one casino in town.

Roy Furukawa Feb-18-2019

Non-US Books Take Bets

Places in Britain can take bets on our Presidential election, but that's an expensive trip just to make a bet. :D This seemed like an elementary question, so the term 'laying off money' you mention should be explained that all it means is money is bet on the opposite bet with other books by the book taking a big wager to even out their own money. The goal of every book is to balance their action 50/50. The worse thing in Vegas books is all of them seem to have the same odds. Maybe a follow-up QoD would be on why that is compared to the old days. Do all of them farm out their linesmaking to the same company? Opening lines don't seem to vary at all.

Question of the Day - 18 February 2019

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