Question of the Day - 29 August 2021

[Editor's Note: Since the question is about Logan Fields' book 20/20 Sports Betting, we naturally asked Mr. Fields to answer this question, which he did.]

Signing up for football contests in Vegas is actually easy. The biggest hurdle to overcome for many is getting to Vegas in person. While talk has been brewing for several years to allow remote participation from outside of the state, nothing has materialized for the 2021 season. So traveling to Vegas and using a proxy remain necessities at this time.

As for choosing a proxy, I believe word of mouth is probably your best bet in the selection process. In the absence of feedback from others, if you google “Vegas proxy,” you’ll get a half-dozen or so worthy candidates. Most have been around for at least several years and in choosing one, you should evaluate just as you would any other business. Most will have fairly similar price structures.

In my book, I recommended Larry K, but Larry has moved on to other things and most of his clients are now with Tom at Vegasfootballproxy.com. Tom did an excellent job for me in 2020, especially considering it was a nightmare of a season for proxies, due to all the COVID-related issues, such as game postponements. I’ll be using him again this year.

Once you choose a proxy, arrangements will be made to meet at the sports book where you will be playing. At the meeting, you complete a page or so of paperwork, then fork over the entry fee, pay your proxy for the season, and collect your gift from the sports book for entering, usually, a T-shirt or cap. If the entire process takes more than 15 minutes, then you’re probably doing something wrong.

During the season, the proxy sends you the contest lines mid-week and you have a couple of days to complete and send in your selections by either Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on what was agreed to at sign-up. Depending on the proxy, you communicate either by text or email. After entering the selections, my proxy, Tom, sends photos of the submitted pick tickets to each client.

As for tipping, it used to be fairly common for proxies to take a certain percentage of winnings and that was stated in the contract. When I cashed in a 2014 contest, I was required to pay 2% of my winnings to the proxy. Most, if not all, proxies have gotten away from this practice and now rely solely on tips. Tom told me, “I think tipping is part of the culture in Vegas and is fairly customary. Tips on contest winnings generally fall between 3% to 10% … depending on the payout amount.  Some folks will tip more than 10%, but it really depends on the individual. In the end, of course, tipping is voluntary and we appreciate any tip from clients."