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The Olympics are bigger; the World Cup is arguably better. But when it comes to the sheer amount of money put down on a bet, nothing beats the Super Bowl. Last year, this single event saw $11 billion tossed around with more abandon than the pigskin – and that’s just the amount officially accounted for. In a game where everything has a purse attached to it, the stakes could not be higher.
It is estimated that at least $10 billion will be wagered this year (that number is sure to be modest), and gambling hubs the world over are already smarting over a game that has not yet even taken place. The Giants were 100-1 odds to win the Super Bowl after losing to the Redskins in mid-December; their subsequent win over the ‘49ers solidified a face-off with the Patriots at 2-1 odds to win. Bookies had a heart attack. A New York victory represents an unparalleled Las Vegas sucker punch.
If there was ever an excuse to hit Sin City, and watch it collectively sweat bullets like never before, this is it. A town famous for its disorientating blitzkrieg of glitz almost every other day of the year, the casinos of the Strip become uniformly football-themed for the Super Bowl, and the usual suspects – the Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Green Valley Ranch (a favorite with the locals), Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Wynn, and the Imperial Palace – have the best sports books. Avoid playing the slots (they are a nothing but a money-suck), remember to tip your dealers ($5) and waitresses ($1), get a player’s card (they’re free), ask for comps and bank at least half your winnings to maximize your experience.
And you can rake said-winnings in right over your phone. Cantor Gaming, which operates sports books at Vegas stalwarts M Resort Spa Casino, Hard Rock, Tropicana, The Cosmopolitan, The Palazzo and The Venetian, has upped the gaming tech ante by being the first Nevada company to take the action to the digital realm. On-the-move bettors armed with laptops, tablets and Android smartphones no longer have to be in a Cantor property to place their wagers; it can all be done electronically, remotely and on the spot.
M Resort Sportsbook
And thanks to Cantor technology, here's where a new betting tradition comes to the fore: the proposition bet, or "prop bet" for short. Think of them as institutionalized side bets. In today's world, everything that happens in the Super Bowl has a stake, right down to individual plays: Who gets the ball first, who fumbles the most, who intercepts whom, who scores first, even the COIN TOSS are now on the table. There are even prop bets on if rival fans get into a fight – and who wins. These wagers are exchanged before the game's end, which, of course, carries the biggest payday. Mobile technology now assures that even more money will be exchanging hands from the nanosecond the game begins right to the grueling finish.
Android Smart Phone and Tablet
Where to stay in Vegas for all the madness is another matter. The Lucky 7 and Hard Rock Penthouse Suites at the Hard Rock Hotel, the Chairman Suite at the Venetian, and the Hardwood Suite and the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Casino Resort are widely regarded as the best lodgings in town, are palatial in and of themselves, and are often the scenes of some of the most notorious shenanigans Las Vegas revels in, football or no football.
Keep in mind that the gambling biz is the world’s most honest (“We want to rob you blind!”), and the house is going to do everything it can to always win. This time around, however, the house has to contend with a 400-pound linebacker with everything to gain/lose in a full-on charge. Good luck with that.