Wizard
Posted by Wizard
Aug 30, 2019

Introduction

At the time of this writing (August 2019) downtown Las Vegas casino entrepreneur Derek Stevens is building a sports-themed hotel and casino in what was formerly the Las Vegas Club. This is the first fresh construction (as opposed to a remodeling) of a hotel in downtown in decades, so I welcome something new.

His existing downtown property D used to have a Leroy's franchise, which changed to Cal Neva. However, he decided to go it alone at his properties of the D, Golden Gate, and upcoming Circa with what is known as "Circa Sports." As a supporter of as much competition as possible in Las Vegas, I welcome a new sports book family.

On August 29, 2019 I dropped into both existing outlets to have a look. Both of them are not much more than a counter to make bets. The D offers more in the way of amenities, with some tables and barstools. It is also right next to a sports-themed bar. However, the important thing should be the value they offer in the odds. Following is what I found.

MLB: As usual, 20-cent totals and run lines. Money lines are nicely 10-cents. They start to break away from 10-cents early, but they don't move suddenly to 15-cents. As an example, one pair of money lines was +122/-133.

NFL: As usual, 20-cent sides and totals. The money lines look similar to everybody else.

Parlays: The off-the-board parlays are better than average. Their progression goes: 2.6, 6, 11, 22, 42, 85, 160. The only books more competitive are William Hill and Jerry's Nugget, but not by much.

  • Half-point parlay cards: Here is the progression for half-point parlay cards in football, starting with 3: 5.5, 11, 22, 44, 88, 175, 300, 700, 1300, 2500.
  • Ties-win parlay cards: Here is the progression for ties-win parlay cards in football, starting with 3: 5, 9, 18, 35, 68, 130, 250, 480, 920, 1800.
  • NFL Teasers: Circa NFL teasers are below average, compared to the other Vegas sports books. Here is their progression for 6-point NFL teasers: 0.8, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 10.

    College Football Teasers: Circa college football teasers are about average, compared to the other Vegas sports books. Here is their progression for 7-point college football teasers: 0.8, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 10 (the same as 6-point NFL teasers).

    NBA Teasers: Circa NBA teasers are very strong. In fact, second to Jerry's Nugget only. Here is the progression of their 5-point NBA teaser odds: 0.8, 1.5, 2.5 4, 6, 8.

    Soccer: In soccer game with three possible outcomes, including a tie, I find the average house edge is 5.8%, which is competitive.

    Futures: The future odds were more competitive than most places. Assuming each bet had the same house edge for the same event, here are some I sampled:

    • Major League Soccer Championship: 19.9%
    • WNBA: 15.6%
    • NASCAR: 26.4%
    • NHL: 16.6%
    • NBA: 37.5%

    I should mention that at the time of this review, Circa Sports was hosting a "no juice" NFL contest, with a guaranteed $1.5 million prize pool. I always respect any tournament where the pot isn't raked.

     

    Finally, I'd like to give three cheers to Circa Sports for having an expiration policy of 365 days. I think one can judge how much a casino cares for its customers, in part, by how long they will honor a sports or slot ticket.

    Las Vegas sports book survey.

    Comments

    Ayecarumba
    Ayecarumba Sep 03, 2019

    Thanks for the write up Wizard. I am looking forward to visiting soon. I thought the Circa’s theme was 50’’s hip mid-modern?
    Any sense of the maximum bet they would each be comfortable handling?

    Did you have to pay for parking, or are there 10 minute parking spots just for customers of the book?

    Are all the bets available on their app?

    I’m wondering which downtown casino/sports book will become the goto spot for Raiders fans? I’m surprised no one has jumped on it now to establish some momentum before the team arrives.

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