Sports Betting on Blackberry

The Nevada Gaming Commission has authorized Leroys sport betting to give away a blackberry application that will permit sports bets from anywhere in the State of Nevada. It uses the GPS device in the blackberry to shut down if you cross state lines.

Previously hand held devices have been permitted to be operated within the bounds of the casino building. Venetian, M Resort, and Tropicana have introduced such devices.

Is this the future? Will blackjack, simulated craps,slots and baccarat follow? Will people hook these devices up to home screens to allow for better visualization?

Is the M Resort the last brick and mortar casino to be built in Nevada? Will all future growth be in tiny bar room casinos, renovations of the current inventory of buildings, and in personal devices (gambling on the i-Pad)?

I should probably qualify that last statement. I do think that there will be local brick and mortar casinos following the line of Eastside Cannery. This casino was constructed for $250 million and replaced Nevada Palace. It offers a newer place than Sam's Town next door which opened in 1979.

I should have said brick and mortar casino aimed at the tourist market.

Anyone want to take a bet a new casino will be finished or built in Vegas within ten years?

I'm including casinos whose construction is stalled, like the Echelon.

Quote: Nareed

Anyone want to take a bet a new casino will be finished or built in Vegas within ten years?

I'm including casinos whose construction is stalled, like the Echelon.

Yes. The Cosmopolitan is due for opening in the next few months. What was the stakes again?

Quote: thecesspit

Yes. The Cosmopolitan is due for opening in the next few months. What was the stakes again?

Doesn't count, as the Cosmo's already been built.

BTW, I'm taking the position that at least one new casino will be built in Vegas within ten years. And to address Paco's point, I mean a tourist casino.

The only way I see online gambling really screwing things up is if the US legalizes it. That won't happen precisely because now many states other than Nevada and NJ have casinos.

Quote: thecesspit

Yes. The Cosmopolitan is due for opening in the next few months.

I believe that the Cosmopolitan is completed as far as exterior construction. I am sure the interior needs a lot of work, but I wouldn't call it a "stalled" project anymore.

The Las Vegas Convention Center lists over 40 projects that are initiated (Fountainbleau, Echelon, Ceasars Palace Octavius Tower) or proposed. The total cumulative rooms are over 48,000 with another 4600 timeshare suites.

To the extant that costs are available, they total over $30 billion estimated costs.

The still to be opened projects are Cosmopolitan and Harmon Hotel at City Center. The only projects that are confirmed to be built are two Marriot business hotels on the west end of town near the developing I215 and Tropicana business district (near the location of IGT).

Quote: pacomartin

Is this the future? Will blackjack, simulated craps,slots and baccarat follow? Will people hook these devices up to home screens to allow for better visualization?

To some extent it depends on the game. Sportsbooks are a no-brainer since people will want to be able to wager while watching the game. Plus you have a pool of early adopters in serious betters who will love the easy combination of remote access to current lines and wagering.

Craps and baccarat I just can't see going remote. I believe most of their players like handling the dice or cards, the live atmosphere, or both. The only game that's terribly popular online is blackjack, and that's more due to the house advantage making it an almost ideal play-through game for bonus requirements.

Slots would go whole-hog remote, I think. They're popular and perfect for playing alone. But given people's devotion to their favorite machines I think you're talking color smartphone apps so you can present shiny, distinctive skins.

Quote: Caffiend

Slots would go whole-hog remote, I think. They're popular and perfect for playing alone. But given people's devotion to their favorite machines I think you're talking color smartphone apps so you can prevent shiny, distinctive skins.

I don't see these personal apps replacing the current inventory, or even becoming dominant. However, I do see them becoming the dominant portion of future growth.

Unlike the past, if visitation stays between 36-39 million per year, then the current inventory of buildings with steady renovation could suffice for decades. Developers may be reluctant to shell out a billion dollars to build a new building, but may find tie ins for people who arrive with a blackberry and an account. You might plug your blackberry into a monitor, and have a full screen remote.

In the past, each new building was followed by an upsurge in visitation. Visitation passed 20m in 1990, 30m in 1997, and 39m in 2007. But who knows if 40m will ever be reached?