The US division of UK bookies William Hill has signed on to provide a sportsbook for yet another Nevada casino. On Thursday, William Hill US announced it had agreed to provide a sports betting service for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Lake Tahoe. The new sportsbook will feature a high-definition video wall, 40 televisions tuned to various sporting events, a self-service wagering kiosk and customers will also be able to access Hills’ mobile sports betting product anywhere in the state via iOS or Android devices. Hills currently operates a total of 104 race and sports books in Nevada.
Not to be outdone, Boyd Gaming has become the latest Nevada casino operator to port its sportsbook into the mobile realm. Boyd’s baby is called B Connected Sports and customers who open an account in person at Boyd’s Nevada properties can access the app via their iOS or Android devices. Boyd joins Hills, CG Technology, Station Casinos and South Point in offering mobile sports wagering in Nevada, but Boyd spokesman David Strow said the B Connected app would distinguish itself by its ease of use and the speed with which it calculates whether a bettor is still safely confined within Nevada’s borders.
Meanwhile, Nevada’s most famous sports bettor has a new bulge in his wallet. Earlier this month, Billy Walters (pictured) sold his nine-acre Rancho Santa Fe, California property at auction for $13m. Walters had originally sought $20m for the San Diego-area property – which boasts a 21k-square foot home with seven bedrooms, a pool, tennis court and putting green – before handing the responsibility over to the auctioneer. Walters purchased the property in 2010 for $8.5m, then put $7m more into renovations, meaning he lost $2.5m on the sale. If Walters didn’t think Nevada sportsbooks were giant pussies, he might attempt to ‘convince’ local bookies to help cover his losses.
