An army of Caesars Palace staff is deployed to prepare for an influx of tourists who hope to strike it rich during the NCAA basketball tournament.
Photo by Caesars Entertainment
LAS VEGAS — As we're heading toward the end of the month, it can only mean one thing — March Madness is hitting its peak, and sportsbooks around the country and, in particular, in Las Vegas, have shown a rapid transformation.
Caesars Entertainment, the hotel and casino company that manages Caesars Palace, amongst other properties, started preparing for the busy period at one of its signature buildings once the Superbowl finished last month.
The two-day period last week, in which first-round NCAA regional basketball matches consumed the broader sports world, were always going to be the busiest days of the year so far for the sportsbook at Caesars, the company's chief retail sportsbook officer David Grolman told Insider this week.
"It's our two biggest days of the year, back-to-back, on that Thursday and Friday," said Grolman. "It's our two biggest days."
Insider visited the sportsbook last week before the games began and then again during one of the busier periods.
We previously detailed the unrivaled energy it generated from its temporary stadium-style seating, pop-up beer booths, and hundreds — if not thousands — of people peering from one big TV screen to another to monitor numerous bets from multiple matches.
One thing we didn't see at the time was an appropriately-named 'fan cave,' which caters to an exclusive group of bettors who can bet on and watch the games in a more intimate setting inside the sportsbook.
Photo by Caesars Entertainment
Operationally speaking, it takes weeks of planning for those behind-the-scenes at Caesars to get the sportsbook in shape for the wave of betting activity that March Madness brings.
Grolman told us it takes "a small army" of Caesars Entertainment employees brought in from other departments — like marketing or even human resources — to temporarily assist the sportsbook, show tourists where to go, help them download its mobile app, and hand them betting sheets.
"There are people who aren't normally in the book, helping out because there's so much going on," said Grolman.
Typically, the behind-the-scenes work begins around January as the book prepares for two major events in American sports — Superbowl in February and then March Madness the following month.
"We start working with gaming specifically in February for March Madness," Grolman said.
Caesars Entertainment operates 120 books around the country and has windows in numerous casinos and resorts in Las Vegas, like Harrah's, Paris, and Flamingo. However, Caesars is its own beast, he told us.
"Caesars is quite a bit different because there are the bleachers, and the sportsbook itself is integrated into the property, whereas Harrah's or Flamingo they're kind of set off by themselves.
"In Caesars, it's in the main thoroughfare" by one of Bobby Flay's restaurants, a 4,200 seater arena called The Colosseum, and a World Series of Poker-branded poker room.
"It's really about making sure traffic can keep moving through the casino. If there's a poker tournament, but you still want to be involved in the excitement of March Madness, you're right there.
"You can literally feel like you're part of the sportsbook, feel the energy, see the TVs, and make a bet even from the poker room.
"The location at Caesars lends itself to be the pre-eminent place to watch it on the strip. All that energy in the book spills out elsewhere in the casino," Grolman said.
Photo by Caesars Entertainment
Between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Raiders, combined with the growing focus on sportsbooks, betting on sports on the Strip has taken off in the last five years.
Slot games and table games remain king, but the books are shining more in the modern era — particularly during the ongoing NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.
"Sportsbooks for many years were seen as an amenity, and the focus wasn't on the sports industry like it has been in the last five years," Grolman told us.
Once games for the day are over, those who have been betting on basketball may be inclined to try their luck on the tables, from poker to blackjack, as opposed to slots.
"They're going to eat in our restaurants and play our table games," Grolman said.
"It's just a great period for folks who like to get a bunch of buddies together, even if it's once a year, and the best place you do that is in Vegas for March Madness."
