The Vegas Life: Celebrities Come Out for Mob Experience; Vegas Scared of VC
by Bodog Casino | Mar 30 2011
Some of the most notorious movie gangsters came out to play at a sneak preview for Vegas' newest attraction the "Mob Experience."
The Godfather star James Caan came along with The Sopranos actor Frank Vincent for a sneak preview of the attraction, which officially opens on March 30. Oh and they may not have played legendary gangsters, but Pamela Anderson and Mickey Rourke came out to the Sin City attraction as well.
What's the "Mob Experience" all about? Think of a Disneyland from a mob perspective. Be prepared to see Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano tell you about the history of the mob in America. Also, Caan himself is your tour guide through the whole attraction, molding you from a standard street thug in to a Don.
The entire attraction is intended to showcase the rise and fall of Las Vegas' organized crime syndicates, which had a major role in shaping Vegas before being eradicated from the casinos - it "neither glorifies nor vilifies the Mob," says the attraction's operator.
Vegas Books Worried About Possible VCU Payday
A wise online oddsmaker once said "Las Vegas, Nevada takes peanuts!", and NCAA basketball teams like Cinderella squad No. 11-ranked Virginia Commonwealth is the reason why.
Vegas venues like the Las Vegas Hilton's Race and Sports Book took $10 bets on VCU three months to win the national championship at 5,000-to-1 odds. Add that up and that's a lot of doe for a sportsbook in Vegas' struggling economy to dish out.
VCU was a 200-1 long shot at the start of the March Madness, while Butler University, the Rams' opponent in the national semifinals, had odds of about 150-1. With at least one of those teams guaranteed to play for the championship on April 4, the Hilton is in a bit of trouble.
"I can't give you specific numbers, but it's probably not good," said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Hilton Race and Sports Book. "We have some liability associated with VCU, so we're definitely not rooting for the Rams this weekend."
VCU along with Butler features two of the lowest seeded teams in the Final Four. There are Cinderella squads and there are seasons that not even a sportsbook can see coming.
VCU isn't the only team that could bite into Vegas' sportsbook revenue. UConn was a popular bet in the tourney; the MGM Mirage opened the Huskies at 30-to-1 odds.
"Any Big East team is going to draw a lot of action. Players like to bet Big East teams, especially if they have some value on it," Jay Rood, sportsbook director at the MGM Mirage said. "Most of the year, they were in the neighborhood of 20-1. So we're actually in a worse spot with Connecticut than we are with anyone else."
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