NHL lets deadline pass; sports books to list games
Bettors hoping to wager on Golden Knights games cashed in Wednesday.
The NHL did not file an official request with the Nevada Gaming Commission to have Knights games taken off the betting board at the state’s sports books, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed.
“The decision was reached jointly with the Club (sic) several weeks ago,” Daly wrote in an email to the Review-journal.
The deadline for the NHL to make the request with the gaming commission was Wednesday, 30 days before the Knights regular-season opener Oct. 6 at Dallas.
The league’s decision not to pursue a betting ban paves the way for Knights games to be posted at Nevada sports books with no restrictions.
The Golden Knights are listed as +220 underdogs at the Westgate Superbook for the opener against the Stars.
“What we’re most interested in is making sure we get equitable treatment with the NFL in terms of how teams are dealt with on the book,” Daly told ESPN. “We had discussions both with the club and MGM, with respect to betting around the arena. There may be some steps done in respect to that, but we didn’t feel like it was an appropriate time to make the global request.”
Dr. Tony Alamo, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
“The safest place on the planet to place a sports bet is Nevada,” Alamo said in April. “There is consumer protection, regulation and oversight. Because of our regulation, probably the best place on the planet to have a sporting event is Nevada.”
Betting bans are not unprecedented in Nevada. MGM Resorts sports book director Jay Rood said the Utah Jazz requested a betting ban on their 11 “home” games in Las Vegas during the 1983-84 season.
In addition, the Orleans sports book has removed West Coast Conference basketball tournament games from their betting board for the past nine years at the request of the league, according to Boyd Gaming sports book director Bob Scucci.
Rood said the NHL represents a small portion of MGM Resorts’ overall sports betting handle.
“We do handle more futures in hockey than the NBA,” Rood said. “It’s a strange phenomenon. The NHL is more completely wide open than the NBA.”
Review-journal staff writer Todd Dewey contributed to this story. Contact David Schoen at dschoen@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @ Davidschoenlvrj on Twitter.