UNLV win ties oddsmakers’ hands

Tim Graham

Monday, March 9, 1998 | 9:18 a.m.

New Mexico fans were not alone in their displeasure.

As UNLV's basketball program was wrapping up its most important victory in eight years by beating New Mexico 56-51 at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday night, another Las Vegas faction was grumbling.

That's because sports book directors were forced to change their gameplans for one of the biggest betting events of the year. In winning the Western Athletic Conference title, the Rebels received an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, which is rivaled only by the Super Bowl in terms of sports betting action.

But state laws prohibit sports books from posting spreads and odds on any game involving or relating to a Nevada university. That means many bets, including propositions, are off limits.

"We would be doing a lot more business if they weren't in it," Imperial Palace sports book supervisor Bobby Choquette said. "We could have a lot more fun with props if UNLV didn't go."

The Imperial Palace, internationally famous for its off-beat bets, had to scrap several of its props, including over-under totals on victories by a given conference. While UNLV plays Ivy League school Princeton in the first round, it is possible the Rebels eventually could face a team from any conference.

If UNLV gets eliminated, sports books no longer would face such restrictions and could post any type of wagers they wanted.

"But by the time UNLV gets knocked out, it probably won't be feasible to (post previously unallowable bets) then," Choquette said.

Futures, in which betters try to predict the overall or regional champions, used to be taboo for tournaments that included a Nevada school, but the wording has been changed to allow it this time.

"Instead of our customers picking the championship team, we've worded it 'the team to finish highest that is not a Nevada-based team,'" said Las Vegas Hilton Superbook manager Chuck Esposito. "So if UNLV wins it all, the futures will pay off for the team that finished second."

The limitations stemming from UNLV's presence, however, are not expected to hurt overall action at the betting windows. There are 63 other schools and 31 other first-round games on which to wager.

"We can't get as exotic as we planned, but the people who would have put money on UNLV, they'll find something else to put it on," Choquette said. "They'll either put more money on another game or find another team.

"It shouldn't affect the handle any."

Esposito agreed: "The tournament will still be great. I think it's going to be a phenomenal tournament. It's going to draw people into our book. There should be a record handle and a record turnout. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year."

While the state tracks the Super Bowl handle every year, it does not do the same for the NCAA tournament. Therefore, there is no official record handle for the event, but one oddsmaker who declined to be quoted estimated it was around $30 million last year.

Wagering on UNLV is permitted in Mexico, offshore and overseas. The Rebels are 6-point underdogs to beat Princeton.