LV sports books offer many options for 2002 World Cup

Steve Addy

Thursday, May 30, 2002 | 10:10 a.m.

Bettors will have myriad opportunities to cash in during the monthlong World Cup, but they'll have to keep roosters' hours to sweat their action.

Friday's opener between France and Senegal in Seoul, Korea, begins at 4:30 a.m. Pacific time, and nearly all of the group matches through June 14 are scheduled for 11:30 p.m., 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. local time.

Can you say: Afternoon nap?

Sports book officials concede that the overnight starts are sure to limit their in-house crowds, but they say all games will be televised and they're pleased with the action they're getting so far.

"It's really picking up. In the last couple of days we've written 25 to 30 percent of our World Cup business," said Bert Osborne, Coast Resorts director of sports book operations.

"We are booking more and more soccer. Our World Cup handle has steadily gone up. There's definite interest, with all of the nationalities represented (among locals)."

Chuck Esposito, assistant VP of race and sports at Caesars Palace, said, "We've been having good activity, and I anticipate it will get better as we get closer to game time. In the past, the handle really picked up as we got closer to the semifinals and finals."

At the Orleans, Gold Coast and Suncoast, Osborne has Argentina listed as a 2-to-1 favorite to win it all. Other books have Argentina favored at 3-1 (Station Casinos) and 7-2 (Palms), while Caesars Palace has Argentina and Italy co-favored at 5-2, with France at 7-2.

"We've had a large contingent of Italians betting on their team," Esposito said.

Bettors will have a choice on game bets. Caesars and Stations are offering bets on sides and draws, while Coast properties and the Palms are eschewing draws in favor of half-goal lines.

"I like the two-sided line better," said Adam Pullen, Palms race and sports supervisor. "We are seeing a lot more parlays. The excitement will really build when we get past the early stages, when we get down to the better teams in the knockout rounds. In the group stage, you get more natural rivalries."

In most of the eight groups, one team is a heavy favorite to emerge. At Station Casinos, seven of the groups have an odds-on favorite, such as France in Group A (1-to-4) and Brazil in Group C (1-to-4). Italy is at 2-to-5 in Group G, followed by Mexico at 5-1.

Properties are also seeing long shot action on the U.S., which is in Group D with Portugal (5-to-9 at Stations), Poland (3-1) and Korea (8-1). The U.S. is 6-1 to win the group, and a serious long shot to win the tournament.

Coast Resorts has the U.S. at 115-1, while the Palms is booking at 75-1, Stations at 55-1 and Caesars at 50-1.

"That's my only risk," Coast's Osborne said.

Pullen of the Palms said, "The U.S. is my biggest liability. I don't think they have any chance to win it all, but we'll lose a big chunk if they do. You never know. Stranger things have happened."