Jeff Haney on why the action on soccer matches this summer has compared favorably with big NBA and NFL games; also the new yardstick for sports books to measure their profits

Friday, July 7, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

In surprisingly brisk action in the sports books, soccer bettors have shown more support for Italy than for France throughout the World Cup.

Don't expect them to stop now.

Oddsmakers have installed Italy as a favorite against France in Sunday's World Cup championship game, and Jeff Sherman of the Las Vegas Hilton expects gamblers to back the Italians.

"People have stayed away from betting France," said Sherman, the Hilton's assistant sports book manager. "We had them as high as 25-1 (to win the tournament) in the early going, when it looked like they might struggle to get out of their group. And when they played Brazil (Saturday), all we saw was Brazil money."

Italy is listed at minus-140 (risk $1.40 to win $1) for Sunday's game in Berlin, with France at plus-120. The over / under for regulation play between the defense-oriented teams is 1 1/2 goals.

Before the tournament, Italy could be found at odds of 8-1 to 10-1 to win the World Cup, with France about 15-1. Although early favorites Brazil, Argentina and Germany - as well as the U.S. team - have been knocked out, bettors in Las Vegas have enthusiastically embraced the World Cup, Sherman said.

"We've seen tremendous handle," he said. "The entire city has been buzzing about the World Cup, even outside the casinos at restaurants and pubs."

The betting handle on some World Cup games was comparable to an NBA Finals game and nearly at the level of a big NFL game, Sherman said.

"It's been absolutely phenomenal," he said. "It has far exceeded my expectations."

At Station Casinos properties, this year's World Cup handle was about four times greater than on the 2002 World Cup, according to Micah Roberts, sports book director at Sunset Station.

"The action has been overwhelming," said Roberts, who recently spent 10 days in Germany to experience the World Cup firsthand. "I'm shocked and surprised the way the city of Las Vegas and (tourists) have been betting it."

He attributed the increased interest to American fans following the English Premier League more closely and to some misguided hype surrounding the U.S. team before the World Cup.

"A lot of people took that excitement and began learning about the U.S. team, and then about their competition," Roberts said. "That translates into watching the games, and of course, betting them."

The World Cup's place on the sports-betting calendar, where it competes against little except baseball and hot dog-eating contests, also gave it a boost.

"If it had taken place during football season, it would have been noticeably different," Sherman said.

Many Las Vegas sports books, including the Hilton and all Station properties, will offer a variety of propositions on Sunday's title game, such as odds on the player and team to score first, the results of each half and the precise final score.

"It's a great matchup," Roberts said. "With these two teams, it's not just about their sporting history, but also their world history. These two countries have been so intertwined throughout history, and now they're using sports to go head-to-head once again. It's really a dream matchup."

Also noted:

Prominent sports book manager Robert Walker, who sets the odds for all MGM-Mirage properties, has a good line in the current issue of FHM magazine on how the business of sports betting has changed in Las Vegas in the past decade. Whereas books once catered to high-rolling sports bettors, now most of them target a middle-market crowd.

"Ten years ago, we were a profit center, but now MGM-Mirage makes so much money from hotel rooms, retail and restaurants that we're not even a blip on their screen," Walker told the magazine. "My goal in this company is to make as much as the New York-New York roller coaster."

The August issue of FHM features a 16-page special section on Las Vegas, with articles on Mayor Oscar Goodman, magician Lance Burton and poker star Doyle Brunson, among others.

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