Las Vegas Review Journal – Sports betting is big business in Nevada with $3.45 billion wagered in race and sports books statewide in the last reporting year. It also helps bring in millions of tourists annually to wager on the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball tournament.
“Sports betting has been tremendous for us this year,” said Matthew Holt, vice president of business development at CG Technology, formerly Cantor Gaming. “We expect huge numbers this weekend from the final four in the NFL playoffs. Denver versus New England and Seattle against San Francisco will do very well.”
But Las Vegas casinos and sports books are still trying to figure out how to attract fantasy sports players and their disposable income to the Strip. Holt on Thursday floated the idea of casinos using fantasy sports as a promotional driver.
“Daily fantasy in a casino has a lot of appeal,” Holt told about 320 attendees gathered ast Bellagio for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association Winter Conference. “Fantasy sports offers opportunities to drive people into the door.”
The concept of daily games is relatively new to fantasy sports. Like traditional fantasy sports, players draft a team of real athletes who then score fantasy points according to their performance and scoring rules. However, the games last just one day, not a whole season.
Holt said fantasy sports’ evolution in Las Vegas would be tied to properties creating fantasy games around a loyalty program that lets participants use points they earn for rewards, such as free rooms, meals or concerts.
“Most people these days expect rewards,” Holt said. “It is an interesting way to reward people to come here. Las Vegas is a destination town, not just a gambling town.”
