- Five rural sportsbook licenses cleared the Nevada Gaming Control Board on a unanimous vote Wednesday and now go to the Gaming Commission.
- Three applications came from William Hill for Terrible’s properties and two from Boomer’s Sports Book, for the Nevada Nugget and Delta Saloon.
- The Nevada Gaming Commission meets Nov. 19 and has the final say on all five licenses.
- Both Boomer’s licenses would lift its Nevada count from 18 to 20, the mark CEO Joe Asher targeted in August.
LAS VEGAS – Five rural Nevada casinos are one Gaming Commission vote from adding sportsbooks after the Nevada Gaming Control Board, voting unanimously on Wednesday, endorsed William Hill’s applications for Terrible’s casinos at Searchlight, Carlin and Indian Springs and Boomer’s Sports Book’s for Dayton’s Nevada Nugget and Virginia City’s Delta Saloon.
What The Agenda Says
The vote drew no discussion, and the board excused both operators from appearing since each has been before it on several recent occasions, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. On the board’s Nov. 4 agenda, each of items 11 through 15 is an application for a “nonrestricted gaming license (race book and sports pool only)” and for “licensure to conduct off-track pari-mutuel race and sports wagering.”
William Hill Nevada I filed all three Terrible’s applications, and Boomer’s Sports Book LLC filed the other two. All five would add Nevada sports betting counters or kiosks inside existing casinos. The agenda does not say which form each would take, and it sets no opening dates.
Boomer’s Path To 20
At an Aug. 20 Gaming Commission hearing, Asher said: “Hopefully, we’ll be at 20 locations within the next few months.” The company, which describes itself on its website as Nevada’s fastest-growing and only independent sportsbook, lists 18 locations across the state’s legal sports betting market, so approval of both licenses would bring the count to 20.
Neither the Nevada Nugget nor the Delta Saloon appears on that list.
Retail Handle Down 22%
The licenses come as retail betting shrinks. Mobile took a bigger share of Nevada wagers in September, 71.7% against 67.2% a year earlier, while retail handle fell 22.3% to $201.8 million, according to the Control Board’s September revenue report. Retail books still won more, with win outside mobile up 6.3% to $23.1 million.
