Golden Knights are drawing an average of 15 times more bets than their opponentsGETTY IMAGES
The Golden Knights have "become a focal point at Las Vegas sportsbooks, populating video boards in a way the NHL never has before," according to Doug Kezirian of ESPN.com. Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook VP Jay Kornegay said, "This is the first time that we've featured hockey games over the NBA playoffs." Vegas-based CG Technology VP Jason Simbal said, "Generally, we just use our judgement for the biggest game. It's usually pretty easy and common sense, but the Knights changed all that. ... On New Year's Eve against the Toronto Maple Leafs, people cared more about the Knights than the NFL. It was week 17, but still that stood out and it first really kicked in." Kezirian noted by that time, oddsmakers had already also "noticed historical action." The expansion team is "drawing an average of 15 times more bets than their opponents." Simbal said that the Golden Knights "solely accounted" for 30% of CG Technology's hockey handle, which is "about three times more than any team in any sport." By comparison, the Patriots "were the most bet-on team in the NFL," and they garnered just 8% of the NFL handle. Until this year's record hockey handle, bookmakers "rarely noticed the sport." In fact, in its monthly revenue reports, the Nevada Gaming Control Board "groups hockey with tennis and golf in a category labeled 'Other,' while football and basketball warrant separate distinctions." In Las Vegas' home of Clark County, the "Other" category's handle was $214M during the hockey regular season (October to March). That was a 36% increase from the $157M from the previous hockey calendar, which "pre-dated the Golden Knights." South Point Hotel & Casino oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro said, "There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that about 40 percent of the people betting on hockey now never bet it before the Golden Knights came" (ESPN.com, 5/12).
