Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas Outlaws embracing sports betting with William Hill sponsorship

More Las Vegas Outlaws vs. San Jose Sabercats: 3/30/15

Tom Donoghue / DonoghuePhotography.com

The Las Vegas Outlaws take on the San Jose Sabercats during the Outlaws’ first Arena Football League game Monday, March 30, 2015, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Outlaws’ Inaugural Game

Motley Crue singer and Las Vegas Outlaws owner Vince Neil during the Outlaws' inaugural game against the San Jose SaberCats at the Thomas & Mack Center Monday, March 30, 2015. Launch slideshow »

Everyone in attendance for the Las Vegas Outlaws’ first Arena Football League victory Saturday night was aware of exactly how much the home team had defied the odds against the Arizona Rattlers.

They had no other choice but to know the Outlaws were 19-point underdogs before their 70-53 win. Unlike perhaps any other American team-sports event, the point spread is an inescapable part of the game day environment at the Thomas & Mack Center when the building’s newest tenants are in town.

The William Hill U.S. betting line is announced and posted on the video board before kickoff as well as updated with the in-play odds during every intermission as part of a partnership between the team and sports betting company.

“We want to make sure we have great customer experiences, and that’s a form of entertainment to our fans,” Arena Football League Commissioner Scott Butera said. “It’s done with a great deal of responsibility and done the right way. So far, it’s been well received and we’re encouraged.”

Butera, the former chief operating officer of the Cosmopolitan who still resides locally, emphasized the league had no official position on the sports gaming industry. The other 11 cities with AFL teams, of course, are without regulated betting so William Hill’s sponsorship doesn’t extend outside of the market.

The expansion Outlaws simply wanted to take advantage of the unique benefits Las Vegas afforded, and the league supported their endeavor.

“When we were looking at sponsors category by category and trying to come up with people we wanted to do business with, we didn’t get to sports betting and put an X through it,” said Sohrob Farudi, who is part of the Outlaws ownership group. “We want to build a fan base and we’re looking for ways to get diehard fans to come to the games and support the team. I think you’ve seen with other leagues that sports betting is an integral part of driving fan interactions and helping build loyal followings.”

Attending an Outlaws game provides a glimpse of the flavor pervasive gambling has added to European sporting events for years and could bring stateside in the future. It might not be as far off as once believed, what with states introducing sports-betting legislation and NBA commissioner Adam Silver endorsing a regulated industry.

William Hill logos are widespread at the games, most prominently patched on the left shoulder of every Outlaw players’ jersey. The company has a counter on the concourse where customers can sign up for its mobile betting client, and place wagers from the stands.

Farudi said the Outlaws would integrate the betting line into the scoreboard before the end of the season — they have seven more home games with the next a May 4 date against rival Los Angeles KISS — with updates after every play.

“These are opportunities that leagues should be thinking about and focused on,” William Hill US CEO Joe Asher said. “These are very complementary businesses. We all know one of the things that drives interest in professional sports in this country, and college for that matter, is the ability to bet on the games. So I have no doubt you’re going to see it continue to grow.”

Farudi and his team, which includes Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil, initially reached out to William Hill. The exposure provided by the AFL’s television deals with ESPN and CBS Sports Network was enough to immediately interest Asher.

It wasn’t until a second meeting with Butera that all the components of the agreement came together.

“We were all thinking the same thing — this is a really good fit,” Asher reflected. “It’s great for every side and drives interest in the game.”

Everyone agreed that the biggest perceived risk wasn’t a real issue at all. William Hill’s bookmaking staff monitors betting activity scrupulously and could detect any gambling abnormalities easily on a sport like the AFL that attracts a relatively minor handle.

The sports book has no set betting limits for AFL action, but it’s safe to say it isn’t accepting a barrage of four- and five-figure wagers like on an NFL Sunday.

“The thought of being able to fix a game, paying off players or having referees throw a game doesn’t even come into a play when you’re talking about a couple hundred bucks instead of a couple hundred thousand,” Farudi said.

Asher added, “Nobody has a bigger interest in the integrity of the game than we do. We depend on honest outcomes to the games because it’s our money at stake. Sports leagues and sports betting companies have way more aligned interests than divergent ones.”

Both Asher and Farudi have spent extended time in London where the betting culture is more open. Farudi always liked being able to find a William Hill — the parent company of the U.S. branch is based in the United Kingdom — kiosk on almost every corner.

Asher recounted attending a recent NBA game at the 02 Arena where he sat next to a stranger gambling on the in-game odds from his phone.

“I’m not sure why we have this stigma in the US of sports betting being a negative,” Farudi said. “I think finally that mentality is starting to change. It’s going to take some time but I think you’re starting to see that barrier break down.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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