Sooner or later your life will get back, well a little closer anyway, to normal. (Of course, what you considered normal in the past may become distant memories after what 2020 has delivered us.)

That goes the same for Las Vegas. 

If you’re a sports bettor that’s ever been to “Sin City”, you know there’s a sportsbook in almost ever casino you can stay in. 

The books tend to be way in the back of the house, kinda like the roasted chickens at Costco. Lots of things to see by the time you make the trip to the back of a warehouse store and return up front to the cash registers. Those casino designers aren’t stupid either. There will be lots of gambling options as you walk by a slew of slot machines, quite a few stations of card dealers and at least a craps table or two before you’ll get to the spot, in the rear, where you can actually place a sports bet.

Some casinos do sports betting better than others. Jay Kornegay and his team at the Westgate are on the top of that list! It’s called the Superbook for a reason. This year, if the virus doesn’t have a say, we’ll be making our 8th annual “Bet Away Weekend” trip to “Lost Wages” for the AFC/NFC Conference Championship games. Airfares are cheaper than going for the Super Bowl, rooms are easier to get and less expensive too. Plus, you get 2 games instead of just the 1! 

Spending a day watching sports at the former Las Vegas Hilton, which during the 80’s was the largest hotel in the world, is so much fun that trying to describe it with words is truly a disservice. The hotel has a place to eat in the back of the book called the Draft Sports Bar & Grill Express. It’s a place your order on one end and pick it up on the other with food better than most of the casual restaurants that town has to offer. After 15-20 times spending money there without ever having a bad experience you have to assume that they just have it down. Sure, the hotel/casino is a bit off the main strip and you’ll spend a little chunk more on a cab if you want to make a side trip to check out Caesar’s Palace but from a strictly sports betting experience it’s hard to beat.

That was until Derek Stevens (and his brother Greg) built the Circa!

Home to the 2nd location for  VSiN, the brainchild of Brian Musburger, the first sports-betting oriented television outlet in the world. If his last name rings a bell it’s because you’ve probably heard his uncle Brent, who is still the voice of the Raiders in his 80’s, call 1,000 or so sporting events in your life.

Imagine if they took the video screen from the Dallas Cowboys stadium and placed it in a sports book. That’s what it looks like when you walk into this brand-new casino’s book. The fact that they were able to complete a place like this during a pandemic is a testament to both the owners and the companies they hired to complete construction. This screen is so big that when you are at the window placing your bets and look up, it actually hurts your eyes. Like Mom used to say; Don’t get too close to the TV!”

It doesn’t stop there at the Circa! 

Somebody had to tell those Stevens brothers they were crazy when they suggested taking that same screen from AT&T Stadium, putting it on the roof and adding a huge swimming pool complex called Stadium Swim. Well, not only weren’t they “Cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs”, but they’ve also created what might be considered the greatest Vegas sporting betting atmosphere in the city’s history.

To say our group enjoyed watching Washington’s upset of the Steelers at the Circa pool would be the biggest understatement of the year. That’s coming from a place that creates understatements. Think about, “I’ve had a few drinks” or “Last night’s a little fuzzy” and what might be the best one, “I’m down a little bit”. 

If you have a bucket list, you have to add a trip to the Circa pool to the top of that list. If you don’t have a bucket list, start one by writing down, “Check out the Stadium Swim at Circa”!

You can thank me later!

Always Be Cashing

Chas