The battle lines are being drawn in what’s brewing as a sportsbook war in Nevada with an upstart competitor, Boomer’s Sportsbook, taking on Caesars Entertainment’s William Hill.
Both operators appeared before the Nevada Gaming Control Board Wednesday in back-to-back agenda items seeking recommendations for the Gaming Commission to approve their next sportsbooks.
The Board approved Boomer’s takeover from William Hill of the operations of the Ojos Locos Sports Cantina Y Casino in North Las Vegas. It also approved William Hill to operate the sportsbook at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, which had previously been under the auspices of Betfred.
This will mark the fifth sportsbook opened by Boomer’s since its launch in August, as the independent operator continues to displace William Hill at casinos in Ely and Fallon in northern Nevada, and just off the Strip and in Henderson. Five additional applications are pending with the Board with more to come.
Fifth Street Gaming, which owns Ojos Locos, has given notice to William Hill that it’s terminating their leases after the Nov. 20 meeting of the Gaming Commission when Boomer’s plans to open there.
Boomer’s CEO Joe Asher took a subtle jab at his former employer; he was CEO at William Hill from 2012 to 2021 before its acquisition by Caesars. He insisted that his company, the state’s only independent sportsbook, offers more value, including -105 on NFL bets compared to the traditional -110 line. He said William Hill is putting up lines higher than -110 on many NFL games and that the increases are small and Caesars is entitled to do it, but it’s bad for bettors in markets where they’re the only sportsbook available.
“I think Boomer’s is good for customers,” Asher said. “We’re telling them to check the prices and take advantage of our [discounts] when they’re better than what the competition is offering. While William Hill under Caesars ownership has increased their price, we passionately believe that there’s a nice business to be built by offering customers a bet at a fair price.”
Asher told the Board he’s happy with his startup. He said first, they convince casino operators to put a Boomer’s Sportsbook in their property. Then, they sign up customers for their app in a mature market and they spend a lot of time on that. Third, they retain those customers. So far, “We’re doing a pretty reasonable job with the customers that we acquire.”
The new locations are important, because people have to make a trip to the casino to sign up for the mobile app, Asher said. They’re working on building out a statewide footprint.Caesar\s
According to Asher, when operators enjoy substantial market power, they have to be careful how they use it, so they’re not anti-competitive. He didn’t name names, but has mentioned concerns about how William Hill operates by terminating the lease of a casino that switched to Boomer’s.
Board member George Assad told Asher he assumes he wants a more level playing field and asked what regulators can do to help.
Asher responded that he will come back to the Board with suggestions.
Dan Shapiro, a senior vice president and chief development officer at Caesars Digital, didn’t respond to Asher’s comments when he spoke about the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas licensing. William Hill operates about 100 sportsbooks in the state.
“We’re still the best in a lot of this business and still growing it as well by adding new locations,” Shapiro said.
Assad mentioned anti-trust issues to Shapiro, since William Hill is dominant in the marketplace, and talked about an unfair playing field for smaller competitors. “Keep that in mind moving forward. The bettors need a fair shot and a fair number. The competitors also need that.”
Robert Wright, general manager of the North Las Vegas property where Boomer’s is taking over for William Hill, told regulators they had a poor relationship with the current operator.
Boomer’s will operate a four kiosk-only sportsbook at Ojos Locos that caters to the Hispanic population. The kiosk-only approach is the preferred operating model of Fifth Street, so it can reclaim some space occupied by the sportsbook, Asher said. Staff will help customers sign up for the Boomer’s mobile app.
William Hill outlined plans for the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas property. Shapiro said the sportsbook is about 1,000 square feet and they won’t be making a lot of changes initially. They will add more kiosks in the sportsbook and around the property. There will be eight kiosks and four live terminals.
“The big thing missing from that property since it reopened is mobile sports betting,” Shapiro said.
The plan is to open Nov. 21 ahead of F1 weekend. William Hill has a 10-year sublease agreement with the property.
