KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video - March Madness Begins for Fans and Area Casinos
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Has March Madness hit you?
"It is probably our second biggest sporting event, just behind the Super Bowl," says Steve Mikkelson the Racing Sports Book Manager at Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.
And it's more than a one day thing for the sports books, March Madness is dozens of games over several weeks."Pretty much for each game you can wager several different ways."
"We lost all our bets this morning."
Harold Payne and his buddies make it a point to come to Reno for March Madness every year. "Every year for 10 years," says Payne's friend, Dan Batman of Redding, California.
Payne says, "We had somebody down here to get a table at 7:00 this morning and we'll be here until the last game tonight."
And they plan to do it again Friday and Saturday. "I don't watch it a whole lot, but being here this week for the first round, then it makes the whole rest of the tournament fun," adds Batman.
Payne comments on the Vanderbilt upset by Murray State, "Well, that took care of that. So, there goes our parlay."
Evan and Katy Thomason celebrated their 6 year wedding anniversary yesterday and March Madness always is a part of the party.
"The day after our wedding, we were in Las Vegas and we went to watch the basketball games," says Evan.
It may not be how most couples want to spend their anniversary, but the Thomason's are different. "When you are from Kansas, basketball is romantic," Katy says.
But, the romance is fueled by their in-state Kansas rivalry.
Evan adds, "There's some K State fans sitting right next to us." And Katy quips, "Hey, I've got the President on my side, I'm not worried."
While they want their respective teams to make it to the Final Four and maybe play one another, March Madness is something special. "It's a holiday. Yes, it's definitely a holiday."
