No doubt about it, sportsbooks here in Reno love this time of year.
Football is back and people are placing bets like crazy. This year though, many of the large sportsbooks in town are now owned by a company called William Hill.
"Reno is a very important market," says William Hill's Director of Marketing Dan Shapiro. "There's a lot of sports fans in Reno, especially during football season, everybody comes out."
William Hill is the largest sports betting company in the United Kingdom. And now they're making a mark here in the Silver State. With the recent purchases here in Reno, they now own more than 100 sportsbooks in Nevada.
"Some of those sportsbooks in the Reno area are John Ascuaga's Nugget, Grand Sierra, the sportsbook at the Cal Neva itself," says Shapiro. "The Siena and Rail City are just a few of those."
The sportsbook manager at The Nugget says he's happy under the new ownership.
"We're gearing up for a pretty big season," says Charles Lupcho. "We've just been acquired by the William Hill sportsbook. We're expecting big things from here."
So what changes will you see while placing bets? Shapiro says you'll see a bigger betting product.
And one of the noticeable differences you'll see is more incentive to start placing bets. That's because this year, several William Hill sportsbooks are offering season-long college football and NFL betting contests.
And the winners will take home quite a bit of cash. "We're offering over $500,000 in prize money for the pro contests," says Shapiro.
William Hill representatives say they're excited to be here in Reno. And sportsbooks in town say the betting industry continues showing strong numbers.
Written by Adam Rasmussen
