Life In The Sportsbook During COVID-19: ‘We’ll Spend More Time Doing Other Things We Like To Enjoy’
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
These are surreal times for Jay Kornegay, who oversees the Westgate SuperBook as vice president of race and sports book operations. LVSportsBiz.com caught up with Kornegay for our five questions sports marketing feature with Las Vegas sportsbiz newsmakers. We discussed life at the sportsbook in the age of coronavirus.
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LVSportsBiz.com: What was it like to have no basketball or hockey games to post on your big board in the sportsbook? What is spooky or surreal?
Jay Kornegay: It was surreal. We went through something similar after 9-11 and I never thought we would have to do it again.
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LVSB: The first two days of March Madness are always crazy in Las Vegas up and down the Strip. What kind of hit will your book suffer without March Madness next week?
JK: I can’t quantify but March Madness is one of our top (Super Bowl) two events of the year. The Madness resonates throughout the entire city and many benefit from it. The incremental value is tremendous.
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LVSB: Will you try and come up with other betting programs or have more horse racing presence in your book? What will it be like this week and during this down time?
JK: It’s tough to enhance sports when there’s nothing out there. We have some soccer and UFC but that’s it. We do expect some patrons to migrate to the race book but not too much.
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LVSB: How will your most serious and hardcore bettors deal without the sports to bet on? Are you concerned for them in the sense that they will have to find other things to fill their time?
JK: I think most people understand the situation and will take a break from it. I’m not concerned because I know the sports books and this country will rebound.
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LVSB: How will not having NBA, NHL and other sports around effect your life? Do you think you or other people might discover other parts of their life without live sports events?
JK: It certainly has an effect on our lives. Our world revolves around the sports world. We’re not hermits but we’ll spend more time doing other things we like to enjoy. This includes hiking, golf, etc. The world will continue to turn and we’ll be fine.
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