NFL Lockout would hit Las Vegas hard

By Scott Matthews

A little under $87.5 million was wagered on Super Bowl XLV at Las Vegas sportsbooks, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. And bettors did better than they have in years, as sportsbooks profited a mere $724,176 combined.

Still, the amount bet was up from the $82.7 million wagered last year. And normally, Las Vegas does very well on the big game, its best year coming in 2005, when bettors wagered more than $90 million and the books made more than $15 million in profit.

But the NFL means a lot more to the bottom line in Las Vegas than just the money wagered on the sport. The Super Bowl is pretty much the busiest single day of the year in Las Vegas, with some reports saying almost 300,000 people flocked to the city in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLV. That represents millions and millions of dollars spent on hotel rooms, in restaurants, and, of course, in casinos.

So if the NFL owners and players cannot reach a new deal on a collective bargaining agreement before the March 3 deadline, and if a subsequent lockout or strike cancels even part or all of next season, Las Vegas will lose – big time.

The interesting thing about it, though, is that as much as anyone involved with the NFL wants to avoid a disruption to the season, many in the league would secretly be happy to see Las Vegas suffer at its expense.

While Las Vegas loves the NFL, the feeling is not mutual. The NFL makes it very clear it wants nothing to do with the gambling mecca – not even its advertising dollars.

You will never see an ad for the city, let alone any casinos, anywhere near an NFL game or broadcast – not on TV, not at stadiums – no where. The NFL goes out of its way to keep even the slightest hint of Vegas away from anything to do with its games. Advertisers are not even allowed to show the Las Vegas Strip, even from a distance, in their ads.

The NFL, in fact, has a specific rule that prohibits “ads for specific hotels, casinos and other institutions that house gambling.”

So Las Vegas will be hoping and praying for an NFL season in 2011-12, but if there isn’t one, it won’t get any sympathy from NFL headquarters.

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