Best Sportsbooks in Laughlin

ROADTRIP TO LAUGHLIN

It’s not the Destination, it’s the Journey
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I shop numbers around just about every day. It’s part of what makes a Player an Advantage Player. But I also like to get out on the road and see how it works other places. The summer of 2019 should offer many travel destinations and experiences to witness, first hand, how the new sports wagering states are dealing with their fledgling sports betting industry.

Some of you may recall I accompanied my lovely daughter to Cape Town, South Africa to begin her college semester abroad. This journey also allowed me to see how they do this business elsewhere. If you haven’t read the articles, here they are – A Favorable Exchange Rate and Sportsbook Report Cape Town.

My ladyfriend Ali and I visited Laughlin, NV, over the Christmas holiday, 2018. The sportsbooks in Las Vegas were getting tired of paying our winning tickets (not really), so we decided to have a look at what Laughlin had to offer. Learn more on the Laughlin layout and geography.

We stayed at Harrah’s and visited their sportsbook, as well as the sportsbooks in the Golden Nugget, Pioneer, Colorado Belle, Aquarius, Edgewater and Riverside. There are a few criteria I have developed to evaluate and rate sportsbooks. Some of it objective, some of it subjective. Objectively, I’m looking for competitive lines and juice. I’m looking for the games and leagues they offer. Subjectively, well, everything is fair game. From décor to the writing utensils they offer to whether they issue drink tickets for action placed. I’m a pretty good observer of “character,” so I generally know what I’m talking about. Let’s start at the beginning…

HARRAH’S RACE AND SPORTSBOOK

We arrived the afternoon of Monday, December 24. The only contest being played that night was Monday Night Football. A snoozefest between the visiting Denver Broncos (3.0 point favorites / 42.5 Total) and the Oakland Raiders. There were four college hoops contests scheduled Christmas Day, as were five NBA contests. Betting lines on these contests were available, as were the remaining college football bowl game lines. That’s about it for action. I’m sure they had futures available for the Superbowl and March Madness, but I bet those a long time ago.

The race and sportsbook was located at the end of the casino, next to Keno. There were a couple dozen seats in the vicinity and a dozen or so race desks. No horse or dog tracks were running that night, so there was not much going on. In an adjacent area, there were a dozen or so televisions and a large screen projection television with seating. The bar was a long way away, and cocktail waitresses were not actively working the area, that I noticed, while we were there.

I made a bet on the Over in the Indiana State / TCU basketball contest. I was not offered any drink tickets, so I requested a couple. I was told they only issue drink tickets on weekends. That’s a loss of value and a big strike against them.

Harrah’s offered the same pens that are offered everywhere else in the hotel and casino. Stick pens with Black Ink.

You will recall from my Cape Town, South Africa review that one of my criteria in evaluating sportsbooks is whether I would bring a date to the book. I had my date with me, but I certainly would not go out of my way to bring a date to this joint to bet or watch a game. I’m sure it’s a more-lively place on a big college or NFL day, but I saw no redeeming qualities for me to go out of my way to bring anyone to this sportsbook. Would I return? No.

GOLDEN NUGGET

We handicapped the UNLV / Bucknell contest the night before, but Harrah’s was only offering -/+2.5. We loved Bucknell in this contest, but wanted to shop it around, because we knew we could get +3.0 (or better) elsewhere.

The first sportsbook we visited was Golden Nugget. And, yep, there was Bucknell on the board +3.0. I bet it and was offered drink tickets – It is not necessarily about the drinks, but it IS about the value complimentary drinks offer the sports bettor. The sportsbook writing utensils were stick pens with Black Ink. I have been in dozens of sportsbooks and casinos. The gaming floor at Golden Nugget, Laughlin, had the lowest ceilings I have ever seen.

The sportsbook was small. There was a wall of televisions with seating directly across from the televisions and easy access to the nearby bar – for cashing those drink tickets! The bar closest to the sportsbook had a row of windows, overlooking the Colorado River and Bullhead City, AZ, directly across the river.

Would I bring a date to this sportsbook – Yes and I did! Would I return? Definitely.

PIONEER

The Pioneer Casino and Hotel is immediately adjacent to the Golden Nugget. The casino itself seems to be separate from the hotel rooms, but is easily accessed from the Colorado Riverwalk. Ali needed to make a bet prior to some game starting, so we had a look at what the Pioneer had to offer. On the way in, we overheard a conversation regarding the proper preparation of asparagus. Ali suggested blanching would be a great way to go.

The sportsbook was a William Hill affiliate and located in a rectangular room. Except for doors on opposite sides of the room, the sportsbook and viewing area were separate from the rest of the casino. Televisions were hung on one wall, with two rows of swiveling arm chairs facing the television wall. Drink tickets were not offered and the writing utensils were half-size #2 pencils. This book reminded me of the betting parlors in Cape Town, SA.

Would I bring a date here? Not if I wanted to impress her. Would I return? Only if I gotta get a bet down and don’t have time to make it to another book.

COLORADO BELLE

Next stop was the Colorado Belle. This is a riverboat-themed casino, as you might guess. It is long and linear developed along the bank of the Colorado River more or less in the middle of the Laughlin Strip. There was no official sportsbook, but we did find one William Hill betting kiosk. We didn’t make any bets. But the casino was kind of cool. There are a lot of long, linear windows overlooking the River. And the riverboat theme is done well, and not too hokey. For we beer enthusiasts, there is an “on-ship” micro-brewery. Sadly, we did not have time to do any tastings.

Would I bring a date here? Heck yes! Would I go back? Sure, but not to make any sports bets.

EDGEWATER

Edgewater was funky. The sportsbook was another William Hill affiliate that was located on the second floor. The sportsbook has to be the largest one in all of Laughlin. It was a long linear room with lots of seating and televisions. Outside were pool tables and other games. We didn’t make a bet as we had all the action we needed at that time of the day.

Wandering around the greater casino was different in that there were many small shops and other curiosities, like a bazaar (not bizarre) or outdoor flea market (albeit a more upscale flea market).

I played a little blackjack while Ali was doing something. The table I played was single deck 3:2 payout, but double down on 10 and 11 only. I was only killing a little time and had no plans to settle in. Double 10 and 11 only is a lousy rule.

I have never seen this before – the single deck dealers walked between tables with their own deck of cards. This certainly was odd! How am I to be assured that all 52 cards are in that deck? And, there was no discard tray for the dealt cards. After each round, the dealer simply scooped up the cards and put them face up on the bottom of the remaining deck. The dealer would estimate if they had enough cards to deal another round to the table. If not, they shuffled using the standard riffle shuffle.

Back to the sportsbook…The writing utensils were the standard William Hill issued #2 pencils. We didn’t make any bets, so I don’t know about drink tickets. But I don’t remember seeing a bar anywhere near the sportsbook.

Would I bring a date to this place? Sure! Would I go back? Sure…but probably not for the blackjack.

AQUARIUS

Next up was the Aquarius. This place didn’t look like much from the outside, but inside it had clearly been recently renovated. The sportsbooks was very accessible and adjacent to a bar and lounge. There had been some line movement on the UNLV / Bucknell contest, with the line moving to UNLV -3.5. I liked Bucknell at +3.0 and I loved them at +3.5. I got down again! In retrospect, I should have bet the Bucknell moneyline at +145 (Bucknell won the contest by 25 points). I was offered drink tickets with my wager, which I graciously accepted. The cocktail waitress was making laps and we did not have to wait long for cool ones.

I can’t find the pens the sportsbook issued its players. But I’m pretty sure they were Black Ink stick pens.

As I said, this place was recently renovated and well-appointed. The book took lots of action on lots of different leagues, had numerous televisions and lots of seating and also had individual stations for race book players. As I was sitting watching the action, a friend texted some English Premier League soccer information. They had the EPL listed on the betting screens and I made a couple bets.

Would I bring a date to this place? You bet I would! Would I go back? You know I would! I asked a friendly ticket writer if the book was taking action on Major League Baseball futures. She told me no because they were transitioning into a William Hill affiliate. I sure hope they don’t do anything to change the ambiance of this place after the transition.

RIVERSIDE

We strolled up to the Riverside to conclude this epic sportsbook excursion and review. Honestly, I don’t remember much about it. Probably because it was at the end of our excursion. But, most likely because there wasn’t much to it. Another William Hill book with zero character and standard issue #2 pencils.

FOR SPORTSBOOK RANKINGS PURPOSES, THESE ARE THE BEST SPORTSBOOKS IN LAUGHLIN, NEVADA:

1. Aquarius
2. Golden Nugget
3. Edgewater
4. Pioneer
5. Harrah’s
6. Riverside
7. Colorado Belle (last place only because there was no official book – just a William Hill kiosk)

So, there you have it! I would definitely go back to Laughlin and would definitely find plenty of action!