Yuppies boost sports gambling in the U.S.
By
KEN PETERS
NZPA Los Angeles Legalised sports betting, embraced by “yuppies” and bolstered by technology, has grown phenomenally and could spread across the United States, an authority on sports gaming has predicted. “I think betting on sports is part of the yuppie culture,” said Mr Lenny Del Genio, referring to the “Young Urban Professionals,” who acquire substantial disposable income early in their careers.
“They drink Perrier, drive BMWs and bet on sports. They can study statistics, feed data into their computers then
watch the event on television. They prefer to bet on sports because knowledge and study play a part; it’s not just luck,” said Mr Del Genio, who manages the race and sports book at the Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Mr Del Genio, referring to what he called the American public’s “sportsminded madness,” cited increased television coverage — via satellite dishes, cable television, and simulcast horse racing — as contributing to what he said was an 8000 per cent increase in sports betting in Las Vegas over the last 10 years. Nevada is the only state
that allows sports bookmaking. “The public’s interest in viewing sports and wagering is growing and will continue to grow at a remarkable rate ... I see nothing insurmountable down the road that would stop it (legalised sports bookmaking) from spreading through the country,” he said. “State by state, lotteries are gradually being allowed, and I believe some sports wagering may be a next step. It will be a gradual process.” Mr Sonny Reizner, executive director of sports gaming at the Frontier, said betting on sports has gained respectability.
“People from all walks of life love to bet on sports,” he said. “I used to attend games at Braves Field then Fenway Park back in Boston and at the Boston Garden and I’d bet with other fans, other gamblers,” Mr Reizner recalled. “It was always under a sign that said, ’No Gambling Allowed’.
“Now sports wagering has come out of the closet ... Seventy-five per cent of newspapers carry sports lines and we also have extensive coverage on radio and TV.
“Every year I keep saying that it (sports betting) has reached its height but I’ve always been wrong. Every year it grows.”
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Press, 2 December 1987, Page 51
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376Yuppies boost sports gambling in the U.S. Press, 2 December 1987, Page 51
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