Scandals Shake Sports Betting, but Market Makers in Nevada Say Changes are Unnecessary

Circa Sportsbook and the Westgate SuperBook are widely regarded as the most respected sports betting operators in Nevada.

Both are responsible for setting the initial lines that help shape betting markets across the country. As such, Circa and Westgate are major stakeholders in an industry that has been marred by numerous scandals across a wide swath of sports.

In the wake of Major League Baseball’s spot-fixing scandal involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, bettors across the country are being limited to $200 on wagers involving pitches. The NFL also detailed its strong stance against specific prop bets in a league memo sent to all 32 teams earlier this month.

Still, no changes “appear to be on the horizon at Nevada sportsbooks,” and leaders at Circa and Westgate “don’t think any are necessary.”

“I think operators should be allowed to decide what markets they want to offer and what the prices and limits are going to be on those markets,” Circa Sportsbook Director Chris Bennett said. “The problem of the integrity of games or some component of a game will never go away as long as there is an incentive strong enough to compromise them.”

He added, “That means there have to be counter-parties offering enough liquidity to make it worth the effort to compromise the market. In the competitive sportsbook operator landscape, I don’t see that getting solved anytime soon. Imposing wagering limits and restrictions can help curb the behaviors we’ve seen, but it is also limiting the freedom of the operators to compete.”

Business as Usual at Westgate & Circa

It’s worth noting that the micro bets involving individual pitches aren’t even offered at Circa or Westgate. But in its recent memo, the NFL noted that it has “worked with state lawmakers, regulators and its sports betting partners to limit and, where possible, prohibit prop bets in the NFL.”

“We haven’t been told by any regulatory bodies that we need to change anything,” Westgate Vice President of Race & Sports John Murray said.

Murray added that banning prop bets will only “push the action to illegal books and doesn’t anticipate any changes to NFL props, which account for more than 60 percent” of the overall Super Bowl handle.

The Westgate is renowned for its massive Super Bowl prop offerings, which totaled approximately 500 for Chiefs vs. Eagles back in February. Even if the occasional prop bet is banned going forward, Murray thinks the effect on business would be negligible due to the sheer volume of props being offered throughout the year.

“It would just be one less offering on a betting menu that has hundreds and hundreds,” he said. “I think, at the end of the day, the average person wants to parlay together all the favorites or parlay together all their favorite players to score a touchdown, and I still think that’s where the bulk of your handle is always going to come from.”