Forty years after the SuperBook opened and set the gold standard for Las Vegas sportsbooks, it has embarked on a new era.
The Westgate SuperBook, powered by Caesars Sportsbook, went live Tuesday, kicking off a partnership of two Las Vegas icons ahead of football season.
In an agreement approved Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Commission, Caesars will now operate the SuperBook, bringing its platform and extensive sports wagering menu to what has long been regarded as one of the world’s largest and best sportsbook viewing experiences.
“We recognize the fact that it’s such an established legacy brand and that they have a great reputation in the market, so we thought that partnering with them would really help both of us out,” said Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital. “As sports fans prepare for football season, we’re enhancing its offerings with more ways to wager, more convenience and more flexibility while preserving everything that has made it special.
“The SuperBook has a tremendous history, and our goal is to build on that legacy while delivering the modern betting experience expected by today’s sports bettors.”
Bettors can now access expanded betting options — including live in-play wagering, same game parlays and cash outs — upgraded mobile wagering capabilities and 20 self-service wagering kiosks located throughout the Westgate. Hession said there will ultimately be 25 24-hour kiosks at the property.
“The kiosks enable the customers to spend time going through their selections and the kiosks can print out drink tickets for customers,” Hession said. “It’s just a really nice enhancement that the property didn’t have before.”
Bettors can register for a Caesars Sportsbook mobile account on property. Hession said that existing customers with a SuperBook mobile app will be moved to the Caesars app.
“We are going to be doing a full migration, where we’ll take their existing customers and we’ll move their account over,” he said. “So that they’re able to seamlessly log in to their Caesars app. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for their customer base.”
Entries are now open for the Westgate SuperContests, including Gold, Survivor and College, as well as Caesars’ Pro Pick’em Contest and the Nevada-exclusive $1 Million Parlay Cash Giveaway.
‘One family’
Hession said that offers were extended to all front-line employees at the SuperBook. Westgate President and General Manager Cami Christensen said that more than 75 percent of them were retained and the ones not staying at the book were offered positions elsewhere at the Westgate.
“So most of them will be staying at the property,” she said. “We’ve been really happy with the way (Caesars has) handled the transition for our team members.
“It’s important to us, too, that they will continue to feel like they’re part of our family. It isn’t like they’re Caesars and we’re Westgate. We are one family working together in a partnership.”
Former Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray also will stay on at the SuperBook.
Christensen said it was a difficult decision to bring in an outside operator to run what was one of only a few solo independent books remaining in Las Vegas.
“I love that sportsbook and it’s so iconic, but the sports betting industry has evolved so dramatically over the last several years,” she said. “The customer expectations continue to grow, the technology’s changing and the investment that was going to be needed to stay in the forefront was getting greater and greater.
“We were at a point where we had to decide how were we going to best position the sportsbook for the next 20 or 30 years, not just the next two. The partnership with Caesars allowed us to preserve everything people wanted in our sportsbook, but also combine it with that world-class technology that they have.”
Christensen said that preserving the legacy of the SuperBook played a crucial role in the partnership with Caesars.
“It was built in 1986, so it’s four decades of history down there. It’s more than just a SuperBook. It’s a pretty big part of Las Vegas history,” she said. “During March Madness, we have grandfathers bringing their grandsons and all these generations coming to our sportsbook to watch these big games and unforgettable moments.
“That emotional connection is so valuable at the Westgate. Preserving that was such a priority to us. I think that legacy is going to continue because Caesars gets it.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
