Watching sports and betting on sports go hand in hand for many fans, so it stands to reason that Las Vegas is a favorite destination for many sports enthusiasts. And that is never clearer than with a couple of upcoming sporting events. On the eve of Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 3 in New Orleans) and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness, beginning March 19 and played at various locations), anyone interested in visiting Las Vegas to watch and wager on these events may want to start thinking about where to catch the big games.
Though the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority isn’t able to track the number of visitors specifically in town for sporting events like it can for conventions, there are a few telling statistics that illustrate Las Vegas’ popularity as a sports-related destination. In 2011, there were 307,000 visitors in town for the Super Bowl weekend, and, in that same year, the first weekend of March Madness was the second-busiest of the year, with a 97.7% occupancy rate. As such, sports fans would be wise to plan as far in advance as possible to ensure they get a front-row seat.
Every bar (sports or otherwise) has specials for big sporting events. Some hyperlocal websites, such as Vegas Chatter (www.vegaschatter.com), compile a list of parties with prices and details that range from simply a chair and TV set to all-you-can-eat-and-drink festivities. (The first list has already been published here: www.vegaschatter.com/story/2013/1/2/153634/8989/vegas-travel/VegasChatter%27s+Guide+To+Big+Game+Parties.)
Lagasse’s Stadium at the Palazzo is perhaps the most popular sports book and bar in Las Vegas, with more than 100 HDTVs, stadium-style seating and high-quality cuisine, but Blondies Sports Bar at Planet Hollywood, Skybox at the Aria and the Sporting House at New York New York as well as any of the hotel sports books are also popular picks. Most sports lounges are first-come, first-serve; however, there are some that will accept reservations.
Those who don’t want to pay cover charges can catch any sporting event for free at a casino sports book, but the cardinal rule of arriving early still applies. For Super Bowl Sunday and March Madness, every seat will be full, to the point where some people pay others to sit in and save chairs hours in advance. But if you begin planning now, catching your favorite sports team amid the hype of Las Vegas can be almost as exciting as the game itself.