Beyond the card games, the slots and the video poker, Las Vegas also offers sports betting. Vegas offers more than just bets on horse racing. For the sports connoisseur, there are betting options for auto racing, basketball, baseball, boxing, golf and hockey.

Auto Racing

The auto racing betting system is not too difficult for the players to understand. You basically pick who you believe will be the winner of the race. Sports books list 20 plus individuals with a field option at various odds. A Vegas sports betting guide gives the examples of Jeff Gordon, listed at 4-1, Jeff Burton, 15-1, and Casey Atwood 100-1. If ten dollars are betted on Burton 15-1 and he wins, the winner receives $150 plus the original $10 left. Golf is also played in a very similar way.

Baseball

Betting on baseball is also a relatively easy transaction. Teams are assigned a betting number. The betting begins by telling the ticket writer the bet number of the team on which you want to place your bet. If the team you bet on wins, then the bettor wins. Payout is determined by the odds posted. Odds are based on one dollar. If the odds have a minus sign preceding the number, then the team is considered the favorite. If a plus precedes the number then the team is an underdog. Football and basketball are also played in a similar way.

Horse Racing

When you are placing a racing bet, you must specify which track you want, which race, the amount you want to bet, and of course, the horse! One betting procedure is betting a horse “across the board.” This is betting a horse to win, to place, and to show. Then there is an exacta, in which you pick the first two finishes in a race in the correct order and a quinella, in which the first two horses finish in either order. There is also a trifecta, a superfecta, a daily double, a daily triple and many other bets that will vary according to the race and the casino.