Having seen the number of land based casinos across the U.S that have rapidly sought approval to operate sportsbooks in their respective venues, thanks in no small part to the recent legislative changes back in May of this year, it was to be expected that virtually of all of them would open sportsbooks, or at least operate betting terminals moving forward.
However, there is scepticism from some casino owners as to whether having a sportsbook is actually good for their businesses and bottom lines, and it is Indian casinos that are wary of opening up sportsbooks in their properties.
What gamblers may be blissfully unaware of is that sports betting does not guarantee huge profits to the bottom line of any casino operation, for it is a highly specialist form of gambling, and one that can be expensive to run, too.
There is of course the initial cost of decking out a sportsbook, and then there are the staffing costs, and with the over-round or “vig” being as low is it is, many casinos need to have in place odds compilers that can work out the odds and money lines they are offering and ensure they are both competitive enough to attract gamblers and also to make a profit, too.
Those are some of the many reasons as to why many Indian casinos are taking something of a stand-offish approach to opening up their own sportsbooks, and whilst some of them have done so and are happy with the incomes they are generating, some tribes are not in too much of a rush to embrace sports betting.
That may of course change over time however, for at the end of the day if there is more money to be made from operating slot and video poker machines and table games (which there is), you can see why many Indian casinos would prefer not to offer sports betting facilities.
