6 Ways to Streamline Your Experience at a Las Vegas Sportsbook

For a certain subset of Sin City visitors, the best place to be isn’t a table game pit, slot machine, or buffet—it’s the sportsbook. Las Vegas is home to dozens of brick and mortar bet shops, including the two largest sportsbooks on the planet in the Westgate Superbook and Circa.

But with the world’s most prominent bookmakers running the show, bettors are often forced to navigate large crowds, long lines, and odds displays that can be downright confusing. The six tips below take care of those problems though, so use them to streamline your next sports betting adventure.

1 – Use the Closest Available Entrance

The first step toward saving time at the sportsbook takes place long before you enter the facility. Instead of taking the scenic route through a packed casino, make it a priority to locate the closest available entrance to the sportsbook itself.

In many cases, the book will have its own dedicated “backdoor” utilized by employees and regulars in the know.

Taking a few minutes to find the nearest access point between where you park and your favorite real money sportsbook is simply an investment in the future. From now on, you can skip that lengthy casino walk that’s been expressly designed to lead distracted gamblers in circles.

And if you happen to have a bankroll “leak” caused by casino games, avoiding the tables and machines altogether is an invaluable ancillary benefit.

All told, depending on the size of your preferred Las Vegas haunt, using this shortcut can easily shave 30 minutes roundtrip off of your sportsbook visits.

2 – Come Prepared by Researching Your Bets Beforehand

With a half hour a day added to your schedule, why not use the additional time on your hands to establish a research routine?

Many bettors head down to the sportsbook, find a seat, order a drink, and get comfortable before finally deciding to take a gander at the day’s games. This casual approach is fine for your average Las Vegas tourist. But if you’re betting on a daily basis, the best play is to come prepared.

Plenty of resources online provide real time access to the big bookmakers’ latest lines and prices. This means you can get an early look at the upcoming schedule, identify games of interest, and conduct your statistical research all from the comfort of home.

Once you have a list of potential plays drawn up, you can venture out to the sportsbook and head straight to the ticket writer’s window without wasting any time.

3 – Get Your Bets in Before the Tourists Start Lining Up in Droves

The bane of all regular bettors is the long lines that spring up before every big game.

With dozens, or even hundreds, of people all interested in firing on the same event, Las Vegas sportsbooks are notorious for their lines. And even with a full complement of ticket writers working feverishly to supply the demand, these lines can cause wait times of up to an hour in the worst cases.

Speaking of the worst-case scenario, just imagine being one of the poor saps stuck standing in line when their game’s start time comes and goes. This happens to a few unfortunate souls on every major game day, and trust me, getting left out in the cold with no wagers in play somehow feels worse than losing.

To avoid this tragic fate, simply schedule your visits to the sportsbook accordingly to provide an ample window. If your game is set to start at 6:05 PM local time, for example, showing up at 5 PM sharp should give you plenty of time to beat the lines.

Arriving ahead of the crowds also offers a potentially lucrative financial benefit for savvy bettors.

Because line movement across Las Vegas sportsbooks can be so sensitive, the sharpest bettors typically like to get their action in sooner rather than later. When you can squeeze a few points of vig in your direction by betting before the public money comes in, this edge can become quite valuable over the long run.

4 – Take Advantage of the Players Club Card

Another great way to dodge the long lines is to utilize your favorite sportsbook’s players club promotion.

This isn’t the case at every Sin City sportsbook mind you, but several prominent bet shops offer priority access to regulars. In other words, when these bettors flash players club card of a certain “tier,” staff is instructed to usher them straight to the front of the line.

Some sportsbooks even run a dedicated ticket window reserved specifically for members. Fair warning, though, you’ll have to bet bigger than the average player to get on the sportsbook’s premier service radar. But if you have the bankroll to satisfy these conditions, securing priority access is one of the most effective time-savers at any Las Vegas sportsbook.

5 – Tip the Ticket Writers and Tip Some More

Every single time a sportsbook ticket writer takes your bet, they’re performing a valuable high-volume service.

These skilled employees serve as instructors to the legions of inexperienced bettors that land in Las Vegas by the millions. When lines are flowing smoothly and people are getting their bets in like clockwork, you can thank the proficiency of the ticket-writing team. And when you’re a regular placing hundreds of bets per month, the faces behind the counter can even become genuine friends.

For all of these reasons, tipping your ticket writer is an essential conclusion to the wagering process. I won’t offer any advice on how much to tip, as these matters depend on your bankroll flexibility and personal predilections. With that said, there’s no excuse for walking away from the counter without tossing at least a dollar or two in the ticket writer’s direction.

Doing so is just the right thing in a service-based economy like Las Vegas, but tipping also paves the way to saving time at the sportsbook.

When the staff recognizes you as a loyal regular who happens to tip well, they’ll never hesitate to open a new window when you’re waiting in line. And when they know a nice tip is in the offing, any qualified ticket writer will tend to pick up the pace and print your tickets as expeditiously as possible.

6 – Sign Up for the Book’s Online Mobile Sports Betting App

In 2020, every Las Vegas sportsbook worth its salt has an online mobile wagering app available for download.

Nevada law allows bettors to use these apps anywhere within the Silver State’s borders too, expanding your reach well beyond the Strip or Downtown. Once you’ve downloaded a few of the best online mobile betting apps to your phone, you’ll essentially have a functional sportsbook in the palm of your hands, day or night.

These apps can’t replace the sensory experience of hitting the sportsbook in person, but they can definitely help bettors save time in a pinch.

If you’re at the MGM Grand for a quick meal, but notice that the line has moved in your favor over at the Wynn, grabbing an Uber and heading down Las Vegas Boulevard can be quite the trek.

But with the Wynn Sportsbook’s online mobile app in hand, you can place your bets and take advantage of the line movement without ever leaving your seat.

Conclusion

Sports betting has never been more popular. And as always, Las Vegas reigns supreme as the industry’s undisputed capital. This town has the biggest and best bet shops around, and for most sports fans, the huge screens and plush seats are destinations in their own right.

But as comfortable and entertaining as a world-class sportsbook can be, regular bettors have been there and done that. When you just want to get your action in and get out of dodge, expediting the process every step of the way is your best bet. So, make these six tips work for you.