A recently licensed sports book operator is hoping it can book some success throughout Nevada.

Joe Asher’s Brandywine Bookmaking is taking over sports wager operations at two casinos in Elko as well as the Grand Sierra in Reno. It was also approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to take over operations at the Plaza in Downtown Las Vegas.

If approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, the company, which operates under the name Lucky’s Race and Sports Book, will help guide a renovation of the existing 7,600-square-foot facility at the Plaza.

Breaking into the bookmaking business isn’t easy. One veteran bookmaker, Jimmy Vaccaro, offered some advice to Asher:

“If you think this is going to happen overnight, then get back into your car and go back to where you came from,” Vaccaro said. “You’ll save yourself a lot of time, energy and money.”

Asher seemed to like the advice, or at least Vaccaro. He hired him, along with Tony DiTommaso, to handle the bookmaking and operations side of his business.

“Our team brings years of experience at some of the most prominent sports books in the state,” Asher said. “This is a team that I firmly believe will make a big impact in the race and sports betting business in this state.”

Brandywine has some stiff competition in Cal Neva, which operates 30 books in the area as well as at the Four Queens, Binion’s and Tuscany in Las Vegas, and Leroy’s, which operates 61 books throughout the state.

For Asher, it isn’t about size.

“The idea is not to have a large number of places, but to have the right properties in the right locations,” he explained.

Still, to compete with the big boys, Asher will need to deliver the same quality of service that the competition does. That was one of the reasons for poaching Vaccaro from Leroy’s.

The big challenge is to convince other operators to let Asher into their property. He has already succeeded with one gaming magnate, Larry Woolf of Navegante Group. Asher’s first three operations are at Woolf’s properties, and it is for good reason.

“It’s really hard to spend a lot of quality time in race and sports, and it’s not a huge part of the revenue stream,” Woolf said. “It’s hard to give it a lot of attention. But that’s what Joe intends to do. He is going to give it a lot of attention and a lot of focus.”

By Casino Connection Staff

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