William Hill clears hurdle toward operating sportsbook at Palms
William Hill, Nevada’s largest sportsbook operator, is expected to be the operator of the race and sportsbook at the soon-to-reopen Palms after clearing a regulatory hurdle with the Nevada Gaming Control Board Wednesday.
Board members unanimously recommended approval of a nonrestricted gaming license following a brief hearing. The Nevada Gaming Commission is expected to consider final approval of licensing on April 21.
William Hill, now a unit of Caesars Entertainment Inc. after the casino company purchased the sports-betting business for $4 billion a year ago, will modernize the Palms sportsbook.
Jeffrey Hendricks, senior vice president and assistant general counsel of regulatory and compliance for Caesars, and David Grolman, senior vice president of retail operations, told board members the revamped Palms book will have five betting stations and six kiosks when it reopens April 27.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, already licensed by Nevada regulators, owns the Palms and announced Tuesday that it would reopen the property with a fireworks display and a traditional tribal ceremony later this month.
Palms began hotel room sales Tuesday and will have its first guests in more than a year on April 28, the night the National Football League Draft begins in Las Vegas just down the street at Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Control Board members, meeting in Carson City, had few questions for the Caesars executives because William Hill has been licensed multiple times in Nevada and operates at 124 locations in the state.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
