Oscar Goodman makes Super Bowl wager — but still waiting on line
A visitor at Westgate Superbook took notice of the gent in the pinstripe suit, carrying a martini at noontime Wednesday.
“Who is that?” the visitor asked.
“Oscar Goodman,” I said. “He’s the former mayor of Las Vegas.”
“Oh!” he said. “When he walked in, I knew he was someone.”
A pair of showgirls, a couple TV crews and general disruption usually signifies Goodman’s prominence.
The former three-term Vegas mayor and current civic ambassador ambled in for his annual Super Bowl bet. Goodman is known to wager from time to time and anytime, but he did not bet the side in Super Bowl LIV.
“It’s a tough one, so what I’ve done is bet props,” Goodman said after making his wagers with Westgate sportsbook vice president Jay Kornegay. ‘“I’m trying to see if the line is going to go up. I sort of like San Francisco, but I’d like to get 1 1/2 (points) at least.”
As Goodman spoke, the Superbook line was Chiefs minus-1. But by Friday, he got the 49ers at plus 1 1/2 and made the wager. He said he took S.F., in part, because one of his showgirls, Porsha Revesz, likes 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I was talking about the game and mentioned Jimmy G., and she says, ‘Oooh, he’s scrumptious,’” Goodman said. “So, I’m betting the 49ers.”
Goodman also put down $300 total on three prop bets: 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk to record just one rushing attempt, and S.F. cornerback Richard Sherman and Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu to each snare an interception.
I also asked Goodman for his spin on the “What Happens Here, Only Happens Here’ Vegas tourism ad campaign. That phrase replaced the universally recognized, “What Happens Here, Stays Here” campaign launched in 2003.
“I think it’s cool, I think it’s great,” Goodman said. “I loved the old campaign, too. But what I love more than anything is, this will be on the pre-game of the Super Bowl, when (the NFL) wouldn’t take our ad at all a few years ago. But now they are so smart, they love Las Vegas and are embracing us because Las Vegas is the greatest spot in the world.”
Then the ex-mayor went off to retrieve his martini, because what happens here …
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
