March Madness in Las Vegas still ‘dream come true’ for bettors

The atmosphere wasn’t as electric, and the roars weren’t quite as loud as in years past. But even a half-capacity crowd at the Westgate sportsbook created a lively atmosphere Friday on the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

About 75 bettors waited in line to place their wagers at 9 a.m., and the crowd cheered 15 minutes later when the first game tipped off between Florida and Virginia Tech. Shortly before noon, the room exploded when Hokies guard Nahiem Alleyne hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 64 with 1.7 seconds left.

“This is a dream come true,” said Jason Rowcliff, 41, of Decatur, Illinois, who was wearing a fluorescent orange wig and shirt to support the Fighting Illini.

“We’ve got a new DraftKings app in Illinois,” he said. “But sitting on your couch betting is nothing compared to coming out here and seeing the mania, the people, the cash at the windows, and holding that ticket is so much better than having it on your phone.”

A year after the NCAA Tournament was canceled, along with countless trips to Las Vegas, because of the coronavirus pandemic, many bettors on Friday were finally able to cross an item off their sports bucket list.

“We’ve come for a bachelor party and during football season, but we’ve always wanted to come to Vegas for the first two days of March Madness,” said Kenny Bollwerk, 33, of Queens, New York.

Bollwerk, his brother Alexi Bollwerk of Oklahoma City and K.C. Hampton of St. Louis are former classmates at Oklahoma State who had to scrap their plans to come to Las Vegas last year for the tournament.

“This is the place to be, where the action is and all the big crowds and all the big parties,” said Hampton, 33. “The fact that you can sit here and watch every game on this amazing screen, it’s awesome. The city comes alive during March Madness.”

The three wore Oklahoma State jerseys and masks, and Hampton said they each had received their COVID-19 vaccine shots.

“And three vodka shots,” quipped Kenny Bollwerk.

The limited seating at the Westgate was sold out, with the 250 available seats in the 1,500-seat International Theater going quickly.

“We’re kind of crawling out of the starting gate again,” Westgate sportsbook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “It seems like everybody’s elated to be back. They’re energized, and they’re very thankful to be back here after skipping last year.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.