It was 1999, and I was way more fired up about my three-figure bankroll than the girl. I wanted to gamble for a living and had visions of working at a sportsbook.
After all, I knew a lot about sports, I thought.
In reality, I didn’t have a clue and never had a chance. I was broke in a month and headed back to the Big Easy without the girl. Good times.
But some guys do make it in Vegas, like icon Jimmy Vaccaro, a 35-year veteran of the sportsbook scene. Or Jay Kornegay, who as a senior at Colorado State was the only dude to vote against going to Vegas for spring break; he’s now top dog at the Hilton SuperBook.
"I wanted to go to the beaches, you know," said Kornegay. "But I was out-voted, so we went to Vegas and spent a week at Bally's. I had no idea about the sports books of Las Vegas, and after coming out there, I left really intrigued with the whole industry."
Both Vacarro and Kornegay have climbed to the top of an industry that can be very difficult just to break into. “It’s a tough nut to crack,” Vaccaro said.
And it’s getting even tougher.
More books are being run as satellites of big corporations like Cantor Gaming, which operates the sportsbooks for five Vegas casinos. So instead of 10 individual sportsbook managers, one located at each shop, there’s only one.
“I don’t want to rain on anyone’s dream, if it’s to come out here and work at a book,” said Vaccaro, “but I will say that’s it’s a lot more difficult to advance quickly.”
Vaccaro had a much easier career path than most. “I was the boss from the beginning,” he said with a chuckle.
He got his start as the sportsbook manager at the Royal Inn in 1977 and has been a mainstay on the Vegas scene ever since. Currently, he is the director of sports operations and public relations for Lucky's.
Starting at the top doesn’t happen in today’s Vegas, though.
Getting In
Almost everyone starts as a ticket writer, the guy or gal who takes the wagers at the betting window. Their average salary is $9-an-hour, a rate that according to Vaccaro hasn’t changed much in 20-plus years. And it’s often not a year-round gig.
“Sportsbooks hire leading up to football season in July and early August,” Vaccaro said. “Then, right after the Super Bowl, we usually cut back. I advise people to bring enough money to survive six months to a year, if they’re looking to break into the business.”
Kornegay got his start as a change person at Harrah’s in Tahoe, Nev. A year later, he was headed to Vegas to become a ticket writer at Bally’s. In 1989, he became a sportsbook supervisor at the Imperial Palace, before he and his crew took over at the Hilton in the mid-90s.
When hiring a new ticket writer, Kornegay isn’t likely to be impressed by your ability to name San Jose State’s backup center. Your demeanor is by far your most important qualification.
“We can certainly teach you over time how to make the Miami Dolphins a 3 ½-point favorite over the Dallas Cowboys,” Kornegay explained, “but it’s difficult to develop a certain personality, a level-headed personality. Sports fans are a dime a dozen, but to actually find that guy who is going work and do the work that is needed to be a successful team member of a sportsbook is sometimes hard.”
A gaming license is not required to be hired at a sportsbook, but you do have to register with the state after getting the job.
A college degree isn’t required either. “If that were the case, all of us out here would be on the streets,” Vaccaro joked.
Todd Fuhrman is the rare Vegas young gun with a college degree in International Economics. At 29, he was named senior race and sports analyst at Caesars this week. He broke into the business in 2005 as a financial consultant at Harrah’s. His passion for sports led him toward his current position. His personality and media savvy have vaulted him to the top.
Fuhrman says the best ticket writers are ones who are able to keep their cool, especially dealing with an angry customer who thought he bet the first half but actually has a ticket for the game.
“Sometimes you can do everything right, and the customer will just rip into you,” said Fuhrman.
But as Vaccaro points out, “it’s a personal business -- you’re dealing with people’s money.”
