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On Wednesday, the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas became the first casino in Sin City to accept bets on the game of poker. Now they will be accepting wagers on the world's biggest event, the World Series of Poker Main Event.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement Chief, Jerry Markling told The Associated Press that this is the first time state regulators have approved these types of wagers since they became allowable in January.
"There have been inquiries made, but none that got to this point," he said.
These new wagering options add a whole new dimension to the world renowned poker tournament which is being held at this very moment at the Rio Hotel and Casino.
Some of the betting options available for wagering are already being accepted. Bets like whether or not certain players will cash in the event or whether or not a woman will finish within the top 40 spots of the male dominated game.
Wynn Race and Sports Director Johnny Avello said the betting action was quite popular on Wednesday and that $10,000 in wagers had already been accepted. This makes the betting enough for bettors to win some good money but doesn't make it an incentive for players to bet and purposefully lose the tournament due to the costly fee to enter the event.
New regulations were passed at the beginning of this year that allow land based casinos to offer bets on popular competitions and awards ceremonies such as the Academy Awards, reality TV shows, competitions and beauty pageants. The catch- they must be approved under strict guidelines.
Markling said that more applications for betting like these at the casinos are expected to come in. One casino even made an inquiry to offer bets earlier this year on the American Idol singing competition from Fox.
The US is just now catching up to the rest of the world's casinos that typically allow bettors to place their money on whatever they please including political results, weather and even on different outcomes of this year's Royal Wedding.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more of the latest casino news, special offers and important updates.
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