Popular teams to drive business

The town of Pahrump will be joining what is seemingly the rest of civilization in watching this week’s Super Bowl, an annual event that has become the biggest sporting event of the year.

Businesses are counting on people flocking to the many parties and of course betting on their favorite team.

This year the game will feature two veteran teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The game will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be shown on NBC.

The Seahawks (14-4) hope to repeat as champions and the Patriots (14-4) want to bring back the glory from past wins. The Patriots are tied with the most Super Bowl appearances at eight with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tom Brady, the quarterback of the Patriots has been to six Super Bowls and has won three.

Roger Simon, sports book writer for William Hill, expects that the betting will be heavy for this year’s Super Bowl game.

Last year for the first time in history the wagers for the Super Bowl went over $100 million in Nevada. The Las Vegas sports books recorded $114.4 million in wagers. Simon thinks this year could be just as strong.

“I think we should see something similar to last year. I think New England is just as popular as Denver,” Simon said.

This year with the Seahawks returning against the ever-popular Patriots, the wagering should be just as strong.

Super Bowl betting is expected to increased for the sixth season in the row. As of Tuesday afternoon, Simon said the betting has been quiet in town. There was no line at the Pahrump Nugget, but this will change.

“It is usually like this because we have two other places besides here to place bets in this town, you can go to Saddle West and there is also a kiosk at Lakeside, Simon said. “So the line here hasn’t been long because the betting opened up as a pick. Eighty-to-90 percent of the bets are not in yet and won’t come in until late in the week. We will see it pick up here on Thursday through Saturday and then Sunday morning it will be swamped.”

Some of the most unusual bets revolve around proposition bets or “prop bets.” These bets are a fun way to get the casual bettor involved in the game. It is said that 50 percent of the bets made on the Super Bowl are prop bets. In town, William Hill’s prop bet menu has 690 prop bets.

Simon said that some of the interesting prop bets involve the game with other sports. One bet, says, “What will be more: Tiger Woods fourth round score or Patriots offensive plays?” Another bet involves soccer. “What will be more: Chelsea/Man City goals or total field goals?” These bets get people from all walks of life involved in the game and the sport books don’t really mind losing them even if some of the odds to win are 100-to-1 because of the sheer volume of bets. This is the only time when more non-professional bettors are wagering.

In addition to the betting, there will be lots of parties in town. The Pahtrump Nugget, 681 S. Highway 160, will have a huge screen in the events center to view the game at the party.

The center holds 250 people. Tickets will be $25 in advance and $35 at the door. The ticket will include access to a stadium buffet table, raffles, and free slot play. Party opens at 3:30 p.m.

The only Seahawks bar in town, the Bounty Hunter, on 680 E St., is planning a big celebration starting at noon including rink specials, raffles with jersey prizes and food.

The folks at Draft Picks at 1101 S. Highway 160 will have food specials, draft specials and a free drawings and giveaways during the game.

Paddy’s Pub at 1700 S. Pahrump Valley Blvd. will also be giving away erseys during starting at 1 p.m.

Who’s Dunes at 900 S. Highway 372 will have a big party with live music. They will have prize giveaways, $1 tubeshots, $1 draft beers. They also will have seven TVs for the game. Action starts at 1 p.m.

The Mountain Falls Grill Room is also getting into the action with a party, which will start at 3:30 p.m. in the banquet room. The price is $20 per person and you get a buffet and two drink coupons.

JD’s Bar and Casino, 2730 N. Blagg, starts at 3 p.m. with free drawings for t-shirts, and free stadium food with drink purchase.