Circa Sports opens 1st satellite book at Tuscany

It was not just another day at the office for 83-year-old Richard Seidman.

The professional bettor walked to a counter at the Tuscany and placed a bet Tuesday morning, just like he has done for years at the off-Strip resort. But this time, his $10 wager on behalf of his son meant something more.

Seidman placed the ceremonial first bet following a ribbon-cutting event in front of the new Circa-branded sportsbook at the Tuscany, 255 E. Flamingo Road.

The event celebrated what Circa Sports and Tuscany executives view as a practical, profitable partnership. Tuscany was among the top — “if not the top” — locations Circa sought for its first satellite book, Circa CEO Derek Stevens said after the ribbon-cutting.

“Tuscany’s always been a place that’s pretty well known in the sports betting world as a place that took a lot of action. So, that was obviously attractive to us,” he said. “And there’s a lot of reasons: these great restaurants, gorgeous, gorgeous property and, again, ease of access is a critical element.”

The Tuscany satellite book is the first for Stevens’ Circa Sports brand.

Its first full day of operations Tuesday (and its “soft” opening Monday) represent “the next step” for the company in Nevada, Stevens has said. Circa will open its second satellite location in the next several weeks at The Pass in Henderson, formerly Eldorado Casino.

The sportsbook’s location could attract a new set of customers for both Tuscany and Circa, Tuscany general manager Grayson McNees told reporters Tuesday. The independently run property doesn’t have the marketing budgets or reach of its competitors, he said. The Tuscany chose Circa as a third-party operator “because we want someone to operate it correctly and efficiently.”

“And to partner with someone like Derek allows us to do that,” McNees said. “We don’t want to be involved in the sportsbook. We just wanted it to be a product that our guests value and enjoy.”

‘Great atmosphere’

Tuesday’s event was a full-circle occasion of sorts.

Before Matt Metcalf became director of Circa Sports, he was a professional sports bettor. He frequently visited the Tuscany, which became a special place to him, Metcalf said Tuesday. Metcalf enjoyed the location and the mix of locals and Strip tourists it would attract. Those same qualities made him “very excited” to hear the Tuscany was an expansion option for Circa.

“I think there’s something to the great job they’ve done with that property in making it such a comfortable kind of neighborhood spot,” Metcalf said. “I know on Friday nights when I would go there, I would frequently have trouble finding parking because (it would) get so crowded, and it’s just they’ve created a great atmosphere in that building.”

Metcalf held different sportsbook jobs over the past 15 years or so and, in that time, got to know the man who would place the first wager Tuesday.

“I keep in touch with him,” Metcalf said of Seidman. “The only way I know how to find him, though, because he never keeps his cellphone on, if I want to find him and talk to him, I go to the Tuscany between 7 and 9 a.m. And he’s always there, kind of like his office.”

Metcalf asked Seidman to do the honors on Tuesday sometime within the past few months, “probably said in passing, but I meant it.”

“I did say to him, you know, ‘Hey, if you’re around the Tuscany, I’d love for you to make the first bet.’ I didn’t know he was going to be there,” Metcalf said. “So, I got there at about 9:15 and he was there. I was like, ‘Oh, great, OK.’ And then I asked him if he wanted to make the first bet officially.”

‘More for your money’

Seidman said he visits the Tuscany every day.

“I usually bet on my phone, but they wanted to make a big deal out of this, so I’m at the counter,” Seidman said in a gravelly voice.

The 46-year Las Vegas resident began betting at the Tuscany when Charlie Heers owned the property.

Seidman said he’s excited for Circa to run the sportsbook, previously operated by William Hill. Seidman likes Circa’s odds and people, adding, “They give you more for your money.”

“You don’t see guys like Dick anymore,” Tuscany owner Brett Heers, Charles Heers’ son, said of Seidman. “He is a lot of fun.”

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer John Katsilometes contributed to this report.