Walters profile on ’60 Minutes’ perfect ad for Las Vegas

I suppose we all want to be Billy Walters. At least the part about having a private jet and seven homes and winning $1 million on a round of golf. That part doesn’t seem so awful to a guy whose wife is nicknamed Greenspan.

In the most loving way, of course.

She’s a beautiful woman, an incredible wife and mother, but I still must show receipts for the occasional Abba Zabba purchase. It sure would be nice to own the sort of supernatural touch Walters does when deciding which way to play a betting line.

There’s the rub, though: There is no one like him.

That, and Greenspan still wouldn’t allow me a penny even to consider playing the Jets-Steelers.

But when searching for ways to promote this town and the riches so many seek and yet so few discover through sports gaming, the books might want to run Sunday’s “60 Minutes” piece on Walters continuously on their giant video screens.

It was like a state lottery commission receiving prime-time coverage of a day in the life of a powerball winner and all that such wealth can bring, the perfect advertisement for a sports gaming industry that has been stereotyped to a level that the perceived negatives long ago became cliche.

It wasn’t your typical search-under-every-rock-and-leave-no-rumor-unreported “60 Minutes” investigative piece. Instead, the journalism was about as hard hitting as a pillow fight between 2-year-olds, given not everything that has defined Walters’ rise to such a prominent standing has come from the winning side.

Just 54 percent to 57 percent has, which in this particular game has the opponent (translation: those willing to take his money) scared straight every time Walters makes a bet.

“The piece obviously painted a much better picture than many who don’t live here probably have about us,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky’s sports books. “We’re almost viewed as nonhumans dealing in the crazy world of sports. This was much more positive.

“But I don’t think the guy in Omaha is going to go jump on a Greyhound bus and head out here thinking he can do what Billy has. Most people are going to watch it and understand this is one guy.

“Billy is General Patton. Most other guys are Sgt. Bilko.”

It was big news because Walters has for decades been as open about his life and betting in Las Vegas as the military is about which mission its special forces will undertake next.

But this was “60 Minutes,” and with that clout and national reach often comes the capacity to make otherwise silent beings chatty. That, and Walters clearly enjoyed using the platform to share his negative opinions on the suits of Wall Street.

Walters didn’t surrender any secrets as to how he became the city’s most successful and influential gambler, as to how books will alter lines based solely on his plays, but came off as affable and professional. The piece included his charitable side, specifically the 64-year-old’s large donations to Opportunity Village.

“60 Minutes” didn’t break any new ground with the segment. The most famous TV news magazine show used a trowel to dig on this one. More than anything, it introduced a man to the country whom few beyond state lines probably ever heard of and now want to be like. It’s not that easy, of course. Near impossible.

But it didn’t stop those sports books in town from enjoying such a widely seen piece on the industry.

“I thought it was great for Las Vegas and sports betting overall,” said oddsmaker Kenny White, who was interviewed for the “60 Minutes” segment. “Hopefully, pieces like this will help the government figure things out and legalize and regulate sports betting across this country. Sometimes, you look for hidden agendas when people want to come here and interview you about sports betting. There was none of that this time. It was just about Billy and how successful he has been.

“When I hear Billy’s name, I suppose the first thing I think of is the right side of a game. I’ve never met him. Everything I hear, he is a Southern gentleman. I would hope common sense tells anyone watching that he is one of a kind. People who watched and understand sports betting understand that. But, hopefully, a story like that brings more people to Las Vegas. I hope it will help our handle.”

Don’t look at me. I have a tough enough time explaining away the Abba Zabbas.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday on “Monsters of the Midday,” Fox Sports Radio 920 AM.