William Hill U.S. poised for sports bets

William Hill U.S., the Las Vegas-based subsidiary of Britain’s largest bookmaker, is pleased with its sponsorship and the July 28 outcome of the 46th running of the $1 million William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

In case you missed the race, Verrazano cruised to win by 9 3/4 lengths over Power Broker.

“We were really happy with being the race’s title sponsor,” said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S. “Our sponsorship is part of a bigger deal.”

William Hill will become the racetrack’s exclusive sports betting provider if New Jersey’s effort to legalize sports betting succeeds. A New Jersey referendum legalizing sports betting is being challenged in federal court by the four professional sports leagues and the NCAA.

Until there is a court ruling, the bookmaker is offering a “free-play” form of sports wagering.

William Hill will operate a sports book, where customers will pick NFL games against the spread. In free play, no money is placed on an event, but customers who choose the winning teams or players can earn prizes or cash.

Asher said the minimum cash prize is $50,000. William Hill expects to make a sizable investment in building a Las Vegas-style race and sports book if betting is allowed.

“We are going to get people used to playing football at Monmouth Park, and build our database,” Asher said.

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Don’t worry, revelers, the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball isn’t going anywhere for a while.

Organizers recently signed a contract with the Hard Rock Hotel through 2016, securing the adult costume party a venue at least for the next few years. This year’s event will be Oct. 26.

“It’s nice to be appreciated,” Halloween Ball owner Kerry Schatz said. “We are so thrilled to finally have a place to call home. We couldn’t be happier.”

For the past 18 years the six-hour event has been in a slew of Vegas venues. About 7,200 people are expected to attend the 2013 party that features DJs, fire breathers, aerialists and stilt walkers.

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A1 Organics is experiencing exponential growth.

The green and food waste recycler services 26 Las Vegas casinos, including all Caesars Entertainment properties, most of MGM Resorts International’s, Wynn Las Vegas and the Venetian. A1 also services local grocery chains.

In the past couple of months, the company’s green waste capture has increased to more than 1,500 cubic yards each day from about 500 cubic yards daily.

“It used to be it was the right thing to recycle. Now they’re looking at it as a business decision. They have to recycle,” said A1’s sales manager, Ryan Lynch. “We’ve seen a shift in the market.”

Another industry trend contributing to A1’s growth is an increase in purchasing departments buying compostable items for their basic offerings.

“That’s a huge shift,” Lynch said. “The Sands Expo, for example, went 100 percent compostable for items on their base packages.”

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.
com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.