Sports Betting Novice? Give a Kiosk a Try

Maybe it’s just me (it usually is), but some of the worst customer service experiences I’ve had in casinos are in the sportsbook. It’s largely due to not knowing exactly what I was doing. Sure, it’s incumbent on me to do my research before making any play in the casino, but I never fail to find inpatient ticket writers. This is despite always trying to make bets during slow hours. Luckily for me, there’s a way to make my uninformed decisions mostly without human interaction. Enter the kiosk.

For novices or those who like to limit their exposure to others, the kiosks are extremely convenient. I used the william hills mobile betting app on an NFL Sunday morning and I used the Best Betting Strategies. There was no one else around to pressure me into making speedy tricks. Good for unsure bettors, not so great for DTG. I wasn’t around downtown Monday morning when I needed to cash my winning tickets. Yes, I actually won. But I was right next to Casino Royale, which has a William Hill…I guess we’ll call it “counter” at their center bar.

This was my first experience using a kiosk. I wasn’t too interested in signing up for the accompanying app and didn’t make any complicated bets, so I turned to Sportsbook Tom of The Vegas Parlay to help fill the gaps in my knowledge:

Do you know of any books, like William Hill or Stations, that allow you to sign up, deposit, and withdraw money right from the kiosk, eliminating the need to go up to the book?

Most William Hill locations (The D, Plaza, Hooters, SLS) provide self-serve kiosks that are very easy to use. You can deposit cash to make a bet and also sign up for a mobile account via the kiosk. Replenishing your account by inserting cash into the kiosk is also available so there really isn’t a need to hit the sports betting window.

Are you limited to more standard, simple bets like spread or moneyline bets, or are you able to be more creative as well with parlays while using the apps?

Virtually all bets that you can make at the window you can make via the mobile app or at a kiosk. The only exception may come if there is a high limit bet that needs approval – in that case you’re headed to the ticket counter to confirm you are not Sam “Ace” Rothstein making a max limit money line bet on a 25-1 underdog.   

Are there any other advantages beyond the simple convenience when it comes to using the kiosks and associated apps?

The big convenience for those of us who visit (don’t live in) Vegas is not dealing with long lines at the betting windows on busy sports days. Even during this past Super Bowl when the line at the betting window was about 20-30 deep at The Plaza, the kiosk had a queue of one or two people maximum.  Also, for those sports bettors continuously hitting the snooze button on their smartphone after a wild Vegas night, the ease of using a mobile app and making a bet from your comfy bed is quite a convenience. And a relief for many a degenerate who in the past has B-Lined it to the sports book from their hotel rooms 3 minutes prior to kick off.

Big thanks to Sportsbook Tom. If you’re going to make a bet, be sure to use one of his free picks. But what about you? Ever use one of these contraptions? What was your experience? If you have plenty of inquiries, you can visit Football tickets at Ticket-Compare.

*Note: Not all sportsbook employees are complete jack wagons. Some, in fact, are quite nice and patient. I think I’ve just been a tad unlucky. That’s not unlike me.