VIP BET

While sitting in the middle of Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo one morning last year, I suddenly realized that I was living the dream of a sports gambler. In front of me on my own special coffee table was the Sunday newspaper, a Bloody Mary, a flyer of NFL betting lines and prop bets for the day and the tickets for the six bets I had just made on the 10 a.m. games. I was stretched out on the most comfortable couch with my feet propped up gazing ahead. A bed of 12 high-definition televisions were looking back at me, each one of them featuring an NFL game that was just about to kickoff.

I thought to myself, if there is such a thing as a VIP sports betting heaven, then I was most certainly there. In essence, this is precisely what world-renowned Chef Emeril Lagasse visualized when the idea for Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo was first constructed about a year ago. And when I conveyed my contentment of the moment to Lagasse’s Stadium General Manager Mark Zakin, he was happy, but hardly surprised.

Zakin stated that their intention was to offer customers the coolest venue in the country when it comes to watching and wagering on sports and they’ve nailed it with the compliments received so far.

Emeril has been a long time sports fanatic. This man has to his credit the authorship of more than 13 cooking books and has hosted more than 1,500 events on the Food Network. He already had two restaurants called Table 10 and Delmonico Steakhouse – at The Palazzo. Recently the adjoining Venetian resort’s President and COO Rob Goldstein, who happens to also be a good friend of the acclaimed chef, showed him the place where he wanted to build another signature venue. The 24,000-square-foot space that’s situated on The Palazzo’s lower level is used to accommodate the hotel’s Sportsbook & Grill. Before that it was the home of 40/40, rapper Jay-Z’s sports lounge and nightclub. When Emeril saw the stretch of available space he knew straight away it was much too large for a restaurant. But being a fervent sports fan himself, he knew it would make the perfect spot for a high-octane sports bar.