Sports Books
Imperial Palace Race & Sports Book |
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Imperial Palace Race & Sports Book Details
- Hours of operation:
Sunday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. Hours extended during football season.
- Payment options: Cash and casino chips.
- Location: Third floor up from the main casino inside the Imperial Palace.
- Type of betting offered: All major tracks, dogs, throughbreds, harness and futures in the race book. Daily lines (straight bets, money lines and totals) for all major sports, parlays, NASCAR, PGA, futures, Arena football, propositions, over/under regular season wins.
- Number of televisions: 20 in sports book, 242 in race book (230 are individual televisions).
- Big screens: 10 in the sports book, 12 in race book.
- Largest TV: 5 foot by 5 foot.
- Food and drinks: Cocktail service in the race book, drink tickets and a sports bar in the sports book. The Burger Palace and buffet are located adjacent to the books.
- Seating: 60 seats in the sports lounge, 230 seats in the race book.
- Race and sports book director / manager: Tara Martinez (Race book manager)
- Lines posted: By 9 a.m. daily; NFL lines posted every Monday by noon for the following Sunday.
- Line originator:
Caesars Palace.
- Betting service offered: None.
- Comps and specials: Turf Club is available for regular bettors. Bettors earn points with bets year-round.
- Special events or contests: Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, Breeders' Cup, March Madness and Final Four. Every NFL Sunday (except Super Bowl Sunday), the Imperial Palace opens its 800-seat theater and makes all the games available along with food and cocktail service.
Imperial Palace Race & Sports Book Review
About the race and sports book: The Imperial Palace doesn't just give race and sports bettors an area, it gives them their own floor complete with casino area, bar, race stadium and more.
The race area is a stadium by itself. It features five rows of individual TVs on desks at ground level and seven stadium levels of the same. It even has a stadium-style entrance. Horseplayers have 12 big-screen TVs to choose from.
Each side of the race stadium leads to a sports area. The path to the horse viewer's left leads to the book's extensive handwritten boards and a small triangular lounge area. Across the way, through the small casino and large sports bar area, is a sports viewing area. It features several rows of loose padded old Vegas-style chairs that face six big-screen and 10 smaller-screen TVs.
Despite its unique layout, the IP isn't in the pretty, new or fancy categories. This is an old-school place. It was built for the bettor. It's darker, older and grittier than the new books. The IP made a name for itself by providing a bevy of unique propositions for big events, such as the Super Bowl, not for serving fancy cocktails.
Still, a casual bettor who likes the classic book style should find the IP comfortable and convenient. To get to the book, look for the escalators along the north wall of the main casino floor and follow the signs.
During football season the IP opens its theater to show games.
-- Review by Paul Mello
