THE LIFE OF A BOOKIE -NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans is known as “The Big Easy.” But is it “easy” to be a bookie in this playground of a city?

Well, our answer is that it is neither really easy, but let’s put it this way – it becomes a lot easier when you are making use of the PPH software that is available to you through a relationship with Real Bookies.

Almost every major city has had gambling in its background, whether it is of the underground variety or not. It would not be inaccurate to say that New Orleans has about as much of a gambling-related tradition as any city outside of Las Vegas. So it is not as if you would ever have to introduce people to the concept.

• Remember that New Orleans has had legalized casinos for over 25 years, and aside from those establishments that are in the city itself, the people also support many casinos that exist an hour or so away on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And now Mississippi casinos are installing sportsbooks, which was not unexpected after the federal laws against sports betting were struck down.
• This is all a point in your favor. It’s not as if all casino gamblers would be interested in sports betting. But at the same time, SOME of them are, and with the PPH software suite, you can offer a full complement of casino games to them. In fact, you might actually be offering them a wider selection than they can get in a physical casino.
• The same goes for the sportsbook. You may ask yourself whether the emergence of sportsbooks on the Gulf Coast will take potential customers away from you. Actually, it will probably help you, because it might have the effect of creating new sports bettors. And you will be offering a way for them to place wagers easier, and with more choices.

• Unfortunately, New Orleans has not experienced a lot of major league sports. So hockey isn’t something you can expect to get a lot of interest in, frankly. In fact, a quick tip – if you wind up with hockey bettors, you might want to track them through the “Player Management” part of the PPH software, because they might be very sharp in that regard. And you can exercise the option to greatly lower the limits on that or take the games off the board completely (you’ll have to see if this loses the customer).
• There have been NBA teams, such as the Jazz, and the Pelicans, who used to be the Hornets. The Jazz, you may recall, featured Pistol Pete Maravich, a hero at LSU and one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers. These days, the Pelicans are looking to start anew as they have traded Anthony Davis and landed Zion Williamson – in the minds of many a future superstar – with the #1 draft pick. Will this produce a revival in hoops, and in turn more basketball action for you? It just might. Some of your customers are going to be crazy about Zion and they may give you an opportunity to move the lines (through the Real Bookies software) to your advantage.

It’s not much of a secret that if this city has a sports love affair, it’s with the New Orleans Saints, and we know that because they have stuck with this team through thick and thin. In the early years, it was almost all “thin,” although when John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff for a TD in the first game in 1967 it offered some hope.

• Archie Manning, an Ole Miss grad, has been an icon in the area for years, although he never brought a winning season. But that changed when coach Jim Mora arrived, and the Sean Payton-Drew Brees combo brought it to the ultimate level with a victory in Super Bowl 44. That really helped bring this community back after Hurricane Katrina, which did a lot of damage to the Superdome.
• Bookies located in the New Orleans area can expect a lot of Saints support, and when you prepare to take action on NFL football you have to be ready to react to that. You are going to be serviced with up-to-the-minute numbers automatically, but your PPH software gives you the opportunity to move the lines manually, which for this particular area might be a necessity.
• The only thing you have to be careful about is not to move it too much so as to draw “buyback” on the other side that can hurt you. You will know, because you can keep track of everyone’s bets very easily, what their betting patterns are, which enables you to act accordingly.

New Orleans is obviously a wonderful, historic city, and it provides an opportunity for an enterprising bookie to entertain clients for the purposes of bringing them in or maintaining them as customers. And of course, the PPH software, which obviates the need for an “office” and staff, gives you the freedom to spend more time on that kind of thing.

The legendary sports are endless, from Pat O’Brien’s to the Sazerac to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop to the Cat’s Meow to the Carousel at the Monteleone (which rotates) to Tipitina’s to the House of Blues to the Commander’s Palace and on and on and on. Oh, and don’t forget to have the world famous “Breakfast at Brennan’s” as well.

Lots of places for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor!