Las Vegas Accepts Heisman Trophy Bets for The First Time

After 80 years, the wait is finally over. Gamblers can now bet on which player will win the Heisman Trophy. In September, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved the bets and by early October the 31 candidates were available to wager on at many of the Las Vegas casinos. Breaking the tradition of only allowing wagers on a match or a race, betting on the Heisman Trophy is the first time that Las Vegas is going to branch out and allow gambling on individuals. Previous to this vote, wagering was only allowed for a horse race, greyhound race or an athletic event.

The Las Vegas sports betting industry alone brings in a hefty 4 billion dollars annually. This figure will surely grow with this new additional betting. The appeal is that even the casual gambler will enjoy betting the Heisman winner. From the very beginning of the college football season, the water cooler talk has focused around the potential candidates for the coveted gold Heisman Trophy. Whether rooting for an alma mater, a position or a charismatic player making the sports headlines, gamblers placing a wager will have yet another reason to pay attention to the college football season.

Not taken lightly, the board took several years to assure that the integrity of the bet would be maintained. After many of the required boxes were ticked, this voting board were confident and secure that there would not be any issues with allowing this wager.

The 2015 finalists include Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, as well as two running backs, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Alabama’s Derrick Henry. In the past five years, some of the previous Heisman winners have become some well-known NFL playmakers: quarterbacks Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel.

As wagering was not approved until the 2015 college football season was well under way, the expectation is that in 2016, there will be a great deal of betting. Before the season starts, wagering will commence, allowing 2016 gamblers much than adequate time to select a player and lay down a bet. In addition, many of the casinos currently not participating in this wager, as that they may have felt that the vote was too late into the season, thus too late to offer these bets, will then begin offering these wagers at their casinos in 2016.

With the inclusion of the Heisman Trophy, gamblers now wonder what the board could conceivably vote on next. Some of the possibilities could range from Super Bowl MVP to President of the United States. Whatever the case, sports gamblers are pleased that they can finally place a bet on the next Heisman Trophy winner.