March 17--A few paces down the hall from Elvis Presley's Graceland Wedding Chapel, and not too far from the Bling Cubic Zirconia store, neon lights and slot machines give way to the world's largest indoor video wall at the world's largest race and sports book at Westgate Resort and Casino.
The 240-foot-long-by-20-foot-high screen spits out the latest odds and overlooks the superbook, where, early Thursday morning, patrons clad in their favorite team's colors waited eagerly for the games to begin on the first full day of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Lines to betting windows snaked through the room as the day's first game, Duke versus North Carolina-Wilmington, got going.
The first weekend of the tournament does Super Bowl-like numbers in Vegas. The gaming control board estimates approximately $32 million a day will be wagered during the first four days of the tournament.
Jay Kornegay, the vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate, said this time of year is by far his busiest.
"I don't think you could compare March Madness to any other events we have," Kornegay said.
"It's kind of organized chaos. It's such a unique environment and atmosphere. It's like being at a college basketball game. The average Joes out there always fall in love with the same teams.
"When those games are going down to the wire, there's a lot of emotion going through those rooms."
Not-yet-busted brackets, betting slips and Bud Lite bottles littered most tables inside the book.
Men and women did some last-minute cramming before Butler-Texas Tech and Colorado-Connecticut tipped off.
Elijah Manders glued his eyes to the big screens as UNC-Wilmington took a three-point lead into halftime against Duke. Manders, who said he moved from California to Vegas two days ago to chase poker dreams, found his way to Westgate for another kind of madness.
His mobile betting slip -- "I didn't want to wait in line," he said -- provided proof that he liked the 10 points Duke was giving to the Seahawks.
"It would be wonderful if (Duke) lost," Manders said. "I didn't have the balls to pick against them in my bracket."
The enthusiasm quickly was tempered when the Blue Devils started steamrolling the Seahawks at the start of the second half.
The wagers made by most, though, are not high stakes, according to Kornegay. Unlike the Super Bowl, when bettors often put five and six figures on the line, March Madness brings out more casual and conservative gamblers willing to risk $5, $10 and $20.
"It's constant action for these guys," Kornegay said. "When you put 20 bucks on a game it certainly changes the perspective of that game."
