Mark Wahlberg Serves Tequila Shots to NFL Fans at The Venetian’s Yahoo Sportsbook: The Beat

Mark Wahlberg is moving around behind a bar at The Venetian’s new Yahoo Sportsbook, serving up shots of tequila to anyone who asks for one. In Las Vegas, where such premium pours can go for more than $20, they’re on the house as long as they come from Marky Mark himself.

Wahlberg, who moved to Las Vegas last year, is an investor in Fecha Azul, a tequila company co-founded by professional golfer Abraham Ancer. As he passes around the shots, he explains what he is serving up like a Costco employee offering free samples.

“This is premium tequila,” Wahlberg says. “Mexican made and Mexican owned. No additives and preservatives. There are just three ingredients: Agave, yeast and water. Try it.”

The reason Wahlberg is serving up drinks at a Las Vegas sportsbook during the first Sunday of the NFL season and getting on a plane to do the same at bars and grocery stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, San Diego and other locations is he became the principal investor in Fecha Azul last year. “I invested in it because I like it,” he told a patron at the bar. “I’m doing my best to promote it.”

He stops short of promoting his New England Patriots as Super Bowl contenders, as they have failed to replicate Tom Brady, who is now a minority stakeholder in the Las Vegas Raiders and Aces and also has a home in Las Vegas.

“I’m rooting for the Patriots but we’ll see how they do,” he says. “I’m also pulling for the Raiders.”   

Before Wahlberg left the bar, he toasted The Venetian CEO Patrick Nichols and Yahoo Sports president Ryan Spoon on the opening of the Yahoo Sportsbook and, of course, on the Patriots season.

The opening of the sportsbook, which features a 1,700 square-foot LED wall, is the latest partnership between a sportsbook and a media company as outlets try to navigate the sports betting landscape and figure out where to plant their flag or, in some cases, decide when to pick up their flag and go elsewhere.

ESPN abandons The LINQ

Three years ago, ESPN opened a 6,000-square foot studio atop The LINQ Hotel, overlooking Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Strip. It was a state-of-the-art facility featuring 12 cameras and was ESPN’s first studio built to support 4K. It was positioned to be ESPN’s picturesque home away from home over the next six months as Las Vegas is set to host Formula 1 and Super Bowl LVIII, in addition to big prizefights and nationally televised Raiders, Aces and Golden Knights games.

But today, ESPN is gone from The LINQ after signing a 10-year, $1.5 billion deal with Penn Gaming last month, which will rebrand what was formerly Barstool Sportsbook to ESPN BET. ESPN now broadcasts all of its sports betting news and information programs, such as Daily Wager, from a nondescript studio in Bristol, Conn., instead of the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.  

VSIN (Vegas Sports & Information Network), the 24/7 sports gambling network co-founded by Brian Musburger, was the first to have a television studio in a sportsbook. They unveiled their state-of-the-art home at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas on February 3, 2017, mere hours before Super Bowl LI when the New England Patriots came back from 28-3 down to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28.

Six and a half years later, before the start of this NFL season which will end with the Super Bowl being played just six miles away from the South Point at Allegiant Stadium, VSIN moved out of its first home last week. Most of their programming now emanates from the sportsbooks at Circa and The D, two popular resorts and casinos in Downtown Las Vegas owned by Derek Stevens, an early VSIN investor. VSIN was sold to DraftKings two years ago.

How Rodgers' injury moved the line

When Aaron Rodgers went down just four plays into Monday night's game, there were audible gasps at the South Point sportsbook. New York Jets fans immediately lined up to feed their sorrow on the book’s famous $1.50 hot dogs during the first commercial break.

About 11 miles north on Interstate 15 at the Westgate Las Vegas, which has the world's largest race and sportsbook, oddsmakers were trying to figure out what Rodgers’ injury meant for the game and the Jets’ season.

The in-game line moved up four points from Bills -3.5 points to Bills -7.5 points, according to Jeff Sherman, the vice president of risk management at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. They had all season-long props closed during the game but knew soon after the game Rodgers would likely be done for the season when Jets coach Robert Saleh said the quarterback had likely suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

When that was confirmed on Monday and Rodgers was ruled out for the rest of the season, the Jets went from 18/1 Super Bowl odds to 60/1 longshots.

The Beat is a regular feature covering the intersection of sports and celebrity. You can contact Arash Markazi at amarkazi@themessenger.com.