The lead-up to Las Vegas' first ever Super Bowl... That's this week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt.

-Welcome to Nevada Week.

I'm Amber Renee Dixon joining you from Allegiant Stadium, site of Super Bowl LVIII between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

This is also the site of Super Bowl's opening night.

There are 6,000-plus members of the media accredited to cover the big game.

Many of them are here.

And this is the only public appearance that players are making ahead of the Super Bowl.

There is only one player from Nevada playing in the big game, and that is the man behind me, Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers.

We spoke with him about growing up in Reno, about the importance of wearing a Cameroonian flag on the back of his helmet as he is of Cameroonian descent, and about the growth of professional sports in Nevada.

(Brandon Aiyuk) It's the place where I grew up.

It's a place where I fell on my face and place where I got up.

It's a place where I met lifetime friends.

It's a place where I fell in love with playing football.

It's a place where I have a bunch of family now still today.

So I'm excited that they're getting the love that they deserve here in these past couple of weeks.

-Just being a kid getting in trouble, you know, little stuff.

Shout-out to the NFL and to our equipment for allowing us to do that, because I felt like that was a super cool part of the league that we got to add this season.

It's been fun to wear it throughout the season and to get to wear it one more time on the biggest days.

It's exciting.

It's fun.

Is it-- are the A's coming?

-Supposedly.

-Supposedly.

That'd be cool too.

That would be cool too.

I think it was exciting.

I was in Reno when I think Vegas, when the hockey team, the Knights, right, when they won.

So that was exciting.

And I don't know, hopefully people get started looking at Nevada as a professional hub for athletes and more stuff like big events like the Super Bowl.

[cheers and applause] -On the Chiefs' side of the ball, we got to talk with Kansas City Tight End Travis Kelce, better known to some as Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

She is coming off making some history.

Now she has won four Grammys for Album of the Year.

Travis and the Chiefs are attempting to make history of their own, trying to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it back in 2004.

We asked him about that as well as about a Vegas wedding.

(Travis Kelce) I've been on a mission ever since I won my first Super Bowl.

We made it back to the Super Bowl the year after 2019, obviously lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That's motivated me to get back to this point right here.

You'll hear me say this a lot, but I want this one more than I've ever wanted a Super Bowl in my life.

It's because the type of team we have, the people we have, but also because that tier of teams that have done it twice have gone down in history as some of the greats.

She's unbelievable.

She's rewriting the history books herself.

I told her I'll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware too.

-It's similar to playing in front of my family.

It's, you know, they're the reason why I do play.

They're the reason why I go out there and play with such excitement.

My family has given me the tools and the love for sports in this game.

To be able to go out there and represent them and give them something to cheer for, it's the best feeling.

-I've been to a Vegas wedding.

Vegas weddings are out of control.

Absolutely insane.

I don't know if I'll ever have a Vegas wedding.

-Now, athletes weren't the only celebrities at Super Bowl Opening Night.

We also ran into longtime Las Vegas Prop Comic Carrot Top.

Carrot Top, what brings you to Super Bowl Opening Night?

(Carrot Top) I don't know what's happening.

Is there a game in town?

No, it's exciting.

Being in Vegas and living here and having the Super Bowl come here for the first time, I've never done something like this, and I've never been this close to-- I've always seen on TV where they've interview on media day.

So we're sitting literally right there.

It's very exciting.

It's cool.

I don't know how I got invited.

Thank you whoever invited me.

-Do you plan on asking any questions?

-I have a question for all-- well, I have a different question for each person.

I was gonna ask Coach Reid when the Raiders had a play in their, in their game called "Carrot Top," an actual play, it was-- you could actually hear the quarterback like, "Carrot Top, Carrot Top!"

I would ask him if maybe he would consider maybe having a Carrot Top play for the Chiefs.

Maybe that might be the play that takes him and wins the Super Bowl.

-What did that make you feel like, learning the Raiders had a play called Carrot Top?

-Unbelievable.

I hoped it worked.

I said, I hope the play did good.

And they said, no, it worked like four out of five times.

So better than any dentist, right?

Four out of five times.

So yeah, it worked good.

It was great, though.

Who would think you'd ever hear "Carrot Top, Carrot Top"?

-Hey, speaking of Coach Reid, he has red hair, you have red hair.

He has blamed when he gets angry in the past on his red hair.

Do you understand that?

I do.

They always say readheaded people have hot tempers.

And he's a coach for God's sake.

So he, he does pretty good.

He could hide under the mustache, right?

He could like, a mustache, you can't even see him.

He's a good coach.

He's a nice guy, seems like a nice guy, the kind of guy you want to have a beer with.

-Last thing: Congratulations on extending your residency to 2030 in Las Vegas.

What has this city meant to your career?

-Everything in the world.

I've been very lucky to have even one year in this town.

We did the first year, then three years, and then end up looking back and now we're gonna be here 20-- almost, yeah, something like 30 years in Vegas.

And at the Luxor alone, 18 of them.

So it's been amazing.

And they just signed another 5 years, so we're excited.

-Good for you.

Carrot Top, thank you.

-Yes, thanks PBS.

Thank you guys.

-Carrot Top celebrating 18 years of performing at the Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip.

And speaking of the Strip, despite Allegiant Stadium's proximity to it, none of the players on either the Chiefs or the 49ers are going to be staying there.

Instead, they are out at Lake Las Vegas, about 25 miles away, part of an effort to, quote, separate Super Bowl players from Vegas vice.

That's at least how the Sa n Francisco Chronicle put it.

And one of those vices, of course, is gambling, a topic that we spoke about with Matt Holt of U.S.

Integrity.

Matt Holt, CEO and Founder of U.S.

Integrity, thank you for joining us at the Westgate SuperBook, which is obviously a very attractive place to bet for fans, but it's the exact kind of place the NFL does not want any of its players.

And some think that is part of the reason why the NFL has had all of its players in this year's Super Bowl way out at Lake Las Vegas.

Do you think it's necessary for them to have the players all the way out there?

(Matt Holt) I don't know if it's necessary.

But if we look at all these amazing screens and all the money and time commitment that this property has put into its sportsbook, it just shows you how important sports are to every ecosystem, including the gambling ecosystem here in Las Vegas.

I just think with the first-ever one in Las Vegas, having them out at Lake Las Vegas, it's not just about the gambling component, but also to keep them a little bit shuddered, I think, from the hundreds of thousands of fans that are going to float through here this week.

-That makes sense.

Okay.

So since 2018, when the Supreme Court overturned that ban on sports betting, allowing states to implement it if they want, what kind of issues have you seen involving athletes betting on games?

A broad picture.

-Sure.

So if we just talk about overall issues, integrity related, we average about 15 to 20 alerts per month, half of which, a little over half, probably about 55%, turn into suspensions, bans, and arrests related to nefarious sports betting activity.

So about 100 to 125 people a year getting caught participating in regulated sports betting in some type of nefarious way.

And I think year to year what we've seen is it changes, right, in what people are trying to do, how we're able to catch those folks.

What we saw in 2023 was a huge surge of what we call "prohibited bettors."

And what most state regulations say is if you play, coach, officiate, or are a person of influence in a particular sport, you are not able to wager on that sport.

And so something as simple as a trainer betting $5 on his team or some of the players that we've seen very publicly, NFL and other leagues, who wager on their own events, that's called prohibited bettor.

It doesn't mean they're trying to fix the game, manipulate the game, but even wagering on the outcome of an event that you participate, in most states is considered a violation of those regs and league policy.

-So the 100 violations you mentioned, how would you characterize that?

Is this a big problem?

Not that big of a problem?

-Well, I think that we have the same level of nefarious activity we've always had.

We just have more transparency, more data, more availability, more of a commitment from the league and the operator side to share information in a real-time basis.

So I think the same level of activity was always happening.

I just think now we have the mechanism and means in place to catch the bad actors.

-Which is your job exactly.

-That is my job.

Exactly.

-You opened this company for that purpose in Henderson.

And, wow, how it's grown.

-Yeah, from 4 people in 2018 to 71 employees today.

-Wow!

Back to that 100 cases or so.

Of those, about how many are NFL related?

-Well, I think this past year publicly, if we just look at the publicly adjudicated cases for like prohibited bettor, I think we're at about 14 or 15.

And there were some other cases potentially that, you know, according to confidentiality and privacy issues we can't get into.

But if we just talk about the issue of 2023, which is prohibited bettor and the cases that were publicly adjudicated, I think it was 14 or 15 NFL cases.

-Okay.

-And in most cases, it was simply a player violating the league policy, wagering on NFL events or other events from an NFL facility.

-Which is, you can bet on other sports-- -Yes.

- --but not from a team facility?

-Correct.

-Or from a sportsbook?

-Yes.

-Okay.

So much is being made though about Las Vegas hosting the Super Bowl and the presence of gambling.

And oh, my gosh, all eyes are going to be on the potential for it to be fixed or influenced in some way.

For example, USA Today wrote, quote, Like Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey, integrity is ramping up for its biggest game of the season.

Your reaction to that?

-I think it's the Vegas stigma, because at the end of the day with 39 states with regulated legal sports betting, basically wherever they have the Super Bowl is going to have legal sports betting.

And Nevada is not even the number one state in terms of overall handle of sports betting.

It's New York then New Jersey.

We're like number five or six.

So there's the threat of gambling everywhere.

But at the end of the day, it's the Vegas stigma I think here, the idea it's the first ever Super Bowl in Vegas.

Vegas was always the city of sin, the prohibited den for a Super Bowl.

And so the fact that we're finally playing host, I think has brought some extra eyeballs to the gambling component.

But if we actually look at the numbers, we're certainly at no greater risk than some of the other states.

-In your many years in the casino industry, did you ever see Las Vegas hosting a Super Bowl?

-No.

I'm so proud of this city.

As someone who moved here in 2005 and watched this city sort of grow up and emerge in the sports ecosystem, I'm so excited and proud for Las Vegas this week.

-And the last thing: We spoke off camera about your biggest work this Super Bowl week and then for the Pro Bowl related to prop bets.

-Oh, yes.

-How so?

-Well, anything that's decided on a field of play can obviously be approved and offered for wagering.

And if it's not, in many states they have what we call an approved wager catalog, which are all the bet types that are approved.

Now this is the time of the year and this is the one game where we do see operators sometimes maybe push the boundaries of what they want to offer and make available to their customers.

It's our job to work with the state regulators, in many cases, to go through those props and say, Is there a heightened risk or vulnerability to the integrity of the actual wager itself by offering it?

Like, How many times will you see Taylor Swift?

At the end of the day, they may zoom in on her eight times.

What if it pans over her another five accidentally and someone's able to zoom in microscopically?

Suddenly, it's a subjective wager.

And then with the Pro Bowl what was interesting this year is several of the events were actually weren't live, but were tape-delayed.

And one of the biggest fears of any sportsbook is accepting wagers down on something that already took place.

That's called past posting.

It's not only against state regs and laws, but obviously if you knew what already happened, then you could seriously take advantage of the sportsbooks and casinos.

-Very interesting.

Matt Holt, thank you for your time.

-Thank you, Amber.

-Our Super Bowl coverage continues now from Mandalay Bay.

More specifically, we are on Radio Row, which has become a part of every Super Bowl, with dozens of media outlets setting up shop and interviewing the various athletes, celebrities, and analysts and oddsmakers that pass on through.

And I bring up oddsmakers because this is where we were able to catch up with Westgate SuperBook Oddsmaker Jay Kornegay, and talked about some Super Bowl betting specifics.

All right.

So Jay, it is Tuesday, February 6, as we speak.

Where did you open the spread at, and where are you at right now?

(Jay Kornegay) We opened San Francisco minus 2 1/2, and it immediately dropped down to 1 in about a day and a half.

Once we got down to 1, we saw a number of big plays come in on San Francisco, which drove the lineup to 2 1/2.

That's where it currently stays.

But we can see that the public is siding with Kansas City.

So once the public gets ahold of it this weekend, it might come back down.

-What about the total?

Where did you open that?

-We opened at 47 1/2, and it remains at 47 1/2.

-So you haven't taken much action on that, then?

-We've taken action on it.

It's just been very balanced action, you know, both under and over is getting plenty of support.

-Okay.

What about prop bets?

What seems to be the most popular out of the-- how many did you post?

I picked up a packet when we were just at the Westgate SuperBook.

-Yeah, there's 43 pages there.

We have just over 500.

We've certainly added a few more this year, because we are the host city and trying to come up with different things.

We just run out of time, Amber, and that's what really restricts us.

But the most popular props are not the crazy ones that everybody likes to talk about.

It's actually the simple ones that people can understand.

So the MVP of the game, the player to score the first touchdown, those are really popular props.

It feels like everybody has a ticket on those.

-What about Taylor Swift props?

You're not going to find that in here, right?

-You won't find the Taylor Swift props or the color of the Gatorade or the length of the national anthem, because they're not considered sporting events.

They're not taking place on the field of play.

So, sorry to disappoint all the Swifties out there, but I can understand that.

I mean, there's no official result of how many times they show Taylor during the course of the game.

There's no official result of the shade of her lipstick or anything like that.

It's got to happen on the field of play.

So if it's pretty much in the box score and has an official result, we can throw it up on the betting boards.

-And is that a rule only in Nevada?

-Well, as far as I know, I don't think there's a US market that will allow those type of Swifty props, but you will find them offshore or overseas in Europe and UK.

But in the United States, most likely not.

-Okay.

Now speaking of Nevada, what do out-of-state bettors need to know if they are coming here and want to bet on an app?

-Well, there's a big difference between Nevada and the rest of the country.

Nevada requires you to sign up in person at a physical sportsbook.

All the other states allow you to sign up for an app remotely so you could do it from your home, your car, at the local bar.

So when they come in, they're gonna have to sign up for an app and go to-- they're most likely staying at a hotel that has a sportsbook.

Go down there, sign up as soon as you get in either Friday night or sometime Saturday.

They don't need to wait till Sunday, because it's going to be a lot of heartburn if they wait till Sunday, because it's so crazy on Super Bowl Sunday, that they're gonna probably be second-guessing themselves if they don't sign up prior to Sunday morning.

-Do you anticipate that being a major complaint coming out of this Super Bowl in Las Vegas, that you have to physically go in person to open up an app?

-I think so because the rest of the country is very spoiled.

And I can understand that.

I mean, it's very convenient, you know, to sign up from your home or your local tavern versus going, physically going down to a local sportsbook to sign up.

I think there's going to be some gripes.

But I think once they do it, it's a very simple process.

But the inconvenience of going down physically to a sportsbook, I think we're going to hear some gripes.

-Do you think that should be changed in Nevada?

-I personally do.

I think so.

I think that the rest of the country has proven that it works.

There has been a couple of hiccups across the country.

But for the most part, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives.

-Remind me of the record handle in Nevada for the Super Bowl.

When was that set, and what was it?

-It was set two years ago when we had the Rams play the Bengals, and it was set-- the record, the bar I should say, it was up to 179.8 million.

Almost $180 million was the betting record set two years ago.

-Do you think that will be beat this year?

-I do.

I would expect it to happen, but I'm not very good at predicting these, Amber.

But I do believe with all the extra traffic that we have, we have even just for our property itself over at the Westgate.

We have more VIPs.

We have more celebrities coming in.

We have more venues that we had popped up this year because we are the host city.

I'd be very disappointed if we don't break the record set two years ago.

-And last thing: You've been an oddsmaker in Las Vegas how long now?

-Oh, 37 years.

-Did you ever imagine Las Vegas would host a Super Bowl?

-Absolutely not.

The NFL was clear on their stance against sports gaming.

And that was all the way until the Raiders were announced that they were moving here.

So even prior to that, you know, days before they announced it, I was in that boat that it was never going to happen.

Once they announced that the Raiders were moving here, we knew that was going to open up the door, the expansion of sports gaming across the country.

You know, it was-- it just happened overnight.

That's kind of what we kind of chuckle about.

But our respect for the NFL prior to PASPA being overturned and after, you know, remains.

We really do respect their stance.

We're all on the same boat; we want to protect the integrity of the game.

-PASPA being the Supreme Court ruling in 2018.

Jay Kornegay, thank you for your time.

Happy Super Bowl.

-Thanks, Amber.

-From a national perspective, nearly 68 million Americans plan on betting on this year's Super Bowl, a 35% increase from the year before.

Those numbers are from the American Gaming Association.

As for Las Vegas, about 330,000 people are expected to come here for the big game.

And when they are here, they'll get to take part in the NFL Experience, described as an NFL playground.

Our Maria Silva gives us a tour.

♪ ["Heavy Action," by Johnny Pearson] ♪♪ -All right.

Tell me what school are you from.

(in unison) Beatty Elementary!

-Beatty Elementary School.

Jacoby, go long.

Ready?

Go long.

Whoo!

That was good.

I didn't know I could throw.

That wasn't a good throw.

You've had the chance to do the obstacle course.

Give me your name, and what you think of the obstacle course.

-I'm Emma.

Hi.

And I like the obstacle course.

-My name is Arona.

And about it, it was so awesome!

I like this place, and it's very cool.

-My name is Elise, and we did a lot of fun stuff like catching the football and going through obstacles.

It's really fun!

-My name is Callie, and we were pretty much like running and catching the football.

-Everybody, let's do "NFL Play:60 Kids Day," okay?

3-2-1... (in unison) NFL Play:60 Kids Day!

-Whoo!

All right.

Beatty Elementary School, so proud of you guys.

What do you want to say?

(Angel) This place is awesome.

You should come here.

If your son goes or daughter goes to a school, you should definitely offer them to go here.

This is awesome.

-What's your name?

-Angel.

-All right, Angel.

All right, guys.

Everybody go long.

Somebody catch.

1,500 kids from different schools from all southern Nevada are here taking part in this.

And I'm bringing in my friend Megan Mendoza with the NFL.

Let's talk about what's going on.

This is so cool, opening it up before it opens up to the public.

1,500 kids.

-Yes.

So we have NFL Play:60 Kids Day, and it's an experience almost like a field trip.

And it has to do with our Play:60 initiative to get kids active for 60 minutes a day, teach them about healthy nutrition.

As you can see, they're doing football skills and drills.

They're working with NFL players doing skills and drills, and they're having a good time.

-I'm hearing there might also be a Play:60 Super Kid around here?

-So his name is Brandon.

He's our NFL Play:60 Super Kid from Special Olympics.

And he's going to be delivering the game ball at the top of the third quarter to start Super Bowl, the game, in the second half.

-I'm also hearing there might be another special surprise happening today.

-Yes.

So in a few moments, there's going to be a surprise Super Bowl ticket giveaway with a Special Olympics coach.

Brandon, our Play:60 Super Kid is going to be helping deliver those tickets to the Special Olympics coach.

-Let's talk a little bit about this whole area.

There is so much to see and so much to do, and for adults and kids and, like I said, the big kids at heart.

-So this is the Super Bowl Experience where we're hosting it.

It's at Mandalay Bay South Convention Center.

Come down here till Saturday, I believe, and enjoy a bunch of NFL themed-- see the Vince Lombardi trophy.

You can actually do the skills and drills here.

And come.

It's like an NFL field trip over here.

-I'm also seeing there's some bling around here, rings, and even SpongeBob, I'm hearing.

-Yeah.

We've got a Nickelodeon activation space here.

The Super Bowl rings are here.

You can see all of them up to Super Bowl LVII.

And then we'll find out who Super Bowl LVIII is.

-It really is all about the fan experience.

We were at Opening Night where we're being told that more than 23,000 fans were out there, and I got to hang out with some very loyal fans.

(in unison) Super Bowl Las Vegas, Baby!

-I'm Susan Swall, and I'm from Orange County.

And I'm rooting for San Francisco 49ers.

And, hey, shout-out to Brock Purdy, who is Mr.

Relevant, who's very relevant.

(a fan) My favorite team is Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes.

-Have you always been a football fan?

Or judging from this lovely outfit, I have a feeling you're also a Taylor Swift fan.

-Taylor Swift fan, but I'm also a football fan.

I was a tomboy from day one.

-I'm bringing you in because I think you're a Taylor Swift fan.

-Well, I'm so excited for the city of Las Vegas hosting the first ever Super Bowl.

I'm excited for the Chiefs and the 49ers, but I'm so excited because Taylor Swift will be here Sunday at the Super Bowl!

Oh, yeah, her album drops in April.

-April 19th.

-True fans there.

All right, give me your name.

-Ron.

-Why are you a KC fan?

-Because Patrick Mahomes is the best.

-Whoo!

All right.

49ers fans here too.

We can get along and be in the same room.

Give me your name and why you love the 49ers.

-My name is Andrew, and I'm from Las Vegas.

And the reason why I love the 49ers is because I was actually like kind of born with a Niner-- I was born of a Niner fan.

So it's been in my blood.

-All right, guys.

Who's winning the Super Bowl?

-Niners on top!

Let's go!

-Let's go Niners!

-49ers!

-Taylor Swift.

-Taylor Swift, Baby!

-You know, if it's something interactive and fun, I need to get in there and have some fun.

I'm all suited up representing our Las Vegas Raiders!

Jimmy G. in the house.

So if I'm doing this, I need to get a little competition going.

Right?

So I have Tanner and Blake.

-You guys.

Whoo!

-Whoo!

-They're helping us, having a blast.

Sending it back to you in the studio.

Let's have some fun.

- 3-2-1... -Good job!

High five.

Whoo!

-That event is one of more than 30 community events that the Super Bowl hosted for Super Bowl week in Las Vegas.

I hope you enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday.

For Nevada Week, I'm Amber Renee Dixon.

And I'll see you next week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪