They're upping the ante at the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame

LAS VEGAS — Being in the presence of Billy Baxter, Jack Binion, Michael Gaughan, Michael ‘‘Roxy’’ Roxborough, Billy Walters and other legendary casino and gambling figures started affecting Derek Stevens.

That Friday night last August, the Galaxy Ballroom of his Circa property held the inaugural Sports Gambling Hall of Fame induction-ceremony dinner to cap BetBash III, leaving Stevens nearly speechless.

‘‘Never dreamed of being in a room with such an esteemed group,’’ he said.

It had been a unique week in which the matching visions of BetBash founder Gadoon ‘‘Spanky’’ Kyrollos and Stevens culminated in the unveiling of a permanent Hall of Fame home in Circa’s sportsbook.

The ensuing Saturday and Sunday, Kyrollos kept strolling by the right nook of that book. Too good to be true, he told me.

‘‘My eyes have to keep proving to my mind that it’s real,’’ he said.

Stevens recently told me that his gleaming high-rise is the perfect home for the Hall and BetBash.

‘‘We created the space, we love it and having an annual pilgrimage to Circa is terrific,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s where sports bettors can get together and talk about the evolution of sports betting, and BetBash is just getting bigger and better.

‘‘I think the elements of the varying discussions and meet-up topics, from legal to technology to taxes, really lend themselves to a must-be-part-of deal if you’re a sports bettor.’’

Tough choices

Unlike a year ago, when registration for BetBash III and an open bar awaited patrons at Stevens’ The D, every event this year will take place at Circa.

A scavenger hunt has been scrapped and VIP golf and poker tournaments added. Wednesday and Thursday — Aug. 7 and 8 — will feature 15 seminars each day, five concurrently in three hourlong blocks.

‘‘Guests will have to prioritize,’’ Kyrollos said in a recent interview on X with Matt Landes of the Props and Hops podcast. ‘‘There will be some tough choices.’’

Kyrollos juggled myriad itineraries. For instance, Dr. David J. Chao, the former head physician of the Chargers, will discuss injuries and gambling, but Kyrollos had to fit Chao’s appearance between scheduled surgeries.

So from 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 7, Chao and pro bettor Steve Fezzik will conduct ‘‘Profiting From Injuries.’’

Chicago native Sam Panayotovich, a betting analyst for the New England Sports Network, hosts ‘‘Chicken Dinner,’’ and oddsmen Vinny Magliulo, Nick Bogdanovich and Richie Baccellieri highlight ‘‘Hall of Fame Storytime.’’

A select 16-person committee picked that initial class of 10 inductees. A second 10-person class, tapped by a committee of 21, will be inducted Aug. 9 and includes Bogdanovich and Baccellieri.

Neither Stevens nor Kyrollos sit on that committee, and candidates must clear a 75% approval rate.

Circa plays host to nightly open bars, and a watch party Aug. 8 at Stadium Swim will feature Lions-Giants and Panthers-Patriots exhibition games.

One of three expert panels Aug. 9 will be all-female, with Patty Davidson moderating Stormy Buonantony, Alexandra White and Taylor Mathis. In 1986-94, Davidson formulated odds for bookmaker Scotty Schettler at the Stardust. Schettler was a member of the inaugural Hall class.

The black-tie dinner Friday will cap the fourth installment of the vision that Kyrollos first created at a bar in Hoboken, New Jersey. The second landed at Circa 2½ years ago, and BetBash III last August set new standards.

‘‘I wanted people to come out, make new friends and network,’’ Kyrollos said of his intentions in Hoboken. ‘‘It’s all about the face-to-face for me, why I wanted to do this. It’s about meeting person-to-person, learning and having a good time.

‘‘The coup de grace, or main event, of BetBash is to honor the legends that have come before us.’’

He recently noted on X that BetBash IV patrons will hail from 37 states and 12 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, the Isle of Man and the United Arab Emirates.

‘‘We are global,’’ Kyrollos wrote.

Hot August nights

By the time BetBash IV kicks off, Stevens will have a clearer idea of whether his Million IV and Survivor contests will pay for themselves or produce another overlay.

A year ago, he guaranteed $6 million in Million and $8 million in Survivor. The latter went over by more than $1.2 million; the former fell short by about $700,000.

With no rake (all entry fees are returned to contestants via prizes), Stevens said he’s annually in the hole about $1 million for the marketing and software required to organize and run such contests.

So what did Stevens do this year? He pumped Survivor to $10 million, boosting the combined total to $16 million.

‘‘I just get too damn overzealous,’’ he told me.

I inquired whether those contests and promotional efforts lure enough people to his hotel, restaurants and gaming tables to offset such expenses and overlays.

‘‘Are we getting enough visitors to our casinos?’’ Stevens said. ‘‘We think so. Overall, I’m happy with it. But I would like to get to the point where we don’t have an overlay.’’

Stevens has been playing Survivor contests for more than 30 years and gets as excited talking about it as he does about BetBash.

‘‘The ’24 Hall of Fame class is stellar,’’ he said. ‘‘They’re going to come right back and impress everyone once again. It’ll be exciting here in August.’’