March Madness becomes focal point for Hard Rock Bristol

BRISTOL, Va. — Let the Madness begin. Now that the NCAA Tournament appetizers known as play-in games are complete, the tradition known as March Madness begins in earnest on Thursday, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol is ready for every bounce. "I love it," said Charles Smith, the manager of the Casino SportsBook. "This is my favorite time of the year." Alan Thompson might be a little biased, but the Vice-President of Casino Operations can't think of a better place to watch it all unfold. After all, there is much more available than just basketball in the former Bristol Mall. "Honestly, if you are going to watch the game, why not watch it here. You are going to spend an inordinate amount of time watching these games," Thompson said. "I have watched these games for 12 hours straight before. It gets a little boring, right? "Usually after the first couple of games my bracket is busted anyway so why not do a little something else. Eat great food from the Hard Rock Cafe or if you are in the marketplace, play a little game and come back and then try it again. In Bristol, this is the place to watch March Madness. If I had my choice and I could do it, this is where I would be." It all begins on Thursday when the doors open at 10 a.m., with the first of 16 games between Texas Christian and Ohio State tipping off at just after noon. Sixteen more games will be played on Friday, followed by eight each on Saturday and Sunday to reach the final 16 teams heading into the following Thursday through that weekend. There are plenty of televisions to watch every game at the SportsBook location, with wagering done at two ticket windows and nine kiosks — a 10th is located in the poker room — and another kiosk is available to order food from any of the numerous offerings at the Casino. Recliner seating can be reserved at the SportsBook via the Hard Rock Bristol website that includes a map to pick your preferred location. "It is going to be a 14-hour day where you are going to have guests here wanting to bet pre-game, bet during the game, we have a little break after the first session ends for about an hour," Smith said. "Then you will tip-off about 6:30 on the second session so it is really good. When Tennessee or Virginia plays, you will have more fans for those games, but the diehards are going to be here all day long." "You can make in-game bets as well and the line will change during the game and you can get on that as well," added Thompson. "It is not just one and done, you can do multiple bets on the same game." The Casino's "Road to the Championship" promotion also includes food and beverage specials, including six tables and six booths in the Hard Rock Cafe that can be reserved for two-hour blocks via the Cafe website. Cafe general manager Greg Swanston said the March Madness event last year was a success, and expect head chef Thunder Van Riper to be ready with nachos, chili cheese fries, fried pickles and more. "I think it is great, the energy gets really high," Van Riper said. "I love attending live sports events or big events like this because people get so excited and they are rooting for their team and everybody is having a good time. I just love that energy. This is the place to be for good energy." Sixty-three games will played over 19 days, with plenty of opportunities place bets, including a promotion that will go into effect after the "Sweet Sixteen" has been determined. Fourteen winners will be drawn from every $100 bet on college basketball from that point. Ten of those will receive $100 in free play, while four others will not only get $250 in free play, but will also get an envelope and if it includes the eventual champion, they will get another 1,000 in free play opportunities. "We are looking forward to that," Thompson said. "It is going to be a pretty cool promotion." First round odds are currently available on the HardRockBet app. Bettors can place wagers on individual games and other options either at the Sportsbook or through the app. The odds change often, but Duke (+275) was the pre-tournament favorite, followed by fellow top seeds Michigan (+300), Arizona (+350) and Florida (+575). Betting is also available for the women's tournament, with Connecticut (-275) the overwhelming favorite, followed by UCLA (+550), Texas (+800) and South Carolina (+850). Tenth-seeded Tennessee (10000) is a -1.5 point underdog in its opening round game on Friday with North Carolina State. No. 8 Virginia Tech plays Oregon on Friday. Bets can't be placed on Virginia schools at Hard Rock Bristol due to Virginia Lottery rules. Sixth-seeded Tennessee (+7500) is considered the "local" men's team in the field, and they had to wait until the final play-in game on Wednesday to determine their opening round opponent. Expect plenty of orange no matter who the Volunteers face on Friday, with the possibilty of facing Virginia in the second round on Sunday. "They could match up in the second round so that is really exciting," Thompson said. "Lots of local tie-ins so looking forward to it." While Thompson wouldn't mind seeing his favorite team make a run, he is pulling for the Vols to go far. "Anytime Tennessee is playing this whole floor is in orange," Thompson said. "I am a Villanova fan, that is where I went to grad school, but they have a pretty tough matchup in the second round. "If I had to choose, I hope Tennessee goes a long way."