Talk About Las Vegas With Ira

This week on “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” Ira sits down with legendary Las Vegas bookmaker Art Manteris, author (with Matt Birkbeck) of "The Bookie." For more than four decades, Art helped shape the modern sportsbook while running operations at iconic Las Vegas properties including the Stardust, Caesars, and the Hilton. In this fascinating conversation, he shares why he decided to write "The Bookie" and reflects on a career spent at the center of one of Las Vegas’s most exciting—and closely watched—industries. Art talks about arriving in Las Vegas before he ever entered the race and sportsbook business, and how once he did, there was no turning back. He discusses the thrill of working in sports betting for more than 43 years, where balancing revenue, compliance, and guest service was essential to running what he calls “pretty well-oiled machines.” The conversation also explores Nevada’s long-standing model for regulating sports betting, why Art believes federal intervention isn’t the answer, and how l