BILOXI, Miss. -- This year's national championship game between Clemson and Alabama was winding down on the dozens of TVs scattered throughout the new hybrid-sportsbook/bar at Beau Rivage, a high-end casino resort that sits on the Gulf Coast.
It was late, closing in on 11 p.m., on a Monday night. The crowd had thinned, but it was still busy and noisy. A few VIPs, wearing slick suits with open collars, were sitting in their leather lounge chairs in the reserved area, sunken in the middle of the bar in front of the biggest TVs. There were bars at each corner, with typical restaurant seating, including booths throughout most of the venue.