Internet Gaming in Nevada
As director for race and sports books at Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Oak Forest native Jason McCormick is one of the brains behind those numbers. The 32-year-old is one of only a handful of people who set the odds for all major sporting events, and he is one of the youngest people to hold the position. "I take it in stride, and I'm very career-driven and want to continue to grow in the casino industry," McCormick said. "I'm privileged to be in the position that I'm in." Nevada is the only state where sports gambling is legal, and McCormick estimates there are about 20 people who set the various betting lines. He regularly logs 70 to 80 hours per week during football season. "Much to my wife's chagrin," said McCormick, who has two sons, ages 2 and 7. He often brings his work home - though not in the way that most people do - watching games and recordings of games after leaving the office. McCormick's book recently grew larger when Station Casinos announced it would be the first to capitalize on the popularity of fantasy football by offering a betting line on players' projected fantasy statistics. It's no surprise, he said, he wound up in a sports-related career, considering he grew up in family of sports fanatics. "As a child, it was church in the morning, and then, get ready for a Bears game," McCormick said. He also remembers attending White Sox openers with his dad and listening to his relatives and their friends picking drafts for fantasy baseball leagues afterward. (Though, much to his father's disappointment, McCormick became a die-hard Cubs fan.) While growing up in the Southland, he spent as much time on the field as he did in the stands, playing a wide range of sports. "His mother will remember driving from soccer practice and him changing into his football clothes," said Jason's father, Lee McCormick, of Palos Heights. At Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park, McCormick played football and wrestled on the varsity team for four years. "The way that I grew up, sports was so much of a part of what I did that putting numbers on sports was like second nature to me," he said. Apparently McCormick also made a few wagers in his youth His father likes to tell a story about taking his son to the racetrack to teach him about betting on horses. "I go up to the window to make these bets, and the person looks over my shoulder and says, 'Hi, Jason,' " his father said. The elder McCormick also said his son and a friend were abandoned by their dates while gambling at the Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin after their prom. But those who knew McCormick during his teen years said he had more than just a one-track mind - he was a good student, a go-getter and a natural leader. "He was always more than just about the sport; he was about everyone else," said Tom Lahey, McCormick's former wrestling coach and current head dean at Andrew. "Winning wasn't everything; being part of the program was more important. He wasn't an individual; he was more of a team player." McCormick's collegial attitude might explain why he worked his way up the career ladder so quickly after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and why he remains down-to-Earth about his unique position. "It's not something that you can have a power trip about," McCormick said. "Every day is a new day, and every day hundreds of thousands of dollars can move back and forth. I love it, but it can be very stressful," he said. This article is a reprint from Dailysouthtown.com. To see the original Article, click here © Copyright 2006 OSGA, LLC |
