By afternoon, the early money comes in, and the lines adjust. Art Manteris, vice president of race and sports operations at the Las Vegas Hilton, says the individual casinos decide whether to move the line based on the bettor and the amount wagered. Roxborough will note the change on his service, and other casinos may follow suit. Bigger booking operations run by organized crime, especially in New York and Chicago, track the changes by computer and adjust their lines accordingly. While the ever rising amount of money bet on sports makes game-fixing a possibility, the likelihood of its happening has actually gone down.
Professional athletes are hard to bribe because their salaries are so high.
Las Vegas casinos are also vigilant about attempts to fix games and are usually the first ones to notice if a large amount of suspicious money is coming in for one team. In fact, recent investigations into point shaving in college basketball games at Arizona State University and Fresno State began when Las Vegas sports books informed the FBI of suspicious betting activity. Federal authorities acknowledge that point shaving is more likely in college sports, particularly basketball, as most players know by their sophomore year that they won't make the pros. A recent national survey of college athletes by the University of Cincinnati found that 25 percent bet on sports events and 4 percent bet on their own games. Bettors may use a combination of legal betting in Las Vegas and illegal betting with bookies to influence lines and catch middles.