'They Were Bookmakers - No Suits and Ties'

There was no place like it in its heyday. A college football Saturday at the Stardust sports book was something to experience. But no more. They closed the joint last week after 48 years to make room for bigger and better, something called Echelon Place, which will run the Boyd Group $4 billion to build. The Stardust set the lines on games, and Scotty Schettler, who ran the sports book from 1983-1991, said, "Nobody would make a move without seeing our numbers." The uncanny accuracy of the Stardust's pointspreads resulted in huge profits. For six years in a row, the sports book never sustained a losing month. The secret? Hiring the right people to help come up with the lines. "I hired all guys from back East," Schettler said. "Kansas City was the furthest west I ever hired anybody from. They were bookmakers — no suits and ties."