Now those are some hot tips!
Is there like no chance of getting a seat at Cesar’s without a reservation? Ideally I’d like to take in a little bit of the atmosphere but mostly just place a few bets and monitor the games while doing other stuff (with the ability to peak in if something gets exciting). I don’t necessarily want to be glued to the TV unless the Chiefs are in the AFC championship game.
a bunch of us went for a CFB saturday about six weeks ago, we paid $144 per seat, which reserves your spot for the day. virtually every seat was reserved and there wasn't much for the general public until much later in the day, when there were just a handful of games left.
you can see the reservation prices here, it looks like NFL playoffs is priced similarly:
https://www.caesars.com/caesars-palace/casino/race-and-sports-book#.XBKEjZNKjR0honestly, between the long sportsbook lines, the good-not-great service, and the lack of food options (you have to walk to the food court about 250 yards away), i'd put the caesars experience solidly behind a few of the others on the list.
we went to westgate the next day for NFL sunday. we got a VIP booth for i want to say $700, but the entire cost of the box goes toward food and beverage. we had seven of us, stuffed our face with food from 10am to 4pm, drank from beginning to end, and still didn't use up the allotment. service was great, seating was great, views were great, atmosphere was great. but again, a box isn't necessary to enjoy westgate; you'll find good enough seating on your own.
here's a decent overview of various books on the strip:
https://vegashax.com/2018/09/10/best-sportsbooks-for-football/the books that i personally like to support in town are south point and westgate. both have top-notch staffs who focus on customer service and aren't trying to nickel-and-dime their guests to death. i understand why many books (not just caesars) are going the reserve-a-seat route (caesars, for example, can profit roughly 50k per football weekend on reserved seats if they sell out), but like most decisions casinos in town are making, these are short-sighted moves that are turning people away.
there are lots of guys (and gals potentially!), similar to myself, who go to vegas primarily to bet sports and watch games - particularly if it's a big sports weekend. but between paying (constantly rising) resort fees, paying for WiFi, paying for daily parking, paying for a seat in the sportsbook, paying for drinks (small bets used to get you a handful of drinks; now at many properties $200 gets you one drink ticket), many people are deciding they'd rather just go to a bar.
they'll still get my money because i'm a sicko, but just pointing out the error of their ways.