LAS VEGAS -- The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defence team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison.

The last time Simpson was in a Las Vegas courtroom, he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery. Now, with a new team of attorneys, he has mounted a case that his former lead lawyer botched the 2008 trial so badly that a new one should be granted.

When the weeklong hearing ended Friday there seemed to be little doubt that mistakes were made when Simpson was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison. The real question is whether enough was done to get him out of prison.