Future of Sports Betting
Future of sports betting: the marketplace
By David Purdum and Ryan Rodenberg
Bettors will have many other options outside Las Vegas if sports betting is legalized in the U.S.A
There are no immediate plans for Patent No. 0125691.
The description contains plain words like "computer," "real-time" and "online." Figure 2, an accompanying diagram, shows the system's entire process in an eight-step flow chart that ends with "determine payout of event."
The patent application, published on May 6 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, remains pending.
But don't let its apparent simplicity fool you: This patent application is held by Microsoft, and it could be a critical piece of a future with widespread legal sports betting in the United States.
Over four months, ESPN interviewed more than 50 sources representing a vast spectrum of interests and came away with numerous key findings about the future of American sports betting. Among them:
• Congress is in the early stages of reviewing federal gambling laws and plans to introduce comprehensive legislation that will address sports betting, daily fantasy sports and other forms of online gaming.
• Some of the world's largest tech companies are expected to emerge as bookmaking giants that will compete against established U.S. and international sportsbook operators, state lotteries, Native American gaming interests and fantasy sports sites for a share of the market.
• Stock market-like sports betting exchanges will be created to cater to the more sophisticated bettor, while also presenting the sports leagues with a potential opportunity to profit directly off of legal sports gambling.
• Robots -- fueled by dynamic algorithms, motion-tracking cameras and microchips capable of ingesting troves of real-time data from athletes' bodies -- will increasingly dominate high-stakes sports betting.
• Legalization may produce pitfalls, including increases in gambling addiction and gambling-related advertising, which have plagued other jurisdictions with legal sports betting.
While opinions vary on when a legal market may take shape in the U.S., who the biggest bookmakers of the future will be and if American society can handle what will be a dramatic shift in sports culture, experts almost unanimously agree with NBA commissioner Adam Silver's prediction: Expanded legalized sports betting is "inevitable."
In this three-part series, ESPN examines a future landscape with widespread legalized sports betting in the United States, beginning with potential paths to legalization and what the resulting marketplace may resemble.
Part 1: The marketplace
Capitol Hill, the states and paths to legalization
The mainstream acceptance of sports betting is peaking. Cash-strapped states are starting to see sports betting as a potential source of revenue more than a detriment to society. The point spread and betting action in Las Vegas are now popular storylines for every big game, and for the first time, a commissioner of a major professional sports league has come out in support of legalizing sports betting. There simply has never been this much momentum to legalize sports betting outside of Nevada.
But momentum and definitive results are two very different things. As of now, state-sponsored gambling is illegal outside of a handful of states, with single-game wagering permitted only in Nevada.
Editor's Picks
Congress to review sports betting prohibition
Congress is reviewing current "obsolete" federal gambling laws and plans on introducing comprehensive new legislation.
Some in the U.S. government feel it's time for a change and that the current federal gambling laws --most notably the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), Wire Act of 1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 -- aren't appropriate anymore and need updating.
"The laws need a wholesale review to see how they can actually work together and create a fairer playing field for all types of gambling, both online and offline, including sports betting and daily fantasy sports," U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., of New Jersey told ESPN. "At the same time, we must ensure the laws are actually creating an environment of integrity and accountability, and include strong consumer protections.
"I plan to continue discussions with the key stakeholders and then will introduce comprehensive legislation to finally update these outdated laws." In addition, lobbying efforts led by the American Gaming Association are set to begin in 2017. "The next [U.S.] president is going to have that issue of legalizing sports betting on their desk," AGA CEO and president Geoff Freeman has said.
But all the sports leagues are not on board, yet. They are, however, strategically positioning themselves for widespread legal sports wagering. The NCAA and NFL remain publicly opposed to legalization. The NHL and Major League Baseball, while showing signs of a softening stance, have stopped short of coming out in full support. Even the NBA, by far the most outspoken proponent of legalization among the sports leagues, has repeatedly said it's not ready to contribute to direct lobbying efforts.
"The next [U.S.] president is going to have that issue of legalizing sports betting on their desk"
Geoff Freeman, American Gaming Association CEO and president
"We've been supportive of legalized sports betting, and we'll continue to be supportive," NBA senior vice president and assistant general counsel Dan Spillane told ESPN. "If someone in Congress were to ask our view on a bill that's proposed, then I'm sure we'd be happy to participate and weigh in." The leagues have financial stakes in daily fantasy sports sites and a sudden interest in Las Vegas, and have struck deals with data companies that fuel the international sports betting market.
The NFL, NBA and NHL have deals with Sportradar, a Switzerland-based conglomerate that is the parent company of Betradar, a major player in the global sports betting industry, and Major League Baseball has partnered with Genius Sports, a multi-faceted gambling data firm located in London. Even the NCAA has a commercial affiliation with Sportradar, with the Pac-12 conference using the services of CG Analytics, a subsidiary of a prominent Nevada sportsbook.
These partnerships represent a profound shift in the leagues' position on line monitoring, the task of tracking gambling data in an attempt to identify unusual moves or unnatural money. As recently as 2007, representatives of the NBA, NCAA, NHL, MLB, and NFL sent a letter to Congress dismissing the value of line monitoring.
In addition, game integrity concerns -- often cited as a reason to oppose regulated sports betting -- are now increasingly being used as a reason to support legalized sports wagering, given the ability to track statistical data.
While the leagues' stances are shifting gradually, experts say sports betting of the legal variety is still years away from arriving at your local casino or on your mobile phone.
"My heart says it should be one to three [years]," former NBA commissioner David Stern told ESPN in September. "My head says it's between five and 10."
"My heart says it should be one to three [years]," former NBA commissioner David Stern told ESPN in September, regarding a timeline for legalization of sports betting in the U.S. "My head says it's between five and 10." Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images
Individual states might not wait that long.
New Jersey has invested millions of dollars in legal fees while fighting the sports leagues and challenging PASPA (the federal prohibition on state-sponsored sports betting) in its ongoing case that began back in 2012. In October, New Jersey filed its second appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on this issue.
This summer, Pennsylvania passed a resolution urging Congress to "lift the Federal ban on sports betting and to allow states that authorize, license and regulate casino gaming, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to legalize sports betting through its licensed facilities." And New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow is currently planning a 2017 legal challenge to PASPA.
While it's clear that states are already taking steps, it is unknown exactly how many would begin offering legal sports betting if the federal prohibition were lifted. Estimates range from less than half to as high as 48.
"[If] PASPA gets amended, I think you'll see five to 10 states opt in quickly and offer it," Tim Wilmott, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, Inc., said. "There are places like Utah, Hawaii, Tennessee, some states down in the South, that I think are going to be slower to accept it."
The landscape in some of the states that do opt in may be different than that in the United Kingdom, where sports betting is legal and retail bookmaking shops are commonplace on city streets. More conservative states likely will restrict sports betting to casinos and horse racing tracks; others may allow locations that sell lottery tickets to accept sports bets; and some will have betting kiosks at sports bars, gas stations and liquor stores.
Darren Rovell
Eventually, though, almost all sports betting will take place online, experts say.
"Online is where everything is going," John McManus, executive vice president and general counsel for MGM Resorts International, told ESPN this summer. "That's where people are going to want to place bets. That's where it makes sense to place bets and to be done safely."
A widespread, fully mature online sports betting market in the U.S. would be the largest such market in the world, according to research from industry trade publication GamblingCompliance. By the time the U.S. gets to that point, though, everything about sports betting will have changed, from the way bets are placed, what games and events are the most popular to bet on and even who is taking the bets.
"Providing a mechanism for a state to legalize [sports betting] doesn't have to be rocket science," said Sue Schneider, an industry veteran who has testified before Congress and consults on gaming issues. "The rest of the world has been doing this successfully for decades. We just need to look around to see the best practices.
"Up until recently, I always felt that sports betting would never be legalized in my lifetime," Schneider added. "With rumblings among some of the sports leagues [that] seem to realize that the writing is on the wall, I already see a change in the landscape."
The bookmakers of the future
While different avenues to legalization are explored in the U.S., several big-name companies are already lining up in anticipation of what would be a major shift in American sports culture.
Familiar Nevada and European sports betting operators, like MGM and William Hill, are eyeing the opportunity, and state lotteries and Native American gaming interests also want a seat at the negotiating table, experts told ESPN. Online daily fantasy sports sites, with their infrastructure and established player bases in a coveted demographic, would appear to be in good position to offer traditional sports betting if made legal, as well.
The biggest bookies in the future might not be the names you'd expect, though.
A review of recent patents in the betting genre revealed Microsoft, Sony, Reuters and Wall Street financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald to be either existing holders or applicants. A number of individual entrepreneurs are in the mix, too; patent No. 8,632,392, for example, was issued in 2014 for "systems and methods for enabling remote device users to wager on micro events of games." And others have built virtual currency-based wagering systems designed to be implemented on social media platforms like Facebook.
"In 10 years' time, I expect sports betting to be part of major telecommunications companies and data companies," said Chris Eaton, an integrity monitor and former investigator for INTERPOL. "I see the large international conglomerates -- Bloomberg, Google, the massive data companies -- swallowing up most of the sports betting operations around the world and operating an international platform, with all of sports betting being essentially offered on the mobile device, the mobile platform."
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company had "nothing to share at this time" regarding its patent for a betting exchange or any future interest in the sports betting industry.
Microsoft's patent coincides with a research paper by David Pennock, a principal researcher and assistant managing director for the company. Pennock's research produced an innovative wagering mechanism akin to pari-mutuel systems used in horse racing that Microsoft wanted to patent. There were no immediate plans for its use, Pennock said, but he does envision a future with tech companies involved in the sports betting world.
"In 10 years' time, I expect sports betting to be part of major telecommunications companies and data companies."
Chris Eaton, an integrity monitor and former investigator for INTERPOL
"I do think that there's a lot of technology involved that's not that trivial, especially for the more innovative things that I imagine are going to happen; so some of the technology companies may be better suited than an old-school sportsbook," Pennock said. "I think maybe some of the technology companies are in better position to build the [betting] exchange in a better way."
Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and outspoken proponent of expanding legal sports betting, agrees.
"In the short term, there will be a lot of attempts by companies big and small to use their own versions of big data to be predictive in sports, financial markets and other industries," Cuban told ESPN. "In the long term, it will come down to what sources of information and which companies will help create the most powerful learning and reproductive algorithms and who will own those algorithms. I don't have that answer and neither does anyone else at this point."
Nevada and offshore
If sports betting is legalized and the tech titans do get into the bookmaking game, are Las Vegas' days numbered as the epicenter of legal American sports betting? Is the traditional bookmaker an endangered profession?
Art Manteris, one of the longest-tenured Nevada bookmakers, doesn't necessarily think so.
Manteris believes the state's 50-plus years of regulating sports betting are invaluable and envisions a scenario where Nevada would remain a central hub for sports betting in the U.S., with bets from other states transmitted through the Silver State's established regulatory body and infrastructure.
"In a perfect world, things would flow into Nevada and there would be a point-of-consumption tax, just like there is in the U.K.," Manteris explained. "If they're betting from Colorado or California, you'll get a tax credit back to your state from where that bet emanated."
Recently, Nevada has taken steps to position itself for such a scenario. The majority of the state's books offer mobile sports betting in Nevada. In 2015, the state passed a bill clarifying that the state's licensed operators could manage sports pools in other legal jurisdictions, and Nevada also has set up a scheme where out-of-state bettors can invest into sports betting entities -- similar to mutual funds -- that are managed from within the state.
But some Nevada operators are also advocating for expanded legalization.
MGM, William Hill and Boyd Gaming are among those that have joined the American Gaming Association's coalition aimed at lifting the federal prohibition. They appear willing to surrender the monopoly Nevada has enjoyed in exchange for the ability to expand into other jurisdictions and offer one of the rare forms of gambling that is growing: sports betting.
An all-time high $4.2 billion was bet on sports in 2015 at Nevada's regulated books, the sixth straight year the industry enjoyed record handle. In each of the past three years, the state's books have won more than $200 million, and they haven't suffered a losing month since July 2013.
The legal market of sports betting in Nevada remains a small part of the overall U.S. betting pie. David Purdum
While business is booming, Nevada remains a small portion of the enormous American sports betting pie. Experts estimate more than 90 percent of all sports betting in the U.S. takes place outside of Nevada, mostly through offshore sportsbooks located in the Caribbean and Central America.
That behavior must change if the U.S. market is going to fully mature, but moving bettors from the unregulated market to a newer legal one won't be easy.
There are dozens of online books, the largest handling more than a $1 billion a month during football season, an industry source said. For the most part, the offshore industry has evaded U.S. laws and continues to serve America's thirst for sports betting without being saddled with added costs of regulation.
"We have to remain economically competitive with the offshore market, in order for it to go away," Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill's U.S. operations, said. "And, ultimately, that is what happens: People, given the choice, prefer to be in the legal, regulated market."
It's going to take more than just offering competitive odds for a new regulated market to take a bite out of the established offshore market, one longtime offshore bookmaker told ESPN.
"If they want to go against the offshore, they have to have the same type of menu that the offshore does, which includes all the props, all the live [betting]," said Scott Kaminsky, a veteran of the offshore market and now the sportsbook director at TheGreek.com. "If they do it the right way and you can bet anywhere inside the U.S., I think they'll maybe convert 35-40 percent of the people off of the offshore back to the states."
Marisa Lankester, author of "Dangerous Odds: My Life Inside an Illegal Billion Dollar Sports Betting Operation," believes offshore operators will continue to use cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the game, even if the U.S. legalizes sports betting.
Sources said operators desiring secure phone lines have considered purchasing an entire telecommunications company on an island, and some bookmakers are already moving operations onto yachts in international waters. A commercial satellite engineer told ESPN that such technology "already exists."
"This is the modern version of the old riverboat casino and my source tells me it is already being done," Lankester said. "Satellites have this capability, and successful bookmakers have the means to invest in yachts, batteries, et cetera."
There's also a platform being designed that would take the bookmaker completely out of the equation.
Augur
"I see potential for large bets or bets with untaxed money being taken through the anonymity of the dark web," Lankester said.
Enter Augur, where anonymity rules.
Every stock exchange -- and its sports betting cousins Betfair, Matchbook and Smarkets -- is centralized, meaning each bet starts and ends in the same place. Augur, which recently entered beta, is a decentralized prediction market fueled by virtual currency.
Users are free to offer or match a plethora of sports-related options. Many markets will pose binary "Yes" or "No" questions, like, "Will the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2016?" for example. The Augur platform will be available to anyone willing to deal in e-money.
Jerry Brito, the executive director for Coin Center, a nonprofit research advocacy center focused on cryptocurrency and computing technologies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, believes a decentralized sports betting exchange market is the future.
"You can imagine a decentralized sports books that is provably fair," Brito said. "It's cheaper, because the cut that the book takes is incredibly small, because there's no company there, there's no overhead, besides the network. And because it's potentially global, it could be a really big book with a lot of bets. That's going to be very interesting to watch."
Peer-to-peer online betting
Sophisticated sports bettors in the future may be able to place their bets on U.S.-based peer-to-peer exchanges as well. The process for regulatory approval of such betting platforms has already started at the federal level and in Nevada, multiple experts said.
As early as 2008, records obtained by ESPN show that Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others in the technology sector made written filings to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in support of expanding so-called prediction markets into the public sphere. The CFTC, which regulates futures and options markets, is currently considering the legality of an exchange-type platform that could include sports, two sources told ESPN. A CFTC spokesman declined to comment on any pending case that was not yet in the public record.
A betting exchange is the functional equivalent of a stock exchange for sports, where bettors can offer or take positions on sports events. In such an exchange, every bettor becomes a miniature bookie, proposing potential wagers and waiting for one or more others to bite. For example, a $100 point-spread bet on a certain team could be matched by another bettor in full or by four bettors at $25 each. It's a peer-to-peer model, with the platform charging a commission fee.
In 2010, Betfair, the mammoth London-based betting exchange that revolutionized sports gambling in Europe a decade ago, was granted an American patent titled "Betting Exchange System." The 22-page documentation for patent No. 7,690,991 includes a subsection on point-spread betting, noting that it is "particularly popular in the U.S."
Betfair began operating a horse racing exchange betting platform in New Jersey earlier this year after several years of legal wrangling. Smarkets, a smaller betting exchange operator based in Europe, recently announced plans to open an office in the U.S.
"I think more and more the peer-to-peer, exchange style will be the way that wagering happens in the future, both in terms of gambling and in terms of prediction markets," Pennock, the Microsoft researcher, said.
A screenshot of the current Betfair exchange system. Betfair
The exchange model would seemingly give the sports leagues an opportunity to directly monetize sports betting, something experts said may be all that's stopping them from reversing their decades-long opposition to legalization.
"If the sports leagues directly benefit, then there may be more of a buy-in from them," said Tobias Moskowitz, a Yale finance professor and co-author of "Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won."
In the exchange model, the leagues wouldn't have a stake in the outcome, like a traditional bookmaker. Instead, they could profit off of how much is wagered through a trading commission, tacking on a data surcharge or a "right to offer bets" type of licensing fee as is found in other countries.
Not everyone believes the exchange model will be the dominant platform in a future regulated market, though. Asher, William Hill's CEO in the U.S, said the exchange is the niche product. "The mass-market product is the traditional form of sports betting like we have in Nevada," he added.
"One of the goals is to give people who are interested in betting on sports an incentive to switch from illegal markets to legal markets. And backing or selecting one particular form of betting to the exclusion of others, I'm not sure that's going to accomplish that goal."
Dan Spillane, NBA senior vice president and assistant general counsel
The NBA's Spillane, while familiar with the exchange model, says the league hasn't determined whether a certain betting platform is better than the rest.
"Legalized sports betting shouldn't select one subset of the industry, necessarily, to be the 'one,' as opposed to having regulations in place that make sure whatever model ultimately is used or wins the market is going to be something that provides adequate protections from an integrity and consumer standpoint," Spillane said. "One of the goals is to give people who are interested in betting on sports an incentive to switch from illegal markets to legal markets. And backing or selecting one particular form of betting to the exclusion of others, I'm not sure that's going to accomplish that goal."
Paul Clement, the lead lawyer for the five leagues (NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) in the ongoing New Jersey sports betting case said that a permissible exception to PASPA would be wagers up to $1,000 between individuals. Clement described it as a "friends and family" plan. In a court decision in September, a panel of judges endorsed Clement's position as illustrative of measures states could take that wouldn't run afoul of the federal ban.
Gaming regulators in Nevada also are considering sports wagering exchanges. Quinton Singleton, a vice president for sports betting technology provider NYX Gaming Group, has been writing regulations for a potential Nevada sports exchange and expects movement in 2017. In addition, the Silver State Sports Exchange is working to get approval for a phone app that would allow anyone located in Nevada to offer bets, but only gaming license holders, like the state's sportsbooks, could accept wagers posted on the exchange.
"The books will be able to take whatever they need to satisfy their particular risk for the day," said Silver State Sports Exchange founder Pete Korner. "We think we're going to increase handle, increase churn and therefore profitability as the state as well."
Looking ahead
In a 2012 deposition, former baseball commissioner Bud Selig described sports gambling as "evil" and "the deadliest of all things that can happen" to sports. Four years later, a more pragmatic approach is now emerging among sports league brass, government policymakers and law enforcement, signaling a future with expanded legal sports betting in the U.S. appears to be on the horizon.
"We think the integrity of the game is the most important thing, and we believe that our current position is the right way to be able to handle that," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told The Associated Press in April. "But on the other hand, if changes happen, we'll be prepared for those."
Coming in Part 2 on Thursday: Who will be the bettors of the future?
Blogs by Danny B Part 22
Blogs by Danny B
Part 22
The HBO Interview aired late August 1997 or early September, I don't remember the exact date but I will tell you it was a great segment! My friends & family were calling me left and right, they could not believe it was me they were seeing as I did not tell many about the interview...
We were all excited and now it was time to make some cash and recoup the money we invested in advertising.. The news paper adds hit days before the segment but the phones were not ringing and tension started building in the office. In the first month alone we spent 30k out of our 50k budget and not a penny came back to us, it was very depressing.. I told one of the partners not to invest too much too fast but Kyle thought he was a marketing expert and did not listen which quickly lead to me giving him a beat-down in the office..
By late September we all decided we should take it on the chin and turn our Handicapping business into a bookmaking venture with Keith who recently opened up a Sports Book based in Aruba.. I had worked with Keith before and I new he was capable of doing well as he was a big part of ESB's early success.. We made the transition and right away the phones were ringing via direct mailers and adds in the USA Today and Pro Football Weekly. In the 90's you could advertise Offshore Betting and no one cared, as long as the check was good they would run the adds. Today that would never happen as the laws changed a few years later..
We advertised that the Casino was in Aruba but the only thing that was in Aruba was a contact at Western Union who would pull the deals for us and funnel the money back to Keith in Kutztown, Pa were we moved our office, right by the college! We were kicking ass but word spread fast and before we knew it we were getting heat from Dennis who hated the fact his former workers were now his competition! Within a few weeks we got severed with a law suit from Dennis stating we signed a no compete with him and that we used his data base to steal clients from ESB, this was somewhat true but I never took shit from him, Keith did and so did a few others that worked for him.. Everyone felt they were mistreated and taking some names was justifiable.. Shit was ready to hit the fan...
Danny B
Week 9 NFL Fantasy Tips
Fantasy: Week 9 Rankings (Updated)
by Justin Boone
Quarterbacks
PlayerOpp
1Aaron Rodgersvs IND
2Drew Brees@ SF
3Matt Ryan@ TB
4Andrew Luck@ GB
5Cam Newton@ LA
6▲Philip Riversvs TEN
7▲Dak Prescott@ CLE
8Jameis Winstonvs ATL
9Ben Roethlisberger@ BAL
10Marcus Mariota@ SD
11Colin Kaepernickvs NO
12Russell Wilsonvs BUF
13▼Matthew Stafford@ MIN
14▲Eli Manningvs PHI
15▲Derek Carrvs DEN
16Tyrod Taylor@ SEA
17Sam Bradfordvs DET
18▲Ryan Tannehillvs NYJ
19▼Ryan Fitzpatrick@ MIA
20Blake Bortles@ KC
21Joe Flaccovs PIT
22▲Case Keenumvs CAR
23▲Nick Folesvs JAC
24Trevor Siemian@ OAK
25▲Cody Kesslervs DAL
26Carson Wentz@ NYG
Blogs by Danny B Part 21
Blogs by Danny B
Part 21
I walked into the office sometime in July 1997 when I heard Dennis talking to Vince Reo, the editor of the LVSN.. Dennis was telling Vince to keep an eye on me because I am making too many friends since the HBO interview and all New Yorkers were sneaky or words to that effect.. I was making friends and I was tired of being accused of shit I did not do so I simply interrupted the conversation and said.. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME , I QUIT...
The first thing I did was contact HBO to tell them they can black out the banner of the LVSN since I was no longer working for them, they were happy to do so! I was very upset with Dennis, I was promised a bonus which I did not get and he was questioning my loyalty.. He was counting on that add to air as it would give his Sports Book great exposure, I was not going to let that happen especially since I was not working for him!
Shortly after I quit a former LVSN employee came to me with a offer to partner up with him and open up our own Handicapping Service.. We were banking on my HBO Interview to bring us attention and also utilize news paper adds, plus we had 50,000 names of proven players that were all active bettors.. In mid August 1997 we opened our office in Allentown not too far from were I live today.. We hired 3 more people that also recently walked out on Dennis, he was very tough to work for.. I really was excited about my new venture and looking forward to seeing the HBO interview and the new adds that were to hit the Daily News and the USA Today.. I don't remember the exact day but the adds were due to hit the same time the Segment was to air... Mentally I was on top of the world but not financially as everything was ridding on this interview....
Danny B
EPISODE 030 - "Jamie ... #factsoflife"
Jamies gives us the #factsoflife during our show in this action packed episode! Keep listening and subscribing to the podcast. Thanks!
Blogs by Danny B Part 20
Blogs by Danny B
Part 20
1997 was the year that really boosted by career, I was back working for The Las Vegas Sporting News and the Score Phone was generating money everyday!
I wrote a article after the Super Bowl that caught HBO's Real Sports Producers attention. They were currently working on a segment about the Sports Betting Business & Handicappers that were high profile or BIG MONEY MAKERS!!!
Matt Marantz, who was a producer for Real Sports contacted the LVSN and asked if the writer would like to aid in the segment that would air late August or early September.. In return HBO would allow The LSVN to hang a banner behind me while they did the interview, great exposure for me and Dennis as his Sports Book was pasted throughout the paper..
In mid April 1997 I spent (1) day filming in New York and another (2) days helping out with info about the industry.. Jim Lampley was assigned the interview which did win Emmy Awards for himself, Matt and Bryant Gumbel..
It was hard for me not to laugh when Jim was talking to me as he was wearing these bright pink sox's that I still remember almost 20 years later.. The Interview went really well and everyone was pleased with what they captured on film and on paper.. Matt Marantz was very grateful and asked me if I would help with another 2 segments, HBO was willing to pay me a consultants fee so of course I agreed..
Matt sent me a little cut of the segment in May, it looked great and I was very pleased with how they handled the interview and how much attention they gave me, I was looking forward to seeing the entire segment but that was still over 3 months away!
Time was dragging and ESB was getting hit hard, some Sharpies were killing it in Baseball and Dennis was pissed, someone you tried to avoid everyday if possible.. I don't know the exact day inJuly but I bumped into Dennis at the office and it happened again.. I no longer worked for The LVSN, but this time I quit...
In my next blog I will tell you why..
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B Part 19
Blogs by Danny B
Part 19
By August I made my mind up and elected to return to Canada where I would be the #1 guy running the Sports Book and Odds Line. The incentives were good and I loved the house and what I was doing, plus Montreal was a blast!
I returned to Canada late August 1996 and was locked in until February 1997, right through the Super Bowl.. The 1st 2/3 weeks of the season the book did very well but by week 8 we were getting crushed and was dealing with some heavy hitters.. George started gambling by twisting the numbers thinking he could get the best of these guys but he was wrong, they banged him for high 6 figures!
Not only did the wise guys crush him the small players were also winning and hitting crazy teasers, parlays, etc.. The Book was in trouble and needed to be bailed out financially, we were upside down and could not handle payouts..
George went to his brother and they reached an agreement, Dennis would be taking over the book by merging players over to ESB.. Dennis had deep pockets and was able to satisfy all payouts and keep the players happy and willing to stay with him and ESB.. Good for them but bad for me because I was now out of a job again unless I went back to work for Dennis or back to California!
I left Canada late November and returned to Allentown, I was still on payroll through January with George which was cool until I decided what I was going to do..
In December I met a girl and was having fun so I went to talk to Dennis and we came to an agreement that come January I would take over the Score Phone and sell adds for the Las Vegas Sporting News.. He paid me next to nothing but I was on a % of what I brought in selling Picks and adds, the potential was there for me to do well and advance my career..
In my next blog I talk about the article I wrote that got HBO's attention and was later featured on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel..
Heisman Rankings
Heisman Power Rankings: Peppers, Cook making a charge
by Alex Chippin
One month remains in the 2016 regular season, which means it's time for this year's Heisman Trophy contenders to begin constructing their closing statements for the jury.
Here's how the Heisman race stacks up as the calendar turns to November:
5. Jabrill Peppers, LB - Michigan
How versatile is linebacker Jabrill Peppers? The Michigan star played nine different positions in Saturday's win over Michigan State, and became the first player in 10 years to record a rush attempt, reception, sack, kick return, and punt return in the same game. Peppers does it all for the Wolverines, and he scored a rushing touchdown against the Spartans to further strengthen his Heisman case. He might be the most valuable defensive player in the country.
4. Dalvin Cook, RB - Florida State
By now, Dalvin Cook has more than made up for his slow start. The Florida State tailback has rushed for 841 yards and nine touchdowns over his last five games, and now sits fifth in the FBS in rushing, second among Power 5 conference runners. However, three Seminoles losses take some of the wind out of Cook's Heisman sails, so he'll need to be head and shoulders above the pack to leapfrog them in the rankings.
3. Donnel Pumphrey, RB - San Diego State
He still doesn't get oodles of notoriety, but Donnel Pumphrey continues to shred the NCAA history books. The San Diego State senior leads the FBS in rushing by more than 300 yards, is fifth all-time in NCAA rushing yardage, and could break Ron Dayne's career rushing record by the end of the campaign. Pumphrey has racked up 100-plus rushing yards in every game this year, except the season opener when he had 98, and has gone over the 200-yard mark four times. He's hurt by the Group of 5 conference in which he plays.
2. Jake Browning, QB - Washington
Jake Browning didn't have his biggest statistical performance of the season against Utah, but he did enough to keep Washington undefeated. The sophomore pivot has taken the Pac-12 by storm this season, throwing a whopping 28 touchdowns and a mere three interceptions. If he can lead the Huskies to a perfect season, he'll have as good a chance as anyone to win the Heisman.
1. Lamar Jackson, QB - Louisville
Lamar Jackson wasn't at his best in the first half of Saturday's game against Virginia, but the halftime deficit only set the stage for his second half performance to look even more brilliant than it otherwise would have. Jackson led Louisville to a season-saving fourth-quarter comeback over the Cavs, and has now accounted for four or more touchdowns in six of his eight games this year. The dual-threat signal-caller remains the clear front-runner to capture the award.
Blogs by Danny B Part 18
Blogs by Danny B
Part 18
Dennis fired more people than Donald Trump, he had a short fuse and made it clear that everyone can be replaced, including Keith!
I was enjoying the Holiday Season when I ran into Keith at a local bar in Bethlehem, he told me Dennis fired him for making a mistake printing out a parlay card that had a bad number that caused the house money.. He also told me he is working for George who is the older brother of Dennis and they are real busy and are looking for guys to work in Canada running a Book..
George and Dennis were partners at ESB but parted ways and became rivals. The thought ofworking in Canada was pretty cool, but I really liked California and working for Price.. The offer was pretty good with a lot of perks like living in a mini palace, company car, free food and living close to Montreal.. George was also a great athlete, he played Pro Football and was an All American Wrestler in college. George was a huge man but very gentle, I called him "The Gentle Giant " or just Big George..
Since I could not start working for Jack Price until Football season I decided to stay in the Allentown area and give Canada a shot, worst case scenario I could shoot out to California if I did not like working there.. From January to mid April I worked for George locally doing basically the same thing as I first did for ESB, marketing and signing up accounts..
I left for Canada in April 1996 and was not coming back to the Allentown area until late July, that was fine by me... There were 4 guys in Canada plus 8 locals that worked for the Sports Book, we were at it all day but at night after the last game started we hit Montreal and tore up Saint Catherine Street.. The US Dollar was strong back then so my money went far, I was having a blast and very happy... The Book was doing well considering the time of year, we had around 2,000 players and the house was winning, that is always a good thing when it comes down to bonus time.. Two of the guys went back to Allentown so that left me and Sammy & the locals, who were basically kids 18-20 but they were sharp and honest..
George sent someone to replace me in July so I can go see my mom and help out in Allentown. On my ride back to Pa I was pondering if I would return to Canada or go back to California were I knew I would make more money and have 3 months off every year..
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B Part 17
by Danny B
Part 17
I was truly taken back when I was told Dennis thought I had been sending players to other Casinos but after hearing why, I understood! Turned out that Glen was telling people to pull out of ESB and go to a Sports Book that was paying faster and giving larger bonuses, it was and still is a common thing for cappers to refer players to casinos that would kick them back money or a % of the loss. I honestly had no idea this guy was doing this but now I had to prove it to Dennis, and that was not going to be a easy sale!
After a few days I met with Dennis and saw the fire in his eyes, he was convinced I was in on it and told me he does don't trust Italians especially from the New York area! I plead my case but was told even if I was not involved that I am still fired since I referred Glen and said he was a good guy.. Turned out Glen persuaded 3 small bettors from ESB to shift over to The Greek where he had a working agreement and was friends with the owner, I believe his name was Spiro.. To this day I don't know how it got back to Dennis..
It was mid November 1995 and I was jobless with only 20k to my name and stuck in Allentown, the last place in the world I wanted to be.. I reached out to Jack Price and he told be I could come back but I would have to wait to next FB season as he had a full staff and was still a bit upset with me for not returning in February.. My plains were to return to California after the Holidays and go back to work for Price once FB started up...
Life is very strange, you never know what each day brings.. On December 10th 1995 life brought be another surprise, one that would keep me in Allentown & eventually lead up to me meeting my wife..
Blogs by Danny B Part 16
Blogs by Danny B
Part 16
I made a huge mistake trusting a Handicapper that was advertising in the LVSN & on the Score Phone.. I was so busy I asked Dennis if I could send this guy some names of players that were looking for help with the games and he said yes, but I was responsible for him.. I did not know Glen very well but his picks were amazing enough to give him a shot and take the workload off of me..
We didvery well the first 2 weeks, Dennis was impressed and gave me a nice bonus and praised me for my efforts.. I was really excited about what we were doing and what we did in less than 2 months of running a new Service..
I was able to take a day off so I went to see my buddies back in New Jersey to have some drinks and unwind, plus celebrate my new venture.. Little did I know my venture was very short lived and within 36 hours of leaving Allentown for a visit to NJ, I would be jobless and had someone looking to rip my head off...
I walked into my office to find my stuff in a box, no Phone, no TV and a hole in the wall, I was saying WTF... I was heading down to the office were ESB had their marketing department, but before I got there Keith stopped me and said turn around and get out of here before Dennis sees you. Keith was one of the managers but we were buddies back then.. I saw in his face something was wrong and that I should probably listen but I was somewhat pissed off and did not leave right away.. Mark who was another manager joined me & Keith and basically told me the same thing, get out now before Dennis sees you, he thinks you were in on stealing ESB Players and sending them to other Casinos for a kickback! Right away I got defensive as I knew I did nothing of the sort and wanted to talk to him but they said let him calm down before you even get near him...
In my next blog I finish the story..
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B part 15
Blogs by Danny B
Part 15
I was never one to take shit from anyone... but when it came down to Dennis I must admit I ate some crow, we all did!
Depending on how the Casino did the day prior normally determined the mood Dennis was in, you could tell from the look on his face what type a day it was going to be!
When you run a huge Sports Book there is always problems regardless of how much you took in that day, especially when you have over 400 workers spread out in the US & overseas. Security was always an issue with Dennis as he never trusted anyone, even if you were family, and I can give you several million reasons why.. People were robbing him left and right, from the clerks to the locals to close friends, they were clipping him and he knew it!
The 900#s were doing well but I knew we would do better if we offered live service to the thousands that were calling that Score Phone every day, most were ESB players or players just calling for odds and scores.. The bottom line is we had access to thousands of players, Cappers would have died to have what we had our hands around.. News papers, TV, Sports Book, Radio Shows, we could have made millions, Dennis did but not us...
My idea was to charge 500.00 as a membership fee and than a percentage of what they made, 20-25% depending on what they were betting.. Dennis approved the live service and put me in this huge room all by myself with nothing but a desk, phone, TV & a Sports Now Pager.. Between me updating the Score Phone and pitching 900#'s and taking live calls it was impossible for me to be productive, I needed help...
It was late October 1995 when I finally got Dennis to agree that I needed some help, everyone stateside was doing Marketing for ESB so they could not help me so I was told to find someone, and I did... What a mistake that was.......
Don't miss my next blog... it gets juicy!
Danny B ...
Week 8 Fantasy Tips
Fantasy: Week 8 Rankings (Early Edition)
by Justin Boone
Quarterbacks
PlayerOpp
1Tom Brady@ BUF
2Matt Ryanvs GB
3Aaron Rodgers@ ATL
4Russell Wilson@ NO
5Cam Newtonvs ARI
6Derek Carr@ TB
7Andrew Luckvs KC
8Jameis Winstonvs OAK
9Drew Breesvs SEA
10Matthew Stafford@ HOU
11Carson Palmer@ CAR
12Ryan Fitzpatrick@ CLE
13Andy Daltonvs WAS
14Kirk Cousins@ CIN
15Marcus Mariotavs JAC
16Tyrod Taylorvs NE
17Dak Prescottvs PHI
18Brock Osweilervs DET
19Philip Rivers@ DEN
20Alex Smith@ IND
21Blake Bortles@ TEN
22Trevor Siemianvs SD
23Carson Wentz@ DAL
24Sam Bradford@ CHI
25Jay Cutlervs MIN
26Kevin Hoganvs NYJ
Blogs by Danny B Part 14
Blogs by Danny B
Part 14
By August of 1995 ESB was signing up over 100 new players everyday, they were printing more than The Las Vegas Sporting News, they were printing money!
Dennis was very pleased and finally gave me the green light to place some adds in the LVSN and the USA Today.. We promoted our Toll Free Hotline for Free Odds & Scores which ESB players used daily to get their odds, scores & results.. Back then we did not offer any online betting, just phone bets taken by a call center in Jamaica filled with locals that loved working for Dennis..
Running and updating a Score Phone is very demanding, every 10 minutes I would have to tighten up the scores and post finals when games finished.. On a Saturday when there is a full board of action and your making all those updates it would wear you down, especially when your also promoting 900#'s throughout the day.. Back in the day instead of buying picks online they were billed to your home phone number or office number by calling the 900#'s we were promoting.. A normal call would coast between 10 & 25 dollars, sometimes more depending on what was being offered..
I remember the 1st day I promoted my 900# like it was yesterday.. I went 3-0 on the day and 32 players spent 25.00 to get those picks, I was very happy to say the least... We promoted many 900#'s on that Score Phone, most were in house Cappers but some were not!
We did well our first full month but nothing compared to what others were making, not even close!
Dennis was making so much money with ESB he never really cared about selling picks or handicapping even though he new other Capping Outfits were making millions!
In my next blog I will cover the 1st day we offered Live Service...
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B Part 13
Blogs by Danny B
Part 13
I came to an agreement with Dennis to help him sign up new accounts for ESB until Football started up in August of 1995.. I contacted Jack Price to let him know I would not be returning and thanked him for the job, it was not an easy decision but I saw a lot of potential with Dennis as he had a lot going on and great ideas..
The Las Vegas Sporting News (LVSN) was a great outlet to advertise and promote Sports Betting, especially since it was handed out in many Vegas and AC Casinos.. We used the LVSN to push ESB and our Handicapping service that would launch in mid August of 95.. We also promoted our toll free Scores & Odds Hotline that I would maintain for many years.. Dennis was also working on a deal with Comcast to do a Sports Talk Show that would feature some of his buddies from Pitt.. Dennis also had plains to do a Nation Wide Radio Show to promote all he was were offering.. I saw so much potential with what Dennis was doing that it made my choice to stay in Allentown easier to shallow as I really like living out West..
We worked 7 days a week for Dennis sending out mailers, cold calling, and just answering the phones that rang all day.. Offshore Betting was fairly new but spreading fast across the Nation, it was the "In Thing To Do"... Some of the staff went back and forth to Antigua where ESB was located until a Hurricane destroyed the building and then he relocated the Business to Jamaica and eventually to Ireland.. I did not mind helping ESB until Football stared but I really wanted to get the Handicapping Business going but I was not calling the shots so I had to wait until I was given the green light.
In my next blog I will talk about my 1st official day as a Handicapper for the LVSN and cover many topics that I am sure you will enjoy...
Danny B
Free Pick Line 10/22 - 10/23
This past Saturday I offered 2 free picks on a recorded message to handle the masses that call me from my radio show.... Inside The Numbers which airs coast to coast 52 weeks a year on many stations including Fox Sports, ESPN, AM 570 LA Sports & iHeart Radio
Saturday I gave out West Virginia -6.5 points who covered easily vs TCU
Sunday I went with the Lions -1 vs Washington.. a close game but Detroit got the win and cover
To all that called my free pick line I am running a special deal..
Select a 1 week membership get 1 week free.. 79.00
Select a 1 month membership and get 2 months free.. 199.00
Or get my play of the day for only 29.0010/23 Houston/Denver
Have A Lucky Day....
Danny B's Free Pick Line... 1-866-786-3889
Real Confessions Of A Tout
On my next podcast I will cover some slimy scam's handicappers use to pull money out of their clients... Its a show you don't want to miss... For over 23 years I have seen the industry change and so have the tricks Cappers use to gain your trust.... If you enjoyed my HBO Interview back in 1997 your going to get a kick out of this podcast...
Blogs by Danny B Part 12
Blogs by Danny B
Part 12
I knew about Offshore Betting dating back to the late 80's when several local Bookmakers from North Jersey and New York had operations in the Caribbean Islands, where Sports Betting was excepted and legal as long as you had a license to operate. Even Jack Price was in the process of opening up a Casino called Paradise Island, or something like that while I was working for him. It was the early days of what we now call Online Betting and Dennis was ready to make his mark and pave the way for others to open up their own Sportsbook/Casino...
Dennis also owned a News Paper calledThe Las Vegas Sporting News which he used primarily to promote his new Casino called English Sports Betting also know as ESB. Dennis was and still is a Brilliant Guy, one who had a vision and did not let anyone get in his way, and I mean ANYONE!!!
The Sporting News was fairly new when I first met Dennis, but was becoming popular as copies were handed out free in many Las Vegas Casinos.. I explain to Dennis what I knew from working for Jack Price and the money that was being made and it did not really interest him, even though I was talking Millions of Dollars... The vision he had was to become the Biggest Bookmaker ever and change the way people approach Sports Betting... And he did!!!
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B Part 11
Blogs by Danny B
Part 11
From what I heard about Dennis was that he came from a family that consisted of All American & Olympic Wrestlers, Pro Football Players and outright tough guys. It took me a bit but I remembered the family name from watching LSU & Pittsburgh games in the early 80's..
Dennis played with all the greats from Pitt, guys like Bill Fralic, Bill Maas, Dan Marino, The Goose & Iron Head just to name a few...
I still remember the ride to go meet Dennis like it was yesterday, a ride I took with a guy named Joey who was very good friends with Dennis who I met through Mickey at the gym. When we pulled up to this large warehouse located in the slums of Allentown I was thinking to myself... WTF!
We walked up several flights of stairs through a dark and dingy entrance that lead me to the office were Dennis was working with 2 other guys named Keith and Mark. Dennis was on the phone when I walk in so Joey introduced me to the guys as I waited and we had some small talk before all 3 left me behind sitting in a small room with this huge man who was wearing workout gear and had his back turned to me still talking business to someone about opening an account in Aruba..
The phone rang while Dennis was still talking and he turned to me and said answer the phone and take a message please so I did, but I did not take a message I made a sale instead. Me making a sale shocked Dennis in a good way especially since I had no idea what I was doing or saying, I just went with the flow of the conversation using a brochure that was located by the phone to help me explain how someone can open up a Sports Betting account with ESB.. (English Sports Betting)
In my next blog I talk about my love/hate relationship with Dennis and how I later became the voice thousands heard daily for scores & odds...
Danny B
Blogs by Danny B Part 10
Blogs by Danny B
Part 10
The only thing I knew about the Lehigh Valley was that Billy Joel sang a song about Allentown and it produced great athletes.. Mickey "The Mob" was no athlete but he did know everyone and anyone in the area that was a somebody. My 1st day at the gym I was on the treadmill when I met Mickey who was wearing a Florida State shirt which lead me to ask him if he was a fan..
I was a fan myself and when Mickey told me that his buddy was "Chuck the Chest" Amato that opened the door to a hour long walk and talk..
During our walk Mickey asked me what I did for a living and when I told him he quickly said to me I need to introduce you to someone who is involved in the offshore betting business. Mickey was no stranger to gambling, he worked for the Casinos in Atlantic City and in Vegas back in the 70's & 80's. Mickey arranged junket flights and was a VIP Host at Caesars in AC, Mickey was also a Pool Shark and Card Hustler, one of the best back in his early days and also owed Poker Joker Spots throughout the Valley.
I was very happy in California and made real good money my first Football season with Jack Price, and I new my potential to make a lot more was there. I enjoyed seeing my mom but living in the Allentown area did not excite me at all but I figured why not meet this guy Mickey had told me about. For privacy reasons I will simple address this individual as Dennis, but those that are reading this blog in the Lehigh Valley know very well who I am talking about..
Danny B