Ryan Butler and Brant James make bad bets so you don't have to, and then they talk about it. They're standing in the intersection of sports, betting, pop culture and journalism, hoping that nobody runs a light. So let's talk about stuff.
After two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden scores the intro with his way-back prediction of glory, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler are joined by South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro and ProFootballDoc.com’s Dr. David Chao. Vaccaro has yarns about how the wagering public has changed, and who’s he’d handicap as the next president, if it was legal in the United States, of course. Chao pops in to discuss analyzing sports injuries and how his service could benefit bettors. Jimmy Vaccaro Timestamps 3:44 – Vaccaro describes an outlandish parlay bet to underscore a new betting trend: no fear of huge lines. 4:49 – Recreational bettors want to bet on teams, and don’t care about the numbers. 6:30 – The spread of legal sports betting in new states will only increase this phenomenon, Vaccaro says. 8:00 – What if you could bet on political elections in the United States? 9:12 – Vaccaro: “The election would be bigger than anything we’ve ever done.” 9:32 – Vaccaro handicaps the 2020 presidential election. Dr. David Chao Timestamps 28:30 – Introducing the Pro Football Doc. 29:50 – Dr. Chao on his “distinct, built-in advantage.” 30:49 – How in-play betting makes real-time injury information crucial. 32:33 – Dr. Chao on average fans versus bettors. OddBet 42 – Austrian hockey 43: 00 Where is Namibia? In the Rugby World Cup.
NFL quarterbacks are falling like NFL quarterbacks with veteran stars Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger the greatest of the latest. The Saints will get their guy back. The Steelers get used to life with Mason Rudolph. Bookies.com's Adam Thompson stops by to break down the breaking down and Dan Kilbridge joins Brant James and Ryan Butler later to explain why Notre Dame is going to make Georgia work this weekend. Adam Thompson on the NFL 2:18 – Daniel Jones will take over at quarterback for the New York Giants. 5:11 – The Giants will cover against Tampa Bay. 5:30 – Adam says Brant makes a great point. 7:47 – Why haven’t the Saints’ Super Bowl odds fluctuated much with quarterback Drew Brees out for the season? 10:40 – The Seahawks (–4.5) should cover at home against the Teddy Bridgewater-led Saints. 11:53 – Pittsburgh (+6.5) begins the Mason Rudolph era against the 49ers. 14:50 – Exploring the phenomenon of huge lines in Dolphins (+20) and Jets (+22.5) games. 15:58 – Adam Thompson: “It’s outrageous.” 19:50 – On the NFL “tank.” The Dolphins appear to covet all the draft picks for the next two seasons. 22:42 – Thursday Night Football: Jaguars (-1.5) vs. Titans. The Not-Super-Contest 26:04 – Ryan backs the Raiders (+8) at Minnesota. 26:59 – Rams (-3) at Cleveland, says Brant. 27:57 – Ryan takes Giants (-6.5) over Bucs. 28:20 – Brant takes Cardinals (+2.5) at Panthers. 29:54 – Ryan takes Redskins to cover 4.5 at home against Bears. 32:01 – Falcons (+1) will cover at Indianapolis, Brant says. 33:01 – Ryan and Brant take the Patriots at –22.5 against Miami. 35:04 – Lions (+7) are a good pick at Philadelphia, says Ryan. 35:41 – Take the Seahawks (-4.5) at home against New Orleans. Dan Kilbridge on College Football 36:50 – Notre Dame a 14-point favorite underdog at Georgia? 39:01 - Dan Kilbridge thinks the Irish might win outright. 40:19 - ‘Boat-raced” 40:48 – Time to invest in an Ian Book Heisman Trophy future bet? 42:00 – A one-loss Notre Dame team has no playoff hope, says Kilbridge. 43:30 – On Michigan at Wisconsin (-3.5). 45:42 – UCF is very, very good against the spread. OddBet 49:45 – Will the Dolphins go 0-and-16? 51:00 – Argonauts at Calgary first-half over/under excitement.
As the Browns begin what seems like a long, inevitable slink back into misery, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler debut their personal Super Contest, oddly, and sadly agreeing on some key games. What’s to make of that massive Patriots’ line? In the big interview, Tilman Fertitta owner of a lot of restaurants – one of which you’ve surely patronized – The Golden Nugget casino chain, the Houston Rockets and now an author (“Shut Up and Listen! Hard Business Truths That Will Help You Succeed) stops by for a chat. The Badder Beats Super Contest 4:34 – Introducing the new game. 5:15 – The Browns got Brown-y. 9:00 – Twitter pushed around ESPN. 10:40 – Ryan picks his NFL games of the week. 17:34 – The Dolphins are being forced to play the Patriots. 19:50 – Bills favored over the Giants is ridiculous. Tilman Fertitta Interview 28:13 – How impactful will legal sports betting be in the future? 28:30 – On the Golden Nugget being allowed to begin accepting bets on NBA games. 29:28 – What advantages does he have as a pro sports team owner and casino owner. College Football Picks 30:01 – It's a think week, but there are interesting games. 33:30 – Interesting weekend in Colorado football. 34:01 – Syracuse again a top of discussion. #OddBet 38:23 – NASCAR playoffs for Ryan. 39:45 – Brant on the team left standing when the American League Wild Card music stops.
Former Packers vice president, agent and SI.com and The Athletic writer Andrew Brandt dispenses knowledge on the upcoming NFL season and its future, why Andrew Luck walked away, CTE, player leverage and how sports betting impacts it all.
With the college football season unfurling fully in Week 1, Brant James and Ryan Butler hash out the Auburn-Oregon game and ponder other lesser matchups. NASCAR managing director of gaming Scott Warfield lays out the stock car series’ plans to utilize legal sports betting beginning in September. BADDER BEATS TIME STAMPS 5:46 – College football, Week 1. 6:30 – Brant nails his Week 0 prediction. 7:17 – Auburn at Oregon. 11:27 - Auburn’s Gus Malzahn could be under pressure if he loses the opening coin toss. 14:01 – Bravely betting against Wake Forest. 15:39 – Is 35 points too much in Duke-Alabama? 16:29 – Why are Syracuse and Liberty playing? 17:42 – On Missouri and Wyoming in another odd matchup. 18:05 – Houston at Oklahoma is going to be interesting, but the Cougars’ Dana Holgorsen is 0-7 against the Sooners. 21:04 – Georgia-Vanderbilt in an early opportunity for Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm to make a case for the Heisman Trophy. NASCAR executive Scott Warfield 24:01 – NASCAR’s history with legal sports betting and utilizing it as an engagement tool. 25:00 – The four pillars of NASCAR’s approach to betting. 28:02 – How could NASCAR specifically leverage sports betting soon? 28:46 – NASCAR will begin rolling out more sports betting options, utilizing its data deal with Genius Sports, in September. 31:03 – Leveraging star power into in-place bets. 33:00 – Scott Warfield says NASCAR fans are already gamblers, according to research. 40:02 – NASCAR has not been as active as some sports leagues, Warfield said, in lobbying for sports betting where it is popular, specifically Florida. 44:10 – Will legal sports betting increase sponsorships for NASCAR teams? ODD BET 49:34 – Gardner-Webb and UNC Charlotte college football game. 51:12 – Ryan Butler explains how ‘over’ works. 52:15 – Big Ten men’s basketball preseason betting odds, anyone?
College football commences. The PGA Tour schedule is down to the king-making FedEx Cup. Badder Beats welcomes in a Stadium’s Brett McMurphy to break down the AP Top 25 preseason poll and a season ahead in sports betting (he’ll break some news on the future of the College Football Playoff) and Matt Cooper makes a long-distance call to assess the golf final. 1:51 – Oregon sportsbook announces it will begin taking bets on Sept. 7. 4:01 – On gerbil racing. Chinook Winds. Not chinook woods. 7:17 – Indiana is stealing all of Illinois’ sports betting juice. 9:20 – Mike Ditka (Ameristar Casino East Chicago) is the best celebrity first bettor yet. Brett McMurphy on the College Football Season 15:53 – Analyzing the preseason Top 25 Associated Press poll. 16:56 – Brett McMurphy had Georgia No. 2 on his AP ballot. 17:28 – Will Alabama regress this year because of coaching departures and injuries? 18:22 – Will the super elite group of Alabama and Clemson rule college football again? 19:00 – Alabama and Clemson will run their regular-season schedules, McMurphy says. 19:54 – How do conferences schedules help or hurt Alabama and Clemson? 21:40 – On Heisman Trophy favorite Trevor Lawrence and if there’s value with other picks. 23:46 – Look for a Top 10 quarterback for Heisman value. 24:10 – Who are the college football value plays for the college football playoffs? Hint: Pac-12. 27:40 – BREAKING SOME NEWS: College officials are already discussing an expanded college football playoff … in seven years. 31:17 – College football is being more reactionary than proactive in regards to legal sports betting. 34:40 – The dream scenario for making the college football interesting, and how Army is the key. 37:00 – How the Army –Navy could mean everything again. Everything. 38:07 – Brett McMurphy on Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 8 Florida. Matt Cooper on the FedEx Cup 42:27– On the PGA playoffs. 45:18 – Should you bet Justin Thomas in the FedEx Cup? 50:00 – Is an irked Brooks Koepka the bet for you? 54:25 – Why are Patrick Reed’s odds askew? #OddBet 1:01 – Rose will be the top-finishing Englishman this weekend. 1:03 – Trevor and Tua vs. The Field.
NBA reporter Mark Strotman cracks the code on betting on the National Basketball Association. His analysis of over/under trends from the past decade will thrill and amaze you, and could have made you a very successful bettor. TIME STAMPS Mark Strotman on Betting the NBA in the Offseason 3:02 - On betting the over/under in the NBA. 5:39 - Breaking down how NBA teams fared in over/under betting over the last decade. 7:25 - Bet the the under for teams forecast to win more than 50 games. 9:52 - Which of that 50-plus-win group is most likely to go under this season? 12:00 - Teams forecast to be dreadful often go over. 14:02 - Mark Strotman delivers and nugget exclusive. 15:40 - On the 10-win swing. 18:14 - The NBA schedule release. 19:11 - The Warriors' schedule is constructed to help keep them in playoff contention. 22:01 - How a westward shift of power altered the NBA schedule. 23:35 - QUOTE-OF-THE-YEAR NOMINEE: “Just the fact that your childhood memory is Michael Jordan as a Wizards means my life has been better.” 23:44 - How a sports fan is born, by Mark Strotman. 25:10 - NBA championship odds. 25:50 - The Lakers have the best roster in the NBA, says Strotman. 30:13 - What undervalued team can sports bettors exploit in games before everyone else catches on?
As the English Premier League season gloriously approaches, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler defer to Bookies.com football expert Peter O'Rourke for betting tips, trends and insights. Also, Penn National Gaming helps seed major sports betting players into some potentially fertile fields. Sports Business Update 2:20 – Penn National Gaming acquisitions alter the sports betting map. 3:50 – theScore has options in Indiana and Mississippi before its New Jersey operation goes live. 5:25 – How the Eldorado-Caesars deal might impact it all. 6:40 – The sports betting industry as the pre-World War I Balkans. 7:50 – Deep dive into the parts and pieces The Stars Group, DraftKings, PointsBet and theScore acquired in the deal. 10:30 – Make sure sports betting is legal in your state before you start making bets. English Premier League Betting Preview 13:00 – Finally, soccer returns. 13:58 – Is it Manchester City and Liverpool atop the table again? 15:39 - ‘Punter’ defined. 16:08 – Will Everton make a run for a Champions’ League slot? 17:39 – Prop bets. We need EPL prop bet tips for top goal-scorer. How about Raheem Sterling? 19:20 – Will Steve Bruce be first manager sacked? 20:28 – Predicting the relegation market. 22:50 – The most rock-solid EPL bet you can make this season is ….. 25:00 – Soccer is built for the new American sports-consumption habit. 26:00 – The 24-hour sports betting cycle. #OddBet 27:11 – Breaking down the as-yet-unfinished #OddBet campaign.
On the eve of the Hall of Fame Game and potentially the first very bad officiating decision of the NFL season, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler dissect how technology and sports betting combine with human fallibility or rulebook loopholes to create noxious mess. FanDuel chief marketing officer Mike Raffensperger stops by to discuss an incursion into Pennsylvania. BADDER BEATS TIME STAMPS Legislative Update 2:21 – Iowa legislative update 3:02 – Ryan Butler guarantees that legal sports betting is coming to Iowa on August 15. 4:43 – What will be the first legal sports bet in Iowa? Hawkeyes? Cyclones? 6:40 – Expect about a dozen sportsbooks to be ready on Aug. 15. 9:50 – North Carolina will become a legal sports betting state. 13:29 – North Carolina residents will be able to bet on the Tar Heels and Blue Devils legally, if they’re willing to drive to the mountains. Interview with FanDuel CMO Mike Raffensperger 19:24 – On launching a mobile product into Pennsylvania. 21:45 – On catching up with SugarHouse, Parx and Rivers and what Apple has to do with it. 23:30 – On how to win the Philadelphia market. 26:10 – Don't bet and drive. On Bad Calls and Sports Betting 28:00 – On the Twitter age, television and bad calls. 33:19 – And how sports betting plays into it. 35:01 – Saints fans finally score some satisfaction. Maybe. 38:47 – Gambler vs. Fan 40:23 – Expect your games to get a lot longer if you seek accuracy. #OddBet 42:00 – Hall of Fame Game betting. 45:23 – Which Gruden gets fired first? Thanks to whoever in California downloaded the whole catalog last week. brant.james@kaxmedia.com ryan.butler@kaxmedia.com
Pugilism considered, as Bookies.com contributor Kelsey McCarson joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to analyze the Maurice Hooker-Jose Ramirez junior welterweight unification bout and boxing as an entity. Legislative update 1:38 – New York becomes the tenth guest state to legalize and implement legal sports betting. 3:00 – The confluence of states and sports betting and football. 5:15 – How the Hall of Fame game is like the NBA summer league. 6:50 – Jimmy Vaccaro moves back to Las Vegas after coming home to Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. Kelsey McCarson in Hooker-Ramirez 10:24 – On reunifying the 140-pound junior welterweight division. 13:01 – Why does Hooker-Ramirez matter? 14:30 – On why it’s hard to bet against the underdog, Maurice Hooker. 14:45 – McCarson on eliminating emotion from handicapping equation in this fight. 17:40 – Ramirez should be the favorite. 18:10 – On the politics of making this fight happen despite the rivalries and divergent interests. 20:00 – How hard is it to handicap a fight like this where it’s two fighters in their prime? 22:19 – The Maurice Hooker origin story. 24:40 – Can boxing be more than a niche sport? 29:40 – How does mixed martial arts affect the future prosperity of boxing? 34:40 – How does sports betting affect boxing’s future? 38:26 – Watch the feet. 40:15 – Brant James unleashes a three-question combo but Kelsey McCarson puts him on the mat after just two. #OddBet 44:30 – Finnish professional soccer insights flow. 47:09 – Two incredibly interesting prop bets regarding the Jets.
On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, New York becomes the 10th state to land a legal sports wager. Call it a Sea of Bet-quility. North Carolina follows suit – almost – by passing legislation to legalize sports betting. And as the frenzy of NBA free agency slows to a rolling boil – we think – DraftKings NBA analyst Julian Edlow stops by to assess who moved the odds and if it was justified. Time Stamps State legislative update 1:27 – New York finally implements sports betting. 2:26 – What was the first legal sports bet in New York? 3:28 – How New York’s legal sports betting deal got done. 4:05 – Rush Street Interactive at the vanguard in the New York, like in Pennsylvania. 5:30 – New Jersey is the big winner in New York implementation? 6:48 – The bullet point history of New York sports betting movement. 9:16 – North Carolina legalizes sports betting, becoming the seventh state to do so in 2019. 11:40 – There is no mobile wagering in the North Carolina sports betting bill. 12:20 – North Carolina actually considered banning betting on college sports. DraftKings NBA analyst Julian Edlow 13:34 – Who won NBA free agency and how did they move the futures markets? 14:44 – The Golden State Warriors are looking pretty undervalued. 15:50 – On how Kawhi Leonard jiggled the championship lines in real-time. 17:40 – How you should consider the Milwaukee Bucks when betting NBA futures. 19:18 – Are there any other big NBA free agency signings that could jolt the lines? 21:20 – Julian Edlow loves the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference. 23:20 – On how NBA Summer League has grown into a marquee event and betting market. Ryan Butler takes a road trip 25:00 – On the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States convention in Minnesota. 27:01 – How NCLGS convention-goers fret (or not) the Wire Act. 32:00 – Ryan Butler breaks down a study of where legal sports betting will likely work and why. #OddBet 40:35 – In honor of Apollo 11 moon landing …. want to bet on man landing on Mars? 43:00 – Ryan Butler asks Brant James to assess a dart match.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie drinks a symbolic tequila toast, analyzes the New Jersey sports betting market from germination to July and ruminates on what comes next, including maybe, perhaps, politics. And in the second and final installment of our series on the Chicago Black Sox Scandal, Society for American Baseball Research scholar Jacob Pomrenke puts the legacies of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver in perspective. He also draws strong comparisons between the baseball landscape of 1919 and now, and how owners are looking at gambling in much the same way. TIME STAMPS 2:25 – Maine sports betting bill collapses in a pocket veto. 3:30 – What went wrong in Maine? 4:45 – Sports betting disappointments, encapsulated. Chris Christie on Legal Sports Betting Crusade 7:00 – Interview with former New Jersey governor and legal sports betting trailblazer Chris Christie. 9:39 – How does Chris Christie think New Jersey has done as a legal sports betting market more than a year after the repeal of PASPA? 11:18 – Will New Jersey maintain its primacy on the East Coast even after New York eventually legalizes sports betting? 13:50 – Pennsylvania continues to be a strong market for New Jersey after legalizing sports betting. 15:01 – What role does Chris Christie have advocating for the legal sports betting industry? 16:52 – Why was New Jersey so ripe for legal sports betting? 18:56 – When did this cause blip your radar and why did it matter to you? 23:45 – Is “integrity fee” a non-starter? 25:11 – How did you learn of the PASPA repeal? 26:32 – How did you celebrate? 27:08 – On Chris Christie’s first sports bet in New Jersey. (It’s not what you’re thinking). 29:00 – Chris Christie was all over Tiger Woods at The Masters. 30:01 – What's next for Chris Christie? 31:01 – Why weren’t there any sports betting references in “Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics.” 32:33 – How good of a job did Jason Alexander do portraying Chris Christie in a play? 33:13 – How's the new Bruce Springsteen album? Jacob Pomrenke on the Black Sox Scandal 38:12 – Part 2 of our Black Sox Scandal deep dive. 39:45 – On Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson. 43:18 – The trial. 45:42 – How the Black Sox matter 100 years later. 50:03 – Do modern player salaries immunize sports against Black Sox-type corruption? 51:39 – Will changing views of sports betting mitigate the punishments for Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson? 53:30 – The scandal made Shoeless Joe a cultural icon. #OddBet 59:35 – Astros > Rangers. 1:00 – Reds or White Sox. Who ya like?
Kevin Durant to the Nets, in a year and a half. Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn immediately. Kawhi Leonard …. who knows. Maybe he was just sparing Toronto a bummer of a Canada Day as NBA free agency opened. Agents and general managers were pummeling each other like UFC fighters. Speaking of which, UFC239 is this weekend and Jon Jones’ insatiable consumption of the light heavyweight division, according to oddsmakers, will continue. Pass the pepper, Thiago Santos. EPISODE 34 TIME STAMPS 2:20 Arkansas sports betting is underway. NBA Free Agency 5:50 Mark Strotman on NBA free agency. 6:17 Were the 76ers the big winners of free agency? Mark Strotman thinks so. 9:05 Did the betting public forget Kevin Durant cannot play this coming season? 11:02 Are people forgetting that Kevin Durant had a major injury in rupturing his Achilles tendon? Mark Strotman said the risk was worth it for Brooklyn. 13:50 Where will Kawhi Leonard land? Back in Toronto? The Lakers? The Clippers? And how this affects the lines. 18:00 How the Lakers went from six-year postseason drought to preseason betting favorite to win the NBA title. 19:48 What are the best NBA title value picks? UFC 239 Featuring Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos 29:35 Jed Meshew on UFC 239 and why Jones v. Santos matters. 30:45 Santos needs a knockout, Jed Meshew says. 31:59 Jones-Santos value bets. 36:00 Jed Meshew would take a punch from Jon Jones. 41:00 On Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. 44:16 Jed Meshew on value or entertainment on the undercard. Odd Bet 50:18 Hot dog eating contests are disgusting. 51:39 The Cure makes Ryan Butler a loser. 52:33 Tour de France betting.
As the manic NBA free agency festival draws ever near, there is speculation aplenty about landing spots for superstars and how a certain non-functional Achilles tendon could change everything. And Badder Beats unveils Part I of an informative and entertaining interview surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Black Sox scandal with Jacob Pomrenke, chairman of the Society for American Baseball Research’s committee on the topic. EPISODE 33 TIME STAMPS Legal Sports Betting Legislative Update 1:40 – Sports betting updates in New England. 2:15 – Welcome to the legal sports betting family, Maine and New Hampshire. 2:33 – Funner. 2:36 – Funner? 2:56 – How New Hampshire got the cider made. 4:52 – The New England plot to siphon cash out of Massachusetts. 6:01 – On New England sportsbooks and rooting for or against the Boston dynasties to relent. Black Sox Scandal 100th Anniversary 10:00 – Part I of our interview with Jacob Pomrenke, chairman of the Black Sox Scandal Research Committee for the Society for American Baseball Research. Pomrenke debunks several lingering myths surrounding the successful plot by the Chicago White Sox to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. 12:20 – What did “Eight Men Out” get right and get wrong? 14:32 – Did eight White Sox players actually conspire with gamblers to fix the World Series? 18:50 – How the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs helped lead to the career demise of the Black Sox. 20:28 – The Black Sox didn’t start or stop throwing games with the 1919 World Series. 22:39 – Why did Major League Baseball suddenly care about cleaning up its integrity problem? 23:59 – Myth debunked: the Black Sox were not rubes lured into disrepute. 25:49 – Who were the Clean Sox and how did they co-exist with the Black Sox? 29:01: Joe Jackson: guilty. Where Will Durant, Leonard, Butler Land in NBA Free Agency? 30:21 – NBA free agency commences on Sunday. Coffee up! 32:17 – Where did those NBA free agency odds go? 33:00 – Why are the Lakers odds to win the championship so low? 34:01 – Lakers season wins over/under speculation. 35:05 – How many games will the Milwaukee Bucks win? 37:05 – How many games will the Golden State Warriors win? 37:26 – Ryan Butler says Kevin Durant will stay with the Warriors. 37:36 – Brant James is aghast that no one seems to acknowledge how devastating a ruptured Achilles tendon injury is for an NBA player. 39:47 – Klay Thompson stays with Warriors. 40:05 – On the 76ers free agent situation. 42:43 – Ryan Butler thinks Kawhi Leonard is signing with the Clippers. 44:17 – Brant James disagrees. 44:25 – Poutine talk. Odd Bet 49:27 - #OddBet 50:01 – College World Series correctness and wrong-ness. 51:05 – Who will be next manager of Newcastle United?
Live from the Turf Club at Monmouth Park Racetrack - where the first legal sports bet in New Jersey was placed by Governor Phil Murphy in June, 2018 – Gambling.com Group Plc presents the first-annual American Gambling Awards. Designed to reward excellence in the online legal sports betting market in the United States, the AGA’s presented 14 Golden Eagle statues to stakeholders from politicians to sportsbooks. ESPN draft analyst and New York Times best-selling author (and Badder Beats veteran) Matthew Berry presided over the ceremonies and was delighted that acceptance speeches were brief or non-existent. The sushi table was pretty good, too. Over on the red carpet, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler, nattily dressed in their finest awards show attire, swooped winners out of the crowd like voracious bears at a salmon stream. David Rebuck of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement? Got him. (He was presented with the first-ever Golden Eagle as regulator of the year). Jamie Shea of DraftKings? Got here after her group took home (all the way to Hoboken) top honors in fantasy sports. EPISODE 32 TIME STAMPS :55 – Michigan Representative Brandt Iden (he and Brant early tried to convince him to ditch that extraneous ‘d’) on being a Golden Eagle finalist. (He did not get to bring one home, however.) 1:38 – That said, he’s got his nose to the grindstone and thinks he will get legal sports betting over the line in 2019, perhaps even by football season. 1:50 – Rep. Iden wants to keep those Michigan dollars, building things for Michiganders. 2:37 – Is there momentum for sports betting not only in Michigan, but in the Midwest? 3:32 – Are lawmakers cognizant of what sports betting bills entail and what the benefits can be? 4:58 - “Senator Ray” Lesniak wins “Industry Supporter of the Year” in absentia. Gambling.com Group Plc founder and CEO Charles Gillespie briefly joins Matthew Berry at the podium to explain. 5:52 – Suddenly, Sen. Raymond Lesniak is on the phone, accepting his award in the first seminal moment of the first American Gambling Awards. 7:07 – Jamie Shea, director of digital sportsbook at DraftKings on defending the fantasy turf and going after FanDuel in the sports betting realm. 8:26 – Jamie Shea on how DraftKings differentiates itself. (Hint: data). 9:25 – Where will the Golden Eagle perch? 9:52 - Jamie Shea considers ripping some biceps curls with the Golden Eagle. 10:05 – Rock star regulator David Rebuck deflects all the credit he absorbs to his staff. 11:05 – On being the template for legal sports betting in the United States. 12:18 – David Rebuck on the regulator as a collaborator with operators. 14:28 – On the biggest piece of advice he’d give to counterparts: listen. 15:52 – What does New Jersey Year 2.0 portend? 17:04 – David Rebuck breaks news: the Score’s product will enter the ‘lab’ with folks with the laptops for testing the third week of June. 17:37 – Can New Jersey really get ahead and stay ahead of Nevada in terms of handle? 19:05 – On wrapping his fingers around the first Golden Eagle ever presented. 19:49 – Matthew Berry presents the award for “Operator of the Year” to Rush Interactive.
Brant overcomes jet lag from his tour of Europe, then we talk with Golfweek columnist and Golf Channel contributor Eamon Lynch. We also go over the NBA Finals - and predict the winner of a Stanley Cup finals game that already happened. Plus we rip on Brant more as he announces his new-found love for cappuccinos and long-standing appreciation for opera.
Thom Cunningham of Bookies.com fills in more than admirably for Brant James, as the two hosts discuss Andy Ruiz Jr.'s shocking upset, preview the 2019 Women's World Cup and give some hot(!) takes on the Stanley Cup finals. Plus the second part of our interview with Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow, authors of the acclaimed book "The Logic of Sports Betting."
On the eve of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, Bookies.com contributor Mark Strotman joins the podcast with a bevy of prop bets and intel worth your time. How does Kevin Durant fit back in for the Warriors if he returns healthy? Can Kawhi Leonard do it – as in everything – again for the Raptors? Why so many questions? And in the big interview, Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow, co-authors of the lavishly praised and highly-worth-your-time “The Logic of Sports Betting” join Brant James for the first installment of a perspicacious interview. TIME STAMPS 4:36 – Louisiana does not offer the lagniappe as the attempt to legalize sports betting this year crashes and sinks into the proverbial bayou. 10:35 – Mark Strotman joins the show for some NBA Finals enlightenment. 11:18 – What are some of the best Finals prop bets? 13:44 – Does it matter if Kevin Durant comes back for the Warriors? 13:50 – Mark Strotman, prefacing, goes Warriors in 6. 14:44 – Draymond Green series MVP? 15:45 – How long do the sportsbooks think the NBA Finals will last? 17:26 – Are we shortchanging the Raptors? 18:55 – Can Toronto be a value play? 20:00 – The reasons we should probably not discount the Raptors? 23:01 – Trying to talk ourselves out of Golden State. 24:13 – The under might be the way to go in the NBA Finals. 26:10 – The self-motivating Golden State Warriors. 30:08 – Who scores more points in the Finals: Kawhi Leonard or Stef Curry? 31:40 – Mark Strotman laments not being very good at math. 32:00 – What if Kevin Durant ruins the soup? 36:00 – The Warriors are built to compliment Steph Curry, says Mark Strotman. 37:43 – Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow, co-authors of “The Logic of Sports Betting.” 39:11 – In Part 1 of the Badder Beats interview with the co-authors, it’s Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow on why this book needed to be written. 40:14 – Some biographical data on the authors. 42:10 – Matthew Davidow on how playing poker has become a mainstream job. 44:00 – This book won’t make you a professional bettor, but it will make you better. 48:07 – The general public doesn’t understand how the sports betting industry works, but “The Logic of Sports Betting” will help them get it. 50:24 – The break even percentage explained. 53:50: On the market makers and the super nerds. 59:12 – Odd Bet 62:00 – On the Alpine Messi. 63:01 – Tune in next week for Part 2 of Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow. 64:12 – Breaking news from Pennsylvania: they’re testing the mobile product.
Proving that draft day sometimes comes before Memorial Day (and Carb Day always does), Badder Beats unleashes a deep, deep roster. It’s a P1 (as in podcast and pole position). New York Times best-selling author Matthew Berry, host of The Fantasy Show on ESPN+, comes aboard for musings on the new synergy between the fantasy and sports betting spheres, and his gig hosting the first-annual American Gambling Awards on June 18 at Monmouth Park. How did Berry make the transition from Hollywood screenwriter to the face of DFS? Within. Does Berry have a player he absolutely won’t select out of some personal reason? Within. How did he land his cameo on the Avengers: Endgame? Within. It’s worth your time. And just days from the 103rd Indianapolis 500, 2016-winner Alexander Rossi chimes in on knowing who’s going to be a challenger in the greatest North American auto race and his opinions on how the bookmakers rate him. He also has thoughts on non-IndyCar regulars – like Fernando Alonso – soaking up all that Midwestern buzz. In #OddBet, Brant James rakes Ryan Butler over the bricks and Butler reciprocates with a Champions League flutter. BADDER BEATS TIME STAMPS 1:50 – Warriors in 3 wasn’t such a bad pick after all. 3:38 – Introducing Matthew Berry. 3:54 – The Matthew Berry origin story. 7:30 – How Matthew Berry went from writing for free to becoming the 'Mel Kiper of fantasy football' for ESPN. 9:35 – The relationship between daily fantasy sports and sports betting. 13:53 - “We’re a people that likes to root for stuff.” 14:06 – How will the spread of legal sports betting affect the life or life span of fantasy sports? 16:35 – The allures of fantasy sports and sports betting are different, says Matthew Berry. 19:35 – Do season-long fantasy, DFS and sports betting skills compliment each other? 23:50 – Is there a player that Matthew Berry simply will not draft for whatever reason? 25:30 – What is Matthew Berry’s favorite fantasy league? 27:00 – Is there an Avengers fantasy league? 28:05 – Matthew Berry on his cameo on Avengers: Endgame 30:49 – What if Matthew Berry was nominated for an Oscar? 32:19 – Matthew Berry on technology and the future of sports betting and fantasy. 34:35 – What is Matthew Berry’s hosting style going to be at the American Gambling Awards? 36:20 – Introducing Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner. 39:40 – How much of an indy-cator is the Indianapolis Grand Prix for the rest of the month of May. 40:45 – On motoring around after being taken out of contention early. 42:40 – When does a driver know if he will be competitive in the Indianapolis 500? 43:30 – And when can you realistically size up the competition in the Indianapolis 500? 44:25 – Alexander Rossi on appreciating an Indy 500 victory, especially while still racing. 45:35 – Do full-time IndyCar drivers get annoyed when out-of-series drivers suck up their Indy 500 oxygen? 47:50 – Alexander Rossi on sports betting in general and on IndyCar in particular. 49:50 – Alexander Rossi assesses his odds on winning the 103rd Indianapolis 500. 52:03 - #OddBet
On the one-year anniversary of the dynamiting of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the ICE North America gaming trade show opens in the sprawling Boston Seaport district, drawing influencers from around the globe. Half of the podcast joined them, with Brant James prowling the hallways and interview rooms in search of the hot topics in the legal sports betting industry. In summary: lots of pro sports teams and leagues believe that eSports could be a massive betting market, that is if anyone could ever figure out how to regulate it; you might one day have a multi-tiered game broadcast that allows you as much betting content as you chose; in-play betting remains the focus of major sportsbooks and pro sports leagues for attracting new customers. Sugar Ray Leonard and Jason Robins Interviews Retired former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard offers his thoughts on retirement and what brought him to the trade show. He hugged a lot of folks and had them literally leaping into the air for t-shirts. DraftKings CEO offers his insights into the gaming industry, where his daily fantasy and sports betting platform fits, and where this is all headed. BADDER BEATS TIME STAMPS 1:43 – Happy PASPA Independence Day 4:17 – State legislatures update. 6:00 – How many states will have legal sports betting in a year? 8: 00 – An important promotional message. 10:01 – Come for the sports betting talk, stay for a hug with Sugar Ray Leonard. 15:00 – Draft Kings CEO Jason Robins. 22:05 – eSports was a hot topic 22:35 – Will you have a three-tiered gambling-only channel for your sports in the future? There were clues. 24:05 – The National Football League’s heir apparent said they might have underestimated the size of the black market. 25:00 – Ryan takes umbrage. 25:43 – Brant restores order. 27:40 – Analyzing the possibility of a multi-tiered gambling sports contest. 29:15 – Millennials are supposedly a big deal. 30:22 – Ninja was a big deal at ICE North America. 32: 10 – Breaking down the National Basketball Association conference finals. 39:26 – Toronto vs. Milwaukee 39:53 – Brant’s hot take on the Bucks series. He’s no loafer. 42:00 – Are the Golden State Warriors unstoppable? 46:00 – Game of Thrones breakdown. And it has broken down. 48:30 – Who’s going to be on the Iron Throne? 51:20 – Why did Game of Thrones do this to the characters? Where You Can Find Ep. 27 Of Badder Beats On Social Media On Instagram. On Twitter. Brant James on Twitter. Ryan Butler on Twitter. Sugar Ray Leonard on Twitter. Jason Robins on Twitter.
In an episode that is sure to please fans of every team still skating in the National Hockey League playoffs, hosts Brant James and Ryan Butler break down all four Western Conference finals with the help of massive amounts of physics and terawatts of electricity. In the big chat, fabled oddsmaker Johnny Avello stops by to talk about his past on the Las Vegas strip, his present as director of operations at DraftKings and the future of his profession and legal sports betting in the United States. In a literal avalanche of legislative activity, Montana becomes the first state to legalize sports betting in 2019 and Indiana takes the checkered flag on its attempt. Oh, and Tennessee. Tennessee? BADDER BEATS TIME STAMPS 1:55 – Montana becomes the first state to legalize sports betting in 2019. 2:52 – Does Governor Bullock ride on buffalo? 3:20 – Indiana sports betting update. 4:01 – You will be able to bet on the Indianapolis 500 while the sun burns your skin off. 4:50 – Tennessee close to joining the legal sports betting fraternity. 6:30 – Brant lays out his dream of a Route 66 of Sports Betting and proposes a bridge from West Virginia to Tennessee. Would that be expensive? 8:14 – Introducing PASPA Week. 9:24 – Reviewing the 145th Kentucky Derby. 10:30 - “Cut and dried, he did it.” 12:50 – Grindstone namedrop. 14:00 – The Johnny Avello interview. 15:19 – Why did Johnny Avello leave the Wynn after 13 years to become director of operations at DraftKings? 16:59 – Johnny Avello started out as a “casino guy.” 18:32 – On the “so-called mob era” in Las Vegas. 19:34 – When Johnny Avello realized he was good at sports betting and oddsmaking. 20:59 – What does Johnny Avello do in a day? 22:08 – Where is the next generation of Johnny Avellos going to come from? 23:19 – Johnny Avello: “Things change and you better change with ‘em.” 24:40 – Ryan Butler gives away secrets. 25:50 – Ryan Butler declares the Clam Slam over. 28:02 – National Hockey League Eastern Conference final preview: Carolina Hurricanes (That Bunch of Jerks) vs. Boston 33:30 – Don Cherry reference. 33:30 – Boston is going to the Stanley Cup. 34:45 – Nonsense. 35:48 – Western Conference finals preview: Dallas vs. San Jose 39:39 – Western Conference finals preview: St. Louis vs. San Jose 43:00 – Western Conference finals preview: Colorado vs. Dallas 46:45 – Western Conference finals preview: St. Louis vs. Colorado 51:20 - #OddBet 55:41 – Brant advances to the final of his English Premier League fantasy league. Where You Can Find Ep. 26 Of Badder Beats On Social Media On Instagram. On Twitter. Brant James on Twitter. Ryan Butler on Twitter.
Three-year-olds are tricky. And we’re not just talking toddlers. Colts in the Kentucky Derby can be bedeviling also, especially when they were the morning line favorites to win installment 145 and especially when they represented the storyline of the first Saturday in May … and then were scratched. But here’s hoping that Omaha Beach recovers quickly and completely, runs a few more races safely and then settles in for a fruitful career of making more Omaha Beachs. Yes, the original Derby favorite was ruled out on Wednesday when a case of entrapped epiglottis was discovered. And yes, this installment of Badder Beats was recorded the day before. So consider this a time capsule of what could have been, but what will never be. And blame it on the kids. The quality within: interviews with New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement director David Rebuck, Racehour podcast host Dean Ryan on the Derby, and Omaha Beach owner Rick Porter on patriotic horse names and what they mean to him. TIME STAMPS 15:25 – New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement director David Rebuck on whether he knows the impact of his efforts against the offshore market. 24:02 – Co-host Ryan likes horse names. 25:00 – Ryan says post position is going to be really important. 25:43 – Part three of the Butler thoroughbred betting triad: trainer/jockey. Is that a square now? 26:02 – Whatifthehorsenameissmooshedtogether? 29:15 – On five-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert. 30:51 – Co-host Brant James offers his Derby analysis. 31:15 – On Omaha Beach, pre-entrapped epiglottis. (It was such a good story). 32:07 – Does Roadster get jealous? 32:03 – Most interesting owner; Gary Barber (War of Will) 33:36 - Brant, in a moment of prescience: “You never know.” 34:10 – There is no dome over Churchill Downs. 34:40 – Dean Ryan of the Racehour podcast presented by Gambling.com. 35:02 – How popular is American thoroughbred horse racing Europe? 36:12 – Is turf racing king in Europe? 36:50 – Bye-bye, Bye Bye Hong Kong. 38:00 – Who is going to win the Kentucky Derby? 42:16 – Omaha Derby owner Rick Porter. 44:45 – On World War II names for Fox Hill Farm race horses. 48:15 – In another moment of prescience, Ryan wants Omaha Beach to be sad. 49:02 - OddBet 50:01 – Brant picks Master Fencer to finish last. 50:38 – Ryan picks the Baffert colts in order. 52:00 – A quick walking tour of the trade show floor at the Betting on Sports America conference. LINKS YOU NEED Kentucky Derby value bets. Omaha Beach scratched. Tennessee joins sports betting roster.
As Ryan Butler and Brant James head to the Betting on Sports America 2019 in Secaucus, N.J., a bill to legalize sports betting in Montana heads to the governor’s desk. Which will arrive first? TIME STAMPS 4:16 – Hello, Montana. The cog of Big Sky Country becomes the first state to legalize sports betting in 2019. Probably. 6:33 – On not fighting over the Wright Brothers. 7:20 – Ryan and Brant hash out their plans for the Betting on Sports America conference in Secaucus, N.J., on Wednesday and Thursday. 10:10 – Victor Bigio, sportsbook director at Sportech, on the exotic things – heartrates!? - sports bettors might one day wager upon. 12:10 – What’s a micro bet and will you place them? 12:59 – Victor Bigio on athlete privacy and leagues attempting to monetize every part of their games. 14:12 – The National Football League draft is upon us, and so is the chance to bet on it. 16:00 - Is/should Kyler Murray the number one pick? 17:00 – Much love for Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who is a pretty good bet for the second pick. 19:25 – So if he’s not No. 1, where does Kyler Murray go? 21:37 – Iowa tight ends and betting on which one is drafted first. 25:50 – Jon Kaplowitz of Penn National joins the show for Pennsylvania and national insights. 45:50 – In #OddBet breaking news, The Cure is co-headlining the Glastonbury Festival. 50:22 – Brant thinks there will be lots of wide receivers drafted in the first round. 51:01 – Will Tony Stark kill Thanos is Avengers: End Game? Where You Can Find Episode 24 Of Badder Beats On Social Media On Instagram. On Twitter. Brant James on Twitter. Ryan Butler on Twitter. Betting on Sports America on Twitter.
In a 600-yard tee shot of a show, Tiger Woods sets the golf and sports betting universes ablaze - the Venn diagram of their overlap may never recover - in winning his 15th Major and fifth Masters. Ryan Butler and Brant James discuss how this transcendent figure and tickler of betting markets is already the favorite to win the remaining majors of the year after his upset win and Cinderella story from Augusta. BREAKING: Don't cry for the house. Craig Cummings makes his debut to recount how megawatt Twitter personality Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports unwittingly opened a channel of discussion about illegal offshore sportsbooks. And all because Minnesota hasn't legalized! Brant offers up the next sentimental story (that happens to be very successful) that will hammer the sportsbooks. Here's to ya, Omaha Beach. And in #OddBet, there's some Avengers, some hurling, some more Tiger Woods prognostication, and then Ryan goes back in the lake. TIME STAMPS: 1:34 - The hosts still bask in an incredible Sunday in Augusta, a comeback for the ages and one of the most consequential moments in this new era of American sports betting. And you’ll never guess which host watched the back nine from a Chilies. 7:55 - Wisconsin day trader James Adducci had an even better day than Tiger, winning nearly $1.2 million on a bet in a Las Vegas sportsbook and reviving the Horatio Alger myth of modern sports gambling. But our hosts aren’t so sure if this story is all that it seems. Either way, a bad day for the sportsbooks is only going to mean more money for them in the long (and short) term. 13:12 - Badder Beats announces its first road trip as the show heads to New York and New Jersey for the annual Betting on Sports America conference with the biggest names in the business. 15:15 - Ahead of the conference, Brant spoke with Betting on Sports America attendee (and Monmouth Park CEO) Dennis Drazin, who helps explain his part in the long and winding road to legal sports betting in New Jersey. 21:20 - Ryan breaks down sports betting bills gaining momentum in three states. Spoiler alert: good news if you live in Indiana, Tennessee and/or North Carolina 25:15 - Craig Cummings joins Badder Beats to explain how a mean tweet toward the founder of Barstool Sports has shined a (much needed) spotlight on an illegal offshore bookmaker – and the industry as a whole 37:52 - We talk NBA and NHL playoff betting 37:59 - We explain where you can actually follow along key betting developments in the NBA and NHL playoffs 39:45 - A very special #OddBet featuring Craig, the NBA Draft Lottery and Irish Hurling (the sport, not a rough night at the pub) 50:35 - Brant thanks our listeners, then torments Ryan in the process. LINKS YOU NEED: Tiger Woods favored to win every Major. Tiger Woods cost books money, but will pay them back big-ly.
Arguably the most ambitious Badder Beats of all time rises to meet arguably the most compelling sports betting week of all time as The Stanley Cup playoffs, The Masters and the Season 8 Game of Thrones premiere crash upon each other. Give us $50 on Columbus in Game 1, Matt Wallace in the Masters par-3 tournament and Gendry on the Iron Throne at -10000. Time Stamps 4:10 - Google's Chris Harrison on whether the tech giant is interested in becoming a betting purveyor. 4:30 - Hey Google, what about in the future, though? 5:30 - Adrian Dater on the Stanley Cup playoffs. 15:30 - Adrian doesn't like the Bruins' path to the Cup. 23:13 - Are the Golden Knights going back to the Cup final? 28:58 - Adrian: "I think the Penguins are in trouble." 35:50 - Paul Charchian of the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association on whether daily fantasy is gambling and a sleeper for your baseball team. 42:20 - David Caraviello on The Masters' ability to make people love it. 45:00 - Is betting on Tiger Woods an emotional and financial folly? 49:29 - Masters prop bets. 53:50 - Breaking down the serious Masters contenders. 57:01 - Top Spaniard prop bet? 58:05 - Pimento cheese is disgusting. 61:30 - Game of Thrones analysis. 75:00 - #OddBet LINKS YOU NEED: Q and A with Chris Harrison of Google. Adrian Dater on the NHL Eastern Conference playoffs Adrian Dater on the NHL Western Conference playoffs Fanatasy Sports Trade Association officially becomes Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association David Caraviello on Masters prop bets and long shots. If you must bet on Tiger Woods, try these.
As top seeds are tossed from the ring that is the NCAA Tournament and onto the proverbial folding table of life and sports, Bookies.com contributor Thom Cunningham joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to pull it all together. And Brant has a Hulk Hogan story. Time Stamps: 1:04 - The hosts conduct an autopsy on Ryan’s awful bracket, break down last week’s March Madness games and discuss an early candidate for Baddest Beat of the Year™. 9:52 - Wrasslin’ takes center stage as the hosts show greater ignorance than usual about Wrestlemania 35 – while Gambling.com contributor (and WWE superfan) Thom Cunningham explains what’s actually going on – and shares some betting tips for the “Super Bowl of Wrestling” 26:38 - Thom breaks down matches to watch (and wager on if you're in the United Kingdom) in Wrestlemania 35. 28:38 - Thom explains the milliondy-billion pro wrestling circuits. 30:28 - Brant tells his Hulk Hogan story. 33:40 - Thom on Kurt Angle. 36:00 - Breaking down the Final Four. 40: 35 - What if Jarrett Culver "wakes up sucking?" 41:42 - #OddBet 43:55 - Betting on KFC, or is that UKFC? (there's 900 of them). 47:00 - Thank you, Ukraine and Spain.
As Brant James' bracket blooms in the spring warmth, Ryan Butler's withers and fades. But at least the month yielded for him an off-Broadway musical. Long live the king. Pivoting from college basketball like a second baseman turning two, Ryan offers his Major League Baseball win and loss total projections. Time Stamps: 7:30 - David Caraviello on the East Region. 16: 44 - Thom Cunningham on the South Region. 26:19 - Golden Boy on the Midwest Region. 29:00 - What if Bruce Pearl exploded? 31:02 - Kentucky deep state info alert. 36:00 - A stat to make you dizzy. 38:02 - Trey Killian on the West Region. 38:03 - Trey says Gonzaga is going to win it all.
Gambling.com's Thom Cunningham, a tireless college basketball observer, joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to poke and prod their NCAA Tournament brackets before they go into the metaphorical (or perhaps literal?) shredder. Knowledge flows forth. There's also American Gaming Association president Bill Miller and senior vice president of public affairs Sara Slane via national teleconference on the state of sports betting before the traditional largest wagering market of the year in the United States. Time Stamps: 7:09 - Cunningham: "Belmont passes the eye test." 7:30 - But no one knows where it is. 8:18 - Is Thom a bot? 15:08 - AGA's Sara Slane on her organization not being the "fun police." 16:04 - Slane on the "hypocricy" of the NCAA. 16:58 - Thom fills out your bracket. 25:50 - Thom says Tennessee is vulnerable. 28:50 - Thom on tourney upset watch. 35:32 - Thom on Virginia Tech and Florida State. 55:45 - After obligatory Zion Williamson talk, Brant, Ryan and Thom discuss the most interesting player you're not talking about - who very well may play Zion in the second round - as well as other teams/players and story lines you need to know 61:40 - Ryan unveils his surprise Final Four pick(s) - and Brant learns the difference between Billikens and Slender Man 66:45 - Brant and Ryan have a special March Madness edition of the #OddBet and Thom gives us way more information that we could have ever imagined about North Carolina Central. Now we're rooting NCC. Links you need: James: American Gaming Associations says $8.4 billion we be bet on NCAA Tourney Cummings: How and where to watch the NCC Tournament Cunningham: Biggest Tourney Spread Upsets Since 2000 Come see us ... ... at our new Bookies.com page. ... on Instagram. ... on Twitter. Additional musicians: Renee - shredder. Thank you, Spain.
Iconic oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro spins tales, offers insights and tells us why he left Las Vegas after decades of helping build the place. Coming home to Pittsburgh had much to do with it. Vaccaro (@JimmyVaccaro), now at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, tells us why he was the only oddsmaker to put a line on the Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight, and how he ended up on The Simpsons. It’s a first-ballot Hall of Fame interview that will be worth your time. Trey Killian of Bookies.com joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to break down the NCAA men’s conference basketball tournaments that really matter and ponder why any beer poured near Madison Square Garden must cost $12. And the podcast crew takes credit for Josef Newgarden winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IndyCar race. Jimmy Vaccaro Time Stamps: 14:59 – On coming home to Rivers Casino Pittsburgh: “I knew if I didn’t try it, I would never do it again. …. I didn’t want to come here with nothing to do. I’m 73 and I feel good and hopefully I can help them.” 19:35 – On old school oddsmakers becoming ever-valuable as sports betting expands: “I think it’s a good feeling …. part of this success, if people deem it success, what I've done, is you learn as you grow …. There’s personal side of me, I’ve been waiting a long time for this. … I am glad I am still a part of it.” 22:45 - On staying viable: “Like any other business in the world, you must keep reinventing yourself.” 29:32 - How and where were you when you knew you could do this? (There's a '56 Chevy story) “I always had a feel for it. … I did this all with just me and growing up in a place on the East Coast … Everything was going good and everybody had a little bit of money …. I was around that and I knew what it meant. …. I like things before they kicked off …. I never had a job until I moved to Las Vegas. That doesn’t mean I knew what I was doing.” 33:00 - Glory days. 35:48 – On putting odds on what was supposed to be another Mike Tyson massacre: “I never even knew Buster Douglas …. All I knew was, he’s fighting [Tyson], so let’s put odds on him. So I put up 27-1. Went to 42-1 ….. We got all the publicity and we ended up with about $400,000 off it. Not a bad night.” 38:29 - On appearing on The Simpsons. @bookies @brantjames @Bets_Ryan
Brant James returns from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference feeling inspired about data but more insecure about his ability to do math. A few quality minutes with journalist/statistician Nate Silver (@NateSilver528) makes it much better. (9:04) NFL chief operating officer Maryann Turcke calls legal sports betting the "next level of engagement" for America's most popular sport. (24:00) Former IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden (@josefnewgarden) believes legal sports betting could benefit his series, which is good, because series chairman Mark Miles is already embracing potential sports betting future in Indiana. (28:20) Ryan Butler has hot takes on the Lakers and Blackhawks and another conspiracy, this time about LeBron James and Zion Williamson. Brant wins the odd bet. Fun link: Houston Rockets GM on how he would apply his ground-breaking philosophies to soccer.
It was such a great idea. Blue Jays (as in Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.) and Boston Red Sox in spring training. Ask some players about betting on stuff. Watch some batting practice. And then it rained. But baseball is timeless and so is baseball banter, this time with plenty of legal sports betting angles. In the big interview of the week, it's John Levy of theScore on becoming a sports betting purveyor in New Jersey, not just a source of news on your favorite teams. Links you need: TheScore wants to become a sportsbook. MLB wants no betting on spring training games.
You can bet legally on the Oscars in New Jersey and dream about it elsewhere this cinema season, so Brant James and Ryan Butler defer their dreams of OBP if IMDb. Jeff Smith knows more about movies than anyone should and theorizes on the future of a movies betting market of the future (11:00). Legendary Vegas oddsmaker Johnny Avello's "for entertainment purposes only" odds are not open for business (52:00). And he watched Roma twice (56:00) to make sure he really doesn't like it. Professor Jeff Smith (6:30) begins; on Roma (28:00). The guys make their picks (35:00).
Brant James and Ryan Butler fire the engines on the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season, with Gambling.com contributor and SiriusXM's Pete Pistone running down a myriad of offseason changes and how they could affect the betting public. Brant reports from Daytona 500 media day, featuring mini-views with seven-time series champion and admittedly poor sports bettor Jimmie Johnson, Las Vegas natives and gambling advocates Kurt Busch and Brendan Gaughan. Chase Elliott (41:36) Kurt Busch (42:28) Jimmie Johnson (43:37) Brendan Gaughan (54:15) Martin Truex Jr. (58:26) Brad Keselowski (58:39) Want more #NASCAR content? Yes. And 'yes.' Cool engine sound used with permission, courtest #RevHeadz photo courtesy @jeff_gluck And welcome to the download family, Cyprus and Mexico!
Randy Lee, winner of the controversial inaugural DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to discuss his win and how many buffalo $1.1 million can buy. Part 2 with Gambling.com Group Plc founder and CEO Charles Gillespie and the last shards of Super Bowl LIII. A lively debate on getting late-game calls right, for the sake of the game and the health of the wagering public. And Ryan is confronted with the Scotland-Ireland 3-way.
Veteran National Football League journalist and Gambling.com contributor Adam Caplan and DraftKings' Johnny Avello, a legendary Vegas oddsmaker, join Brant James and Ryan Butler to hash out a Super Bowl that feels a lot like a sixth Patriots party. Fresh from the @badderbeats BREAKING NEWS! Room, updates on whether our listeners in DC and New York will be betting legally on the Super Bowl by this time next year, and how much Americans are expected to pile into Patriots-Rams bets. The Gatorade flavor of the week is Riptide Rush, and we see you South Africa. Check out the Gambling.com digest page. @brantjames @caplannfl @NFL
Ryan Butler and Brant James sort through the death spasms of the National Football League season as pirates prepare to come ashore on Gasparilla weekend. The big interview of the week features Gambling.com Group PLC founder and CEO Charles Gillespie on the current and future state of legal sports betting in the United States. He has knowledge. @charlesgillespi @brantjames @bets_ryan https://www.gambling.com/ https://bookies.com/
SugarHouse Online Casino & Sportsbook analyst David Tuchman joins Brant James and Ryan Butler to hash out the NFL Divisional Round and look ahead to the conference finals, specifically the weird routes these four obvious teams took. Oh, and Brant wears socks with grizzly bears on them. @brantjames @bets_ryan @TuckOnSports @gambling @bookies
At the end of a work junket - no, seriously - to New Orleans, @brantjames and Ryan Butler land at DraftKings at Scarlet Pearl Sportsbook to conclude a weekend of National Football League Wildcard merriment. Topics within: NFL playoffs, Clemson and the Trevor Lawrence mania machine, a sitdown with Scarlet Pearl sportsbook director Nico Sfanos and some deep-diving analysis on Divisional weekend with our new friend, Golden Boy. Good kind of friend to have. @GBSportsPicks @DKSportsbook @ScarletPearl_MS @gambling @bookies @badderbeats
In the Ocho, Brant James and Ryan Butler mull the remnants of the college football season and set up the National Championship. Brant calls the Clemson secondary the worst unit in the game. And NFL expert Adam Caplan dispenses a fire hydrant of knowledge on the National Football League playoffs. @brantjames @bets_ryan @caplannfl
Brant James and Ryan Butler prune the leaves of what was the sprouting legal sports betting industry in the United States this year to bring you the most important, sublime, and baddest persons and moments of 2018. Or at least in the history of this podcast. And David Caraviello of Bookies.com to discuss the college football playoffs.
Brant James and Ryan Butler sift through the ashes of the National Football League's artistocracy, college bowl season remains spectacular, and TWO special interviews: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman on life in the National Hockey League and eSports arena, and SugarHouse Online Casino analyst David Tuchman offers some informed opinions. https://www.gambling.com/news/slips-saints-now-safest-super-bowl-pick-in-unsafe-nfl-1720700 https://bookies.com/tips-and-picks/2018-bowl-betting-guide-picks-and-insights-for-every-game @brantjames @bets_ryan @TuckonSports
@brantjames and Ryan Butler distill all 712 college bowl games into one potent shot of football knowledge, helped immensely by interview guest Ryan McGee, long-time ESPN writer and Marty and McGee Show co-host. Is a national dislike of Notre Dame clouding our judgment on if it can KO Clemson? Also, are the Bears elite now? Are the Chiefs, Saints and Rams not so elite anymore? Necessary reading: @Dcaraviello on how to bet the bowls. https://bookies.com/news https://www.gambling.com/news https://www.gambling.com/us/online-betting/strategy
Brant James and Ryan Butler on whether the College Football Playoff committee got it right (they disagree), the tire fire that is the NFC East (they agree) and the glory of Army-Navy. Special guest interview with Pat Mayo (@ThePTE) of DraftKings on how your fantasy league team is going to do and how to deal with the guy in the office who drafted Le'Veon Bell. Oh, and how Josh Allen might win you a title.
Ryan and Brant discuss Ryan's utter ineptitude from the previous week, the living legacy of the Butt Fumble and the reappearance of Mark Sanchez. Oh, and there's a little matchplay on Friday where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson could change everything. With special interview from ESPN.com's Bob Harig.
In Episode 2, Brant humors Ryan as he rants about his fantasy league team, they dig further into the phenomenon of running backs not caring about the bettors and the point spread - that means you Nick Brossette - and opine on who will rule Westeros after Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Also, Ryan seems hurt he didn't know Brant's friend owns a bowling alley.
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