Aug.29.16. Sports betting contest gets rolling
Last Friday August 26, I paid a visit to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to witness the kickoff of their SuperContest weekend. This annual pro football handicapping contest, to my understanding, started in the late eighties and has persisted over the years under various names, formats and management. Essentially, contestants compete for prize money by coming up with the best winning picks percentage against the point spread during the regular season. What caught my attention was the dramatic growth in participants over the last five years, proof positive that sports betting is gaining momentum and mainstream followers.
Walking around, I had a chance to interview Jay Kornegay (Westgate’s SuperBook Director and SuperContest organizer), plus a handful of new and returning players for their impressions on this year’s contest. I also ran into Steve Prentky, a former contest winner whom we’ve interviewed for the documentary back in August 2015, as he officially enters the SuperContest this year. Finally, I was able to get some pointed observations from two veteran handicappers, Joe D’Amico and Tony George, about the event and sports betting trends in general. Truly, it was a worthwhile trip and an eventful feature for our documentary.
Jul.20.16. Horse racing at Del Mar
Long before sports betting drew national interest with the growth in popularity of the professional sports leagues, people had for decades eagerly flocked to race tracks across the country to lay their bets on horse races. This national pastime has played a pivotal
Sep. 22.14. Mob Museum
I visited the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas to take notes on the history of mob activities in Las Vegas, including their foray into sports gambling. I took note of the tons of photos and displays inside the museum
Nov.19.16. Joe D’Amico’s Football Forecast radio show
Yesterday, I made my way to the Las Vegas site of CBS Sports Radio (1140 AM) to film one of our documentary’s featured handicappers, Joe D’Amico as he recorded his weekly radio show. The program airs each Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
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