Every week, Gamble On listeners hear Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth’s voice utter the words, “Gamble on, fellas, gamble on,” and they know it’s time for another audio infusion of gambling news, views, interviews, and bankroll blues.
Here’s a taste of what Episode 267 of the leading industry podcast from our friends at US Bets, hosted by Eric Raskin and Jeff Edelstein, had to offer …
Dorson: ‘California is a huge puzzle’ 4c441
Interview guest Jill R. Dorson, whose byline you see several times a week right here on Sports Handle, stopped by for a conversation that Raskin dubbed “the exact opposite of a six-hour Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting.”
Edelstein asked Dorson a pair of carefully crafted questions: “What the f**k, Florida?” and “What the f**k, California?” Regarding Florida, where the Seminole Tribe an urgent request from the tribe’s legal opponents to shutter the site, Dorson said:
“I feel like all you’re doing by launching and then risking the possibility of being taken down is pushing people to the black market, which is exactly the opposite of what every other operator, legislator, and regulator out there wants.”
As for California, where a group called Eagle 1 Acquisition Co. has put forth a pair of initiative proposals and received immediate pushback from some of the state’s tribal leaders, Dorson explained:
“The latest initiative proposals that have been filed are from somebody that has a relationship or had a relationship with at least one of the tribes here, but it’s been a long time since they’ve worked together. It came as a surprise to the tribes. The initial statement from James Siva of the California Indian Nations Gaming Association was like a slap on the hand, you know, ‘Don’t tell us what to do, come to us, talk to us.’ But there was also a ‘dear tribal leaders’ letter that laid out what this would look like and why this person thinks it can work. And the latest now from the tribes is, hmm, maybe we’ll listen.”
So where do California sports betting hopes go from here? “Figuring out California is a huge puzzle,” Dorson said. “My guess is it’s going to take a while. We’re probably three to five years out — unless this latest proposal somehow strikes the fancy of the tribes and they feel like they’re going to get everything they want. But I do see a world where it doesn’t ever really happen because [the tribes are] comfortable with what they have.”
Is California ready to legalize sports betting? Jill Dorson details the divide between what the operators want and what the tribes want on the latest episode of the Gamble On podcast: https://t.co/raYChzLtRO pic.twitter.com/6nktvlNXoO
— US Bets (@US_Bets) November 10, 2023
News segment nuggets 3r2z3v
- Edelstein offered his own take on the surprise of Hard Rock Bet relaunching: “I’m an idiot for being surprised by anything that happens related to sports betting in Florida.” This led to the hosts wondering where and when the whole “Florida man” reputation began, and the internet appears to have the answer.
- The industry is betting app launches that have come before. “This feels like it’s going to be the most mainstream and most in-everyone’s-living-room that sports betting has been to this point,” Raskin said.
- New York Mets owner Steve Cohen shared details Tuesday of his plans for a possible Queens casino called Metropolitan Park, but lifelong Mets fan Edelstein isn’t rooting for Cohen to win this time. “If I’m rooting, I’m rooting for a Times Square casino,” Edelstein said. “It’s just a wasted opportunity — when’s the next time you’re giving out licenses? — to not put one in Manhattan specifically.”
Bankroll bets and parting thoughts 4u1m3a
The online streets are teeming with sharp bettors sharing advice that just may help people beat the books. Raskin and Edelstein are also online and like to place wagers.
This week’s notable bankroll bets (odds as of Thursday morning):
- 3-leg anytime touchdown scorer parlay: D’onte Foreman (already cashed on Thursday night!), Dalton Schultz, and Taysom Hill, +1873 at Caesars
- 6-point teaser: Bengals -0.5, Bills -1.5, Packers +9, +160 at DraftKings
- Chris Paul, NBA 6th Man of the Year, +1400 at DraftKings
Raskin’s Bagels & Locks “lock” of the week (5-2 on the season so far): Bengals-Texans, under 47.5
Edelstein’s Bagels & Locks “lock” of the week (5-2 on the season so far): Titans-Buccaneers, over 38.5
Edelstein ends every episode with parting thoughts, and this week, he focused on responsible gambling:
“The idea that there’s some kind of one-size-fits-all — or even like a 12-size-fits-all — approach to responsible gambling is ridiculous. Everyone has their own internal definition. Everyone knows what’s responsible to them and what’s not. Not to compare apples to oranges here, but I have a standard drip coffee machine in my kitchen and it probably costs me a few dimes per cup of coffee. To me, spending $8 a day at Starbucks would be irresponsible coffee drinking. To others, it’s just the cost of doing business. … I think it has to start with, we each have to be responsible to ourselves.”
