It’s legal in Illinois. The Cardinals and Blues are pushing to have it authorized in Missouri. The parent company of Bally Sports Midwest, which televises games of those teams, has plans about going all-in on it.
That "it" is sports gambling, something that has blossomed from being merely whispered about on major television networks to now having odds and point spreads being openly discussed on game telecasts as well as sports-talk and sports-news shows.
There even are entire programs specifically tailored to the topic that legendary sportscasters such as Brent Musburger and Al Michaels used to make coded references to on the air.
Musburger would talk about how a play such as a touchdown or basket affected “my guys in the desert†(Las Vegas bookmakers). And Michaels would say things such as “now the game really is over†when a TD or field goal in a lopsided football game caused the score to exceed the over/under betting line (combined number of points scored in the contest).
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Recently joining the ever-growing cavalcade of sports-betting coverage is ºüÀêÊÓƵ radio station WGNU, which broadcasts on 920 AM and 104.5 FM. It is carrying nearly round-the-clock sports-betting talk from Vegas Stats & Information Network, which brands itself as “VSiN, The Sports Betting Network.â€
Las Vegas-based VSiN launched in 2017 with Musburger, now 82, as the face of the family business. He left ESPN early that year to concentrate his efforts with the company, for which he had his own show and now makes appearances on other programs. He also is the radio voice of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
VSiN is the brainchild of his nephew Brian Musburger, now the company’s chief executive officer. Brian’s wife, Michelle, handles the public relations and Brian’s dad — Brent’s brother — Todd Musburger is another creator of the business and is its general counsel.
Bill Adee, another founder, came from the Chicago Tribune’s digital arm and now is VSiN’s chief operating officer. He said WGNU is one of about 100 radio stations for which the company is providing content, and it also has an extensive digital presence as well as being on some regional sports television networks. ()
“We have smart sports-talk radio that’s based on how the (betting) money is coming in,†Adee said. “Talking about LeBron James or Michael Jordan being the better player? We’re not doing it. I think people are increasingly getting sick of that.â€
What people aren’t getting sick of is betting on sports, which has had a massive rise in revenue since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 struck down federal prohibitions that existed in most states other than Nevada. States now make their own call, and 29 (plus the District of Columbia) have it up and running. Several more are on deck.
An avalanche has occurred. According to the American Gaming Association, the total amount legally wagered in the U.S. in 2017 was $4.9 billion, when Nevada was the lone state with legal full-scale sports betting. That increased to $6.6 billion in 2018, when eight states were on board. Through September this year’s total was $35.1 billion, up 218% from the same 10-month period in 2020, the AGA says. The figures do not include tribal casinos/sportsbooks because they have different reporting regulations.
This monumental growth has been a huge boost for companies such as VSiN.
“Even being part of it here at VSiN, I am slightly surprised at the boom that has just taken off,†Brent Musburger recently told the Gaming Today publication. “For years, and I always said hypocritically, the National Football League took a very hard stance against gambling. But now that it’s legal, you can’t watch an NFL game without a reference to (it). I thought it might creep in a little bit and grow, but I was wrong. It exploded.â€
Added Adee: “We started with six hours of programming (per day) and now we’re around the clock most days,†he told the Post-Dispatch.
VSiN promotes its own services on the air, including subscriptions it sells for content geared toward serious sports bettors, appealing to what Adee said is “an older and affluent audience with disposable income.â€
Local line
Bill Moir, who has been in the business side of the radio trade in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and the surrounding area for many years, said he is leasing WGNU with the intention of buying it and is bullish on the betting business.
“We are molding WGNU to be the model for future affiliates,†Moir said.
And it is a burgeoning business. Last spring, sports-betting behemoth DraftKings bought VSiN for an undisclosed amount, citing in part an increased demand for such content. Since the summer of 2020, DraftKings has been operating the legal sportsbook in East ºüÀêÊÓƵ and part of that arrangement was for that facility to be rebranded as “DraftKings at Casino Queen.â€
That is one of three legal bookie operations in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ area. The others are at Argosy Casino in Alton and at FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing (formerly Fairmount Park) in Collinsville. There are more in the state, and the vast majority of bets are placed through mobile devices, not at the brick-and-mortar gambling houses.
There is momentum for sports betting to be approved in Missouri, with the Cards and Blues pushing to cash in on the wave — as WGNU is attempting to do.
The station has one local sports betting show, “The Winning Ticket,†which airs from 9-11 a.m. Saturdays.
“Locally, we can never top what VSiN does,†Moir said. “But we can have a daily live show eventually.â€
Staying independent
One of the fundamentals that professional sports bettors have is to have access to many different bookmakers as possible, as betting numbers can vary from operator to operator. This allows them to make their bet at the most favorable figure to them.
Despite now being owned by DraftKings, VSiN still discusses pointspreads and odds at competing operators.
“There has been a hands-off policy on our content,†Adee said. “We talk about everybody’s numbers, it’s important (for bettors) to be aware of what everybody’s numbers are. We need to be able to talk about any operator.â€
The bottom line
While sports betting can be fun and sometimes profitable, the lure of a quick buck snares some bettors. Look at it this way. Just like casinos, sportsbooks aren’t opening because they want to give you money. They are in business to take your money, no matter how attractive sign-up bonus offers and other incentives seem.
Betting is a new revenue stream for teams, networks and other entities — all based on gamblers losing money.
Brent Musburger had this perspective on the subject in the Gaming Today piece:
“I say this in every interview, especially to youngsters betting on games: ‘Be careful, OK?’ Those are very tough lines to beat over the long haul. There’s a handful of guys that probably cash six-figure chips, but there’s a lot more who lose along the way.
“I do it recreationally. I don’t for a moment think that I could make a living betting on sports. I would lose in the long haul, and I honestly believe that. But, as far as having fun with it, it makes you feel a part of the game. Recreationally, I’m all for it. But for those out there thinking they can make a living out of it, I would think twice about that.â€