Legalized sports betting has received a lot of attention from minor and mainstream media outlets since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in May of last year. That trend continues as now Showtime announced on Tuesday it will be airing a series dubbed Action.
Scheduled to air smack dab in the middle of March Madness’ opening weekend, Action will premier Sunday, March 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The four-part series chronicles the lives of professional gamblers, bookies and oddsmakers throughout the 2018 NFL season, culminating on Super Bowl Sunday – the biggest sports gambling day of the year in the United States.
“The world of sports gambling has fascinated Hollywood for decades, but never before has a documentary captured the essence of the industry at such a pivotal period,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Through the lens of industry professionals and real-life gamblers within every virtual layer of the business – both legal and illegal – Action delivers a one-of-a-kind look as sports gambling enters a brave new world.”
Big names talk sports betting:
The docuseries will feature some big names from the sports betting industry and beyond. Scheduled to appear in Action are professional gambler Bill Krackomberger, sports handicappers Kelly Stewart and Dave “Vegas Dave” Oancea, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, legendary bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, sports broadcasting icon Brent Musburger, now of the Vegas Sports and Informtion Network (VSiN), and co-host of FS1’s ‘Lock it In,’ Cousin Sal.
But as far as chronicling the sports betting industry, the short teaser trailer does not tell us how this diversity of figures within the sports betting ecosystem will be presented.
On one hand, there are respected sports betting figures in the docuseries like Krackomberger, Vaccaro and Musburger. On the other hand, based on the trailer, Action also appears to spend a lot of time focusing on a dark underbelly of the sports betting industry: Touts. Vegas Dave and Dave Cokin (also seen in the trailer) sell picks for money. Some handicappers are reputable, honest and trusted. Others are not. However they’re portrayed, this series will serve as a tremendous marketing tool through which they can sell more picks. It’s an unregulated industry and there has been talk of changing that since more and more states have legalized sports betting.
Late in 2018, a new bill was introduced in Nevada to regulate the sports handicapping industry. Senate Bill 46 would require that tout services register with the state through the Nevada Gaming Commission. However, the Nevada Gaming Control Board opposes the bill, believing regulating businesses that only provide information on sports betting might be a slippery slope.
What will Action focus on?
Hopefully the series will focus more on the sports betting industry than the touts. One initial concern is where are the most respected Las Vegas oddsmakers such as Chris Andrews of the South Point and Jay Kornegay of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook? They run two of the most popular sportsbooks in Las Vegas where sharps spend a lot of time and money and we hope to see them in there, too. Perhaps they declined the opportunity (RotoGrinders has reached out for comment). Their insight on sports betting in Las Vegas would be invaluable to viewers. They are much more respected in the industry than someone like Vegas Dave who, well, isn’t. Perhaps Showtime will shirk the rest in favor of glitz and glamour.
We’ll have to see how it plays out but it would be beneficial to those watching if Action spends more time talking with informative industry leaders than touts that give sports betting a bad name. Don’t bet on it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/rotogrinders.com/sports-betting/showtime-action-sports-betting-series
Scheduled to air smack dab in the middle of March Madness’ opening weekend, Action will premier Sunday, March 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The four-part series chronicles the lives of professional gamblers, bookies and oddsmakers throughout the 2018 NFL season, culminating on Super Bowl Sunday – the biggest sports gambling day of the year in the United States.
“The world of sports gambling has fascinated Hollywood for decades, but never before has a documentary captured the essence of the industry at such a pivotal period,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Through the lens of industry professionals and real-life gamblers within every virtual layer of the business – both legal and illegal – Action delivers a one-of-a-kind look as sports gambling enters a brave new world.”
Big names talk sports betting:
The docuseries will feature some big names from the sports betting industry and beyond. Scheduled to appear in Action are professional gambler Bill Krackomberger, sports handicappers Kelly Stewart and Dave “Vegas Dave” Oancea, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, legendary bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, sports broadcasting icon Brent Musburger, now of the Vegas Sports and Informtion Network (VSiN), and co-host of FS1’s ‘Lock it In,’ Cousin Sal.
But as far as chronicling the sports betting industry, the short teaser trailer does not tell us how this diversity of figures within the sports betting ecosystem will be presented.
On one hand, there are respected sports betting figures in the docuseries like Krackomberger, Vaccaro and Musburger. On the other hand, based on the trailer, Action also appears to spend a lot of time focusing on a dark underbelly of the sports betting industry: Touts. Vegas Dave and Dave Cokin (also seen in the trailer) sell picks for money. Some handicappers are reputable, honest and trusted. Others are not. However they’re portrayed, this series will serve as a tremendous marketing tool through which they can sell more picks. It’s an unregulated industry and there has been talk of changing that since more and more states have legalized sports betting.
Late in 2018, a new bill was introduced in Nevada to regulate the sports handicapping industry. Senate Bill 46 would require that tout services register with the state through the Nevada Gaming Commission. However, the Nevada Gaming Control Board opposes the bill, believing regulating businesses that only provide information on sports betting might be a slippery slope.
What will Action focus on?
Hopefully the series will focus more on the sports betting industry than the touts. One initial concern is where are the most respected Las Vegas oddsmakers such as Chris Andrews of the South Point and Jay Kornegay of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook? They run two of the most popular sportsbooks in Las Vegas where sharps spend a lot of time and money and we hope to see them in there, too. Perhaps they declined the opportunity (RotoGrinders has reached out for comment). Their insight on sports betting in Las Vegas would be invaluable to viewers. They are much more respected in the industry than someone like Vegas Dave who, well, isn’t. Perhaps Showtime will shirk the rest in favor of glitz and glamour.
We’ll have to see how it plays out but it would be beneficial to those watching if Action spends more time talking with informative industry leaders than touts that give sports betting a bad name. Don’t bet on it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/rotogrinders.com/sports-betting/showtime-action-sports-betting-series