1. Espn Betting Show

On Monday, ESPNannounced yet another entrant into the sports betting content pool: The Daily Wager.

In addition, ESPN’s flagship sports betting show, Daily Wager, will move to the new LINQ studio full time. The show will return to ESPN2 from this studio with host Doug Kezirian beginning on Sept. ESPN describes the show as uncovering the more interesting side of the sports betting world. “At ESPN+, we have the freedom to experiment and find new ways to tell entertaining stories, and Bettor Days is the latest example,” said Brian Lockhart, vice president and executive producer, Original Content, ESPN+. ESPN announced Friday that it will launch a daily gambling-related show later this month. Titled “Daily Wager,” the one-hour show will air weekdays on ESPNEWS at 6 PM ET. ESPN SportsCenter anchor and gambling analyst Doug Kezirian will host, joined by a number of contributors, including “Stanford” Steve Coughlin from SportsCenter with. ESPN has a sports betting-focused partnership with Caesars Entertainment, and CBS Sports has partnered with sportsbook operator William Hill U.S. All stakeholders will be playing close attention to.

The one-hour program will start airing Monday, March 11, on ESPNEWS at 6 pm EST (It will also be available via live stream on the ESPN app.). The show aims to educate mainstream sports fans about sports betting and provide a deeper dive of analysis for hardcore fans.

This isn’t surprising at all, as we wrote about the likely expansion of sports betting programming last year.

A quote in the release from Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president and executive editor of studio production, was pretty telling of where ESPN — and the media, in general — when it comes to gambling:

“The sports betting environment has changed and interest is increasing at unprecedented levels. ESPN is going to have a strong and vibrant presence across our platforms, and the launch of the Daily Wager is the next step in what has already been underway for some time.”

In short, sports betting content is like what poker programming or adding a “the” in front of your band name was in the early 2000s: Money in the bank.

Sports betting shows on TV

With the Daily Wager launching next Monday, here’s a look at shows on traditional cable/TV:

• ESPNEWS: The Daily Wager, 6 pm EST, Mondays-Fridays
• ESPN: Bad Beats, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt
• FS1: Lock It In, 4:30 pm EST, Mondays-Fridays
• TVG/FanDuel: The Barstool Sports Advisors, Sundays during NFL season
• TVG/FanDuel: More Ways to Win, Sundays during NFL season

We are only scratching the surface of gambling-related TV content. Expect a slew of new programming by the start of 2019 NFL season.

Sports betting shows on streaming services

Streaming services online, or OTT devices, are a natural fit for gambling content. You can make quick-hitting, digestible and shareable content for a relatively low cost.

Some notable streaming shows include:

• ESPN Plus: I’ll Take That Bet
• CBS Sports HQ: SportsLine Edge
• NBC Sports: Quick Hitters on its NBCSports.com’s bet page
• VSiN: My Guys in the Desert

Sports betting shows on the radio

If there’s a growth area or corner for someone to claim with sports betting content, it’s through the radio. We expect more programs to pop up by the start of the NFL season. It’s cheap content, convertible to podcasts, with the potential for audience interaction and deploying proven call-to-action campaigns.

• CBS Sports Radio: Farrell on the Bench
• SiriusXM: VSiN’s My Guys in the Desert & Follow the Money

Sports betting podcasts

A rise in radio programming will drive increased demand (and downloads) with podcasts. Also, see above.

• The Ringer: Against All Odds
• ESPN: Behind the Bets with Doug Kezirian
• Stanford Steve and The Bear
• Bet the Board
• Beating the Book
• Bet the Process

Pay-per-view events

We covered this one after the Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson pay-per-view betting event, The Match, but it’s worth reiterating: This is the future of sports betting content.

The ability to integrate gambling content on specialty, high-profile events, as well as engage audience interaction, make these a future 800-pound sports betting gorilla.

While there’s not anything significant on the docket, watch for sports betting information become more prominent in existing pay-per-view broadcasts, like the UFC.

Is there enough of a market to support this much content?

That’s the million-dollar question.

Right now, you’ve got around 31 states in various legislative stages, with 120 bills in play. We boldly predicted that nine states will pass sports betting legislation by the end of 2019. That’s barely scratching the surface of the total market, especially considering California and Texas are not among those nine.

However, the burgeoning opportunity is enormous.

At a micro level, an Eilers & Krafcik Gaming report estimates that if all 50 states had legal sports betting (online and brick and mortar), March Madness would generate total handle of about $15.2 billion and gross gaming revenue (GGR) of approximately $1.2 billion.

That’s just one (albeit massive) gambling event. Factor in the Super Bowl, Champions League, World Series, and more and you’re looking at a waterfall of money to pump into programming.

We expect programming to grow as more states come on board that can support underwriting the content. It’s the same model as the online-poker-boom years, except with larger GGR and no legislative ambiguity.

• ESPN launches a new show called “Bettor Days” hosted by legendary analyst Mike Greenberg.
• The series discusses crazy sports betting and gambling stories from real live bettors.
• The show will air exclusively on ESPN+ once a week for the remainder of September.

LAS VEGAS – Mike Greenberg hosts the new “Bettor Days” series on ESPN+ that covers the wildest gambling and sports betting stories in recent memory.

The legendary analyst and sports personality brings his charm and interviewing skills to the forefront as viewers are introduced to some of the craziest sports betting events out there.

The series will run once a week for the entirety of September exclusively on ESPN+. Greeny will interview several sports betting fans and bring their stories to life throughout the month.

Bettor Days Sports Betting Show

BETTOR DAYS available now on ESPN+! pic.twitter.com/qy7FsElKwa

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) September 3, 2020

The new legal sports betting series focuses mainly on the wild stories of fans during sporting events. ESPN describes the show as uncovering the more interesting side of the sports betting world.

“At ESPN+, we have the freedom to experiment and find new ways to tell entertaining stories, and Bettor Days is the latest example,” saidBrian Lockhart, vice president and executive producer, Original Content, ESPN+. “Greeny is a natural when it comes to uncovering the most interesting, funny elements in a story, and the reenactments are a perfect complement to his interviews.”

The show’s structure is as follows. Greeny sits with a sports bettor and interviews them about a particular event.

Then as the interviewee begins telling the story, a reenacting dramatization with paid actors will appear on the screen, acting out the events as they are being narrated in the first person. Greeny shines as a host and is able to steer the conversations in an entertaining manner.

In the first episode that is currently live at ESPN+, fans are introduced to Steven Friedlander, an ophthalmologist who managed to win a long-shot wager on the Kentucky Derby, but his payout wasn’t exactly what he expected.

When explaining the show, Greenberg expresses bringing the craziness of sports betting wins and losses to the screen for entertainment.

“The idea is that we tell, through first-person narration, some of the craziest gambling stories in recent memory. saidGreenberg. “Crazy wins, crazy losses — told by people who suffered all kinds of consequences. And then we do these beautiful dramatizations that give the stories a sense of drama.”

ESPN+ members can log on now and watch the first episode. All-new episodes will air every Thursday in September.

News tags: Bettor Days Brian Lockhart ESPN Joel Edwards Mike Greenberg sports betting

Espn Betting Show

Coming from a background in narrative-based writing, Giovanni strives to write stories that will keep the reader engaged. Although he does pride himself in being accurate, how the story is told is also very important to him. When he’s not keeping readers up to date on sports betting laws and legislation, you can find him writing and recording music, playing videogames, or engaged in heated sports debates with his friends.