The Bookworm Gambler’s Digest: The Odds

Get ready to be blown away by all that’s great – and all that’s bad – about gambling; Millman will guide you through what is means to be a pro. Take a deep, deep dive into the lives and souls of three men who have one common passion: to bet on sports in US. Chad Millman will take you on a ride that will make your head spin; it is a completely different type of book than what you’re used to. No talk of poker winners and typical card-game anecdotes. This book is all about sportsbetting and its ups and downs.

• Three stressed-out gamblers • Internet betting vs. casinos • Shady future of casino betting

Let’s set one thing straight: our three main characters are infinitely lonely types. Basically, they’re as isolated as I imagine a lone wolf can get. This, however, is not only a story of three gamblers. It is also a read that provides us with an extensive overview of everything connected to sports betting. Millman weaves his own knowledge of bets into the book and provides us with useful insight regarding the subject matter. His views on the subject help us really understand what and why each protagonist did and leaves us guessing of what we would have done if we were put in the same situation.

A basketball tournament in 2000 and oh so much more…

Millman shows us the gambling side of the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament. He takes us back to 2000 and takes an investigative walk around what happened at that time when it comes to sports betting. His thoroughness in the matter is shown in the fact that he doesn’t leave the legislative stone unturned, either: he talks about how Congress tried to pose a ban on internet betting in US and their attempt to ban betting on college sports. Millman also mentions the huge shift in betting knowledge thanks to the Internet. He has a point, if you really think about it: sports betting can easily be done via many Internet betting sites. With this, the need for Vegas casinos where people do some actual betting, has decreased considerably. What’s more, any and every kind of information on sports teams can be accessed with a mouse click. Statistics, news, player data are all at arms length, so people can effortlessly become semi-pros when it comes to betting. And, let’s face it: it is much more comfortable to bet in a couple of clicks than to visit an actual casino to do the bidding, isn’t it?

Three men, one sport and one passion to bet

Let’s talk a bit about the three gamblers that the book evolves around. The main point that the author communicates through them, is that the future will favour online sportsbooks in US over betting at casinos. One of the protagonists is a real casino “insider;” he works for a bookmaker at Stardust Casino and leads an incredibly straining life. Many of their clients use betting to launder money, which puts him into a dangerous position and makes his everyday life one big pile of stress. Our second main character is a young college drop out. He decided that he would work in the area that he loved best: sports betting. He became a bookmaker in Bloomington and had great success in running his business. But, following one’s dreams puts a large weight on one’s shoulders. Millman demonstrates his inner conflicts fantastically. The third man leads somewhat of a double life of horse and basketball betting. He spends his summers in New England and his winters in Las Vegas, with never ending excitement surrounding his life. Millman magnificently alternates between the three of them and the vast information pile he shared with us. A fantastic read.