My Personal Commitment to the Sports Betting Industry - by RJ Bell
Las Vegas’ effort to enter the upper echelon of American cities has always been met with resistance. Held back by its hint of the taboo. The NHL coming to town is a significant breakthrough. Vegas odds and sports bettors have been the focus of my career. An industry that’s grown big enough to be the target of a recent hit piece by the blog Deadspin. The contemptuous smearing of this Vegas industry brought to the forefront a dire challenge that we face.
Many don’t trust the mainstream media. And some believe Deadspin long ago compromised itself beyond redemption. And since their bankruptcy, the site reads more like tweets from a journalism school kegger. This hit piece’s intent to mislead was so obvious that few were fooled. Anonymous quotes and sinister innuendo are no replacement for facts. The thousands in the Pregame.com community know the truth through their own experience – and the support from so many savvy media members I’ve worked with over the years was truly heartening.
Still, it feels wrong to sit back and let anybody be misled about what the Pregame team has spent so long building. The lies were extreme enough for attorney Charles Harder (Hulk Hogan’s lead counsel against Gawker) to take Pregame’s case. Mr. Harder sent Deadspin a 9-Page Legal Demand Letter. This isn’t about money for us. We are insisting upon a full retraction.
Beyond the libel, defamation, and other legal violations, there were 28 additional Deadspin deceptions – requiring 12 more written pages to detail their rampant dishonesty. Both of these documents have received wide coverage. No reasonable person could be aware of all the facts and believe their disingenuous story.
I have no problem with genuine disagreement, and I serenely accept that Pregame.com is not for everybody. Our focus on improving the odds for casual sports bettors, instead of catering to professionals, frustrates some of the hardcore niche. Yet, bigger than any such debate, bigger than any individual or company, is a fundamental defect in the system that first needs corrected. This isn’t life or death, but it is important. Millions of good people bet on sports. Even more are interested in Vegas odds. They are owed the respect of not being lied about. They are owed the respect of not being lied to.
Media outlets that tend to sensationalize also tend to take shortcuts with industries they prejudge to be shady – figuring that being fair doesn’t matter when taking down a bad guy. When Deadspin labeled me “America’s Favorite Sports Betting Expert” – the first half of the phrase meant to them that I was big enough to lie about; the second half meant I probably deserved it.
But this is so much bigger than just me. If the uninformed media automatically, without discernment, smears every popular Vegas Guy - then it becomes much more difficult for public to determine the good ones from the bad ones.
Over the years, I’ve been best able to advocate for Vegas by getting odds and handicapper content out into the mainstream. But now I see that it’s equally important for this fundamental defect in the system to be fought. Demanding the truth from Deadspin is my first step. Setting the standard for Pregame so high that the next hit piece is even less believable will be a key part of my focus. We must show with bold actions why the old Vegas clichés no longer apply. Not just me and Pregame – but anybody who wants to be a part of this industry moving forward into the mainstream.
Pondering our challenge, I drafted the 7 facts that make Pregame different. Included are three brand new difference-making initiatives. And we are all extremely excited about the biggest announcement in company history coming by early August.
The mainstream media must accept that any stigma around sports betting is gone – and unfair treatment is no longer ok. We will be held back until this is accomplished. The good guys must work together till then. Vegas has come a long way. Many of you reading this deserve credit and thanks for that. This is my personal commitment to contribute all I can to the next step.