Betting Matters

Ball and Chain host Mark Thomas is joined by Alex B. Smith (not the football player) to chat about how Alex went from playing in a hard rock band to betting on sports and writing about sports betting for publications like Covers and WagerTalk. Alex is a particularly avid NHL bettor and handicapper, and he gives his advice for how to get started and what to look for when it comes to betting on hockey.

Mark is joined by Garrett Schwartz, the Head of Strategy & Analytics at Gaming Society. Gaming Society is helping educate sports bettors through unique classes and educational materials, along with bringing more awareness towards women's sports and betting on women's sports. They also discuss how former professional athletes are getting involved with sports betting companies (Kevin Garnett is a co-founder of Gaming Society). Mark and Garrett also touch on the forward-thinking nature of FOX Sports, and what they expect in terms of in-gaming betting becoming part of future television broadcasts.

Mark is joined by Joe D'Amico, who owns and operates All American Sports in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joe is a third generation race and sports personality, and a resident of Las Vegas for 31 years, in which he has been in and around sports on a daily basis by working and managing several Las Vegas Sports books and several Sports Information Services. Joe talks with Mark about all things sports betting, including what it's like to live in Vegas, bet on sports professionally, and run a betting information services business. And of course, Joe gives some of his picks for this week's NFL games and the Superbowl!

Mark is joined by high-energy Carlos Duque, a Corporate & Litigation attorney within the Esports, Daily Fantasy Sports, and Cannabis industries at the law firm Bailey & Glasser. They kick things off about how to stay happy and productive during uncertain times (hint: it's about where you're living).

Next, they talk about all of the legal challenges that startups face, especially within vice tech, and how to best handle them. Carlos also talks about common misconceptions of life as an attorney, and how to best navigate the attorney / client relationship. Grab a cup of coffee, bring your energy, and join us a for a fun chat!

Mark is joined by Robert Kraft (not that Robert Kraft) from Atlas World Sports. Robert is also originally from Wisconsin and both he and Mark revel in the current golden age of all Wisconsin sports teams being good at the same time.

Next, they dive into more about Robert's recent launch of Atlas World Sports, which gives you access to your favorite sports, teams, players, and online sportsbooks from the comfort of your phone. Finally, they discuss the role of Atlas in the affiliate marketing world of sports betting, and wrap up by talking about the obsession that tech entrepreneurs need to have when building product.

Mark is joined by Britt Sanders, who has done everything and anything related to Fantasy Sports, including hosting multiple podcasts and content resources. Britt starts off with what "Dynasty" Fantasy Sports is and how it compares to Season Fantasy Sports and Daily Fantasy Sports. He then gives tips for how to break into playing Fantasy Sports if it's your first time. Lastly, Mark and Britt talk about careers in tech and sports.

Mark is joined by David Woodley, the Chief Content Officer & Chief Revenue Officer from Playmaker, which is a sports media, events, and merchandise company with over 12 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat & Facebook.

David is a passionate Minnesota sports fan, so Mark and David kick things off by talking Wisconsin vs Minnesota sports before David dives into how Playmaker helps sports brands reach younger audiences through its content and influencer platform. They conclude with some potential rule changes to make baseball more popular, and what the future of sports betting and content products look like.

Steve Walsh has angel invested in over 50 startups the past two years, mostly via syndicates (including being a 3x investor in ZenSports). He joins Mark to talk about how angel investing via syndicates work, what he looks for in a startup before investing, and what startup founders do that turn him off. A must listen episode for anyone looking to get into startup angel investing or who is pitching angel investors!

Mark is joined by Dan Hannigan-Daley, formerly of DraftKings and now the CEO of Sports Info Solutions. Dan talks about how DraftKings prepared for the repeal of PASPA and quickly moved to launch its sports book product in 2018.

They discuss the US vs international sports betting market, and Sports Info Solutions' unique take on providing data to sports betting operators, sports leagues, and teams. Oh, and robo umps in baseball!

Ball and Chain podcast host Mark Thomas kicks off the latest episode with Jess Udy by walking through the journey leading up to watching game 6 of the NBA Finals in person, and what this NBA title means to him as a Bucks fan for the past 33 years.

Mark and Jess also compare the luck factor in the NBA playoffs to the other pro sports. Mark talks about why he's not a fan of the Olympics. And of course, we've got some NFL talk now that Rodgers is for sure coming back to the Packers. Woohoo Bucks!