Professional sports bettor Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos and industry icon Billy Walters have teamed to form American Bettors’ Voice, an organization designed to give sports bettors a voice in the industry.
A Seat at the Table
American Bettors’ Voice (ABV) is a non-profit organization formed by two well-respected sports bettors who are endeavoring to give the average bettor a seat at a table that is normally reserved for sportsbooks, regulators, and just about everyone else who benefits from the sports bettors who fund them.
“Bettors need a voice, and we intend for these voices to be heard,” Kyrollos said in a prepared statement.
Billy Walters, one of the pioneers of sports betting syndicates that would routinely cause bookmakers to move lines nationwide with their enormous influence and betting power, created the Computer Group in the 1980s. Those who have been in and around the sports betting industry understand the sway he once held and the gravitas his opinion holds within the gaming realm.
“At this stage in my life, I am eager to give back to an activity that has given me so much,” Walters said. “Bettors deserve to be treated fairly, and we at American Bettors‘ Voice are unwavering in our commitment to this cause.”
Richard Schuetz, a former gaming industry executive and regulator who was president and CEO of the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, sat on the California Gambling Control Commission, and was the executive director of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission, has also joined forces with Kyrollos and Walters.
What’s the Problem?
There is no need for a fix if there is no problem. However, more and more sports bettors have been the victim of getting their betting limits arbitrarily cut or banned outright from many of the major online sportsbooks operating in the United States. A whisper has now reached a dull roar and regulators, as well as lawmakers, are beginning to take notice.
So much so that the National Council of Legislators From Gaming States (NCLGS) invited Walters, Kyrollos, and Schuetz to its summer meeting last week to get a bettor’s point of view on the state of the industry. Shawn Fluharty, NCLGS president and member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, explained why invitations to the conference were extended to the trio.
“It’s probably one of the first panels where you’re going to have members of the actual betting community have their voices heard,” said Fluharty. “Most legislation that has been passed has been one without any lobbyists related to the sports betting industry as far as bettors go. They don’t have a lobby. They don’t have hired guns.”
Failed Meeting
When the Massachusetts Gaming Commission caught wind of these arbitrary decisions adversely affecting the very customers who have made mobile sports betting so wildly successful, the commissioners scheduled a “Sports Wagering Operator Wager Limitations Roundtable.” Unfortunately, not one active Massachusetts sports betting operator showed up to discuss what often appears to be capricious decisions on the sports betting public.
Another roundtable has been tentatively scheduled and representatives from all sportsbooks operating in the Bay State have promised to attend this time around. But their absence illustrates what a touchy subject it is with the platform providers and one they prefer not to discuss publicly.
However, the fear is that by turning customers off they will be turning them on to the offshore sports betting sites that are available but don’t pay taxes on their profits to the state.
ABV’s Tenets
American Bettors’ Voice’s website makes it very clear why it exists and what its core philosophy is regarding consumer protection for the customer and the sustainability of the domestic sports betting industry. Its website states the following:
“Presenting the sports bettor with a take-it-or-leave-it model without understanding what the consumer wants is a fool’s errand and will work against many of the stated goals of why betting was legalized. American Bettors’ Voice seeks to contribute its insight and understanding to improving the US betting ecosystem and will provide position papers on the following topics and more:
- Bet limiting and the “ban or bankrupt model.”
- Developing meaningful and intelligible Terms and Conditions.
- Working to harmonize Terms & Conditions within and among jurisdictions.
- The asymmetry of and resolution of palpable errors.
- The timely resolution of disputes.
- Reducing withdrawal friction.
- Protections for the vulnerable and control against player exploitation.
- Disclosure through the regulatory agency of political contributions and spending on lobbying.
