BIG SID FROM CHICAGO, TALKS ABOUT THE PONYS AND ARLINGTON RACE TRACK

As the year comes to a close, Howard talks about a half dozen of the most popular gaming books at Gambler’s Book Shop, including one title Mafia that reads like a thick rap sheet on top mobsters of the past. Also, he interviews a long-time Gambler’s Book Shop customer from Chicago, Big Sid, a horseplayer, who talks about what the tracks are doing right and wrong, the demographics of the wagering public, and about the writer who influenced him the most.

Bets, Drugs, and Rock and Roll" "The Rise and Fall of the World's First Online Sports Book"

The gambler’s high is like a rush; he feels invulnerable.  That high lasts, though, only until the next big loss. Such is the story of Steve Budin, who created the first online sports betting company. Under the tutelage of his father, a legendary, old-school Miami bookmaker, and with the help of a cocaine-addicted polygamist, Budin revolutionized the shadowy business of spreads by taking them global. But he also stuck to some tried and true methods, like plying clients with trips to Vegas, hookers, and hardcore drugs. In the end, Budin raked in hundreds of millions of dollars and stood on the verge of a deal worth billions more. He took bookmaking into an automated, virtual worldwide casino that anyone could access, anywhere and at any time.  For anyone fascinated by the "wild West" that is internet gambling, here is a rare peek into that exciting, dangerous world.