Chris Macero has a unique job title.
It’s one that would seemingly attract job seekers, yet colleges don’t offer majors in it and you shouldn’t bother looking for it on LinkedIn’s help wanted sections.
At his core, Macero is a successful entrepreneur. Still, when asked what would be on his business card — if he actually had a business card — he says it would state “professional sports bettor.”
How he maneuvered through this career is an interesting tale, best heard while sitting next to him at a raucous Las Vegas sportsbook sweating out his action. If you want to hear the story firsthand, you may be able to find him at Circa, his preferred destination.
Where he started, though, is where most sports bettors do, regardless of their full-time profession or initial unit size. Macero and many others who populate the books or spend their workdays scrolling through betting apps instead of being more productive at the office began as sports fans.
The voracious appetite Americans show for sports is one of the main reasons a number of state governments originally pushed for the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The logic was — and it proved correct — sports fans + sports betting = tax dollars.
The fan variable is an interesting piece here since it could impact decisions made as a bettor and therefore be an impediment to cashing an optimal amount of tickets.
To better understand the complexities involved with sports fans turned bettors, we talked to a number of people involved in the action, like Macero, to see if these two identities can coexist.
Here is what they had to say about the pairing of being a sports fan and bettor and whether it feels more like the bond that Bert and Ernie have or the struggle between Jekyll and Hyde.
The study of evolution
The American Gaming Association researched this topic and found that there is a “cycle” and “loop” between fans and bettors. The AGA concluded, “Sports fans are more than twice as likely to be core sports bettors than non-sports fans.”
Ipsos, the global market research firm, also delved into the subject and determined that 84% of sports bettors report being fans of a particular team.
Therefore it’s not surprising that the sport with the most fan support, the NFL, also receives the most bets among its competitors.
Those sports fans that make the trip to the betting window often demonstrate their team loyalty in a particular way according to Jeff Sherman, the VP of risk management for the SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas.
“We see more and more people betting their favorite team in futures markets more so than the daily game grind,” said Sherman. “The single-game bets exist to a degree, but not nearly the scale of the futures.”
Game on
Because of what the current media landscape offers, it has never been easier to be a sports fan. Consumers now have a reasonable expectation that if a game is being played, it will be available to watch somewhere.
Sure, it may take multiple streaming subscriptions, pressing different inputs on a remote and trying to determine archaic blackout rules, but sports fans have almost an unlimited amount of programming available.
That’s great for those who want to multitask — as in watching their favorite team play and putting some money on it for a sweat.
However, any bettor in this situation must adhere to the golden rule.
“I know it’s a cliche, but it’s very true: Bet with your head and not your heart,” said the New England-born Macero. “I’ve been a huge Boston sports fan my entire life and experienced the lowest of the lows — 1986 World Series — and the highest of highs — all those Patriots Super Bowl wins — and thousands of games in between. As I’ve aged I’ve become much more in tune with that old adage. Just because you watch your team and want them to win doesn’t mean you need to bet on them.”
Symbiotic relationship
Sean Brace juggles a number of different roles in the growing gambling space. He is a Philadelphia fan, a sports bettor, and the host of a radio show that combines these topics.
“Betting has definitely influenced my viewing habits and, to some extent, changed my sports fandom,” said Brace, a host on the Fox Sports Radio channel The Gambler Philadelphia. “My teams are still my teams, but I’m locked into every sport, every night, usually with action on a few games. Most of the time, I focus on the game of the night, like the NBA on TNT, making those matchups my top priority.”
Whether he’s talking on air or watching games with friends, Brace isn’t surprised how much of the conversation about sports includes a gambling component since “being a bettor and fan have always gone hand in hand.”
For Virginia resident Doug Tuttle, the internal fan-bettor homeostasis has shifted over the past few years due to the convenience of online sports betting.
“Since sports betting became legal here, it definitely impacted my fandom,” said Tuttle, who works in the HVAC field. “I find myself rooting more for my money than my team these days.”
Then there is Tom Furer, a professional in the financial services industry, who believes legalized betting has enhanced modern sports fandom. As someone who lives in North Jersey, he, like many in the area, is a Yankees fan. Unfortunately for his sanity, he also passionately roots for the New York Jets.
While bleeding green hasn’t translated into too many pleasurable Sundays, it has helped him somewhat financially.
“The Jets stink, I know they stink,” said Furer. “Since I know them so well, I bet with that knowledge. This past season ,depending on their opponent, I took the Jets team total under a lot because I saw how bad the offense was. I also often played their opponents to have over 1.5 field goals because their defense was strong.”
While these wagers go against the blind devotion of being a fan, Furer refers to them as a way to “emotionally hedge.”
Macero believes this ideology can assist recreational bettors when incorporating fandom into a handicap.
“If you follow your favorite teams closely, maybe a little closer than the average person, you may be able to see tendencies that others don’t. You know when it’s the correct time to bet on or against your team when others aren’t seeing what you are seeing.”
The Corleone effect
Brace conducts business like he’s the Don of Philadelphia’s sports betting media when it comes to a line he can’t refuse.
“When finding value with a Philly opponent, It’s definitely not something I’m racing over to my DraftKings app to do, but I feel I know my teams the best,” said Brace. “It’s easy to place a wager when the home squad is rolling like this year’s Eagles, but when a team struggles to play defense night after night, I have no problem betting against them as well. See this year’s Sixers.
“My motto has always been, nothing personal, just business.”
There are occasions Macero will make wagers that seem to be in opposition to his thick Boston accent that should have gotten him cast in The Town.
“Now if the Red Sox are playing in May at Seattle and the angle is the Mariners starting pitcher really chews up the Red Sox hitters and there’s good value on the line, I’m 100 percent pulling the trigger on Seattle.”
When the games have more meaning, such as in the playoffs, Macero alters his approach. He rarely bets against his team since that will create cognitive dissonance. However, he also knows that blindly betting on a team because of fandom is a losing proposition.
Tuttle has conditioned himself to avoid this pitfall as well.
“I’ve become numb betting on or against my teams,” said Tuttle. “I will always bet on what I feel is the best value versus my affection for a team or player. Hearts were made to be broken, not bank accounts.”
Home book advantage
Even as a professional, Macero demonstrates a common behavior that both sports franchises and bookmakers are looking to capitalize on with their new fan engagement offerings.
“When I go to a game, I need to have some action on it,” Macero said. “I don’t necessarily want to root against them nor do I want to blindly take the wrong side, so I will usually look to find something in the total so I at least can cheer on my team.”
Go to any game these days and just about every play elicits some type of fan response. Even the most benign ones generate noticeable reactions because they can impact the multitude of different wagers made by those in the stands.
That is why sportsbooks inside venues became a trendy development post-PAPSA.
Here is a partial list of U.S. stadiums with an in-house sportsbook that look to making cheering on the home team a new experience: Wrigley Field and the United Center (Chicago); FedEx Field, Nationals Park, and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.); Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field (Cleveland); and Citi Field (New York).
Showtime
Sherman approaches the fan-bettor dichotomy in a different way. The longtime Lakers supporter walks into his office at the Westgate and immediately checks all his adoration for the purple and gold at the door.
“I learned early in my career, to excel, you need to be objective and not book with any feelings as a fan,” said Sherman. “The Lakers are a consistent liability year after year in the title market, so although I enjoy watching their games, as the season progresses my priority is the book and its results.”
Brace’s professional responsibilities are somewhat different. As a radio host he needs programming that appeals to the Philly diehards, while at the same time, he creates betting -elated content that isn’t always in-tune with the home teams’ wants and needs.
“From the standpoint of my show The Daily Ticket, we cover all plays,” said Brace.
“I love analyzing the game through the opponent’s lens. One of our best segments leading up to the Super Bowl was looking at the game from the Chiefs perspective, not the Eagles. We got some great answers, and it really helps you look at wagers from a different angle. We’re a different show from the other two radio stations in Philly. Our focus is always on props, futures, sides, and totals — something you won’t find anywhere else in the city.”
New age thinking
As more states eventually legalize sports betting and new generations come of age while being bombarded with ads from national books, what it means to be a fan will continually change.
“Fantasy football changed the game for fans, so to me, it’s obvious that something as big as legalized sports gambling and what is going on in the media regarding betting will have a similar impact, if not greater,” speculated Brace.
Or in the case of Furer, sports betting could change his whole identity.
“I’m still more a sports fan than bettor, like 60-40 sports fan,” Furer said. “But that number has changed over the last few years towards being a sports bettor. Who knows, if the Jets keep losing it could flip me to being just a sports bettor.”
