Over/Under

An Unexpected History of Sports Betting

David Bockino

The definitive, colorful history of American sports-betting that challenges the dialogue around one of our country’s fastest growing (and most controversial) industries.

For close to two hundred years, sports gambling in the United States has been a discreet affair. Placing a bet meant a weekend in Vegas or being introduced to somebody’s guy or giving your credit card to a shady website. Then one day in 2018, nine Americans in black robes had a discussion and took a vote. And before you knew it sports gambling was legal—and it was everywhere.

So what happens now? In Over/Under, David Bockino sets out to answer that question by borrowing a lesson from the pros. Equipped with decades of historical sports data, the world’s most successful bettors use what has happened in past contests to predict what might happen.

When Bockino applies that approach to the sports gambling industry itself, he uncovers a fascinating and unexpected history: betting is not as a result of the multi-billion-dollar American sports landscape, but rather is a primary reason for it. Gambling has been there from the very beginning, an essential catalyst for nearly two hundred years of sports obsession and fandom.

Over/Under takes readers on a rollicking journey through the history of American sports betting. It starts in mid-nineteenth century New York City, as a new sport lured bettors out of shadowy gambling halls and into the fresh air. The story then heads to Churchill Downs and Augusta National Golf Club where sports gambling dresses up in fancy outfits, to Chicago and Minneapolis where sports gambling makes people do dishonest things, and to Las Vegas and the Caribbean where sports gambling makes some people very rich.

And through it all, the narrative rolls out a cast of colorful characters: hustlers, wise guys, moguls, opportunists, grifters, speculators, touts, who are all trying to make a quick buck. Written for those eager to learn more about a recently-legalized industry—one that’s been described both as a financial bonanza and an impending disaster—Over/Under is poised to become the definitive book of a controversial industry in the midst of incredible yet uncertain growth.

David Bockino, after spending eight years working for ESPN, is now an associate professor of sport management in the School of Communications at Elon University. He's the author of Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans. Emmanuel Morgan, a sports reporter at The New York Times, called it “a fascinating read for any sports lover” while Richard Deitsch at The Athletic wrote, “Bockino has thrown himself into an examination of this ever-evolving world with passion and an engaging writing style.” David lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and three children.

Buy it now in print:

Buy it now in ebook:

Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for David Bockino’s Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans:

"This book is highly readable, and Bockino does an admirable job elucidating an ever-evolving subject.” Choice

"Containing an ample number of facts and quotes, Game On is entertainingly written, comprehensive, and insightful. Bockino speaks with authority on shifts in culture, technical and tactical innovations in sports media, and key sporting events and personalities. Readers interested in sport media, or more generally sports and culture, will find Game On worth checking out." Sports Literature Association

“Where sports media is heading—and where it’s been—is a vexing and complex question that impacts every sports fan. Those charged with broadcasting and chronicling the games we love are part of a multibillion-dollar business—and David Bockino has thrown himself into an examination of this ever-evolving world with passion and an engaging writing style. . . . Game On will help educate you as a sports consumer.” Richard Deitsch, writer for The Athletic and host of The Sports Media Podcast

“An excellent, comprehensive exploration into the evolution of sports media that takes the reader to all corners of the globe, bringing to life an impressive review of sports fan content consumption from the environs of Times Square in the twentieth century to the modern social media square of the twenty-first.” Peter Leimbach, senior vice president of Fox Sports Research

“An introspective look at the vastly changing landscape of sports media. Game On outlines what brought the industry to where it is today and explains to the reader why important moments such as the rise of ESPN, the emergence of fantasy sports, and the proliferation of special telecasts drew fan bases and increased sports’ presence in everyday society. It’s a fascinating read for any sports lover.” Emmanuel Morgan, sports reporter for The New York Times