To formally launch February 27

Sports betting network to be launched in Las Vegas

Famed broadcaster Brent Musburger is jumping right into the world of sports betting after leaving his role with ABC and ESPN.
2017-01-31
Reading time 2:32 min
Famed broadcaster Brent Musburger is jumping right into the world of sports betting after leaving his role with ABC and ESPN.

Musburger is one of the forces behind the Vegas Stats & Information Network, which was announced on Monday in advance of the Super Bowl. A press release accompanying the announcement called the venture “the first multi-channel network dedicated to sports gambling information.”

The network will seek to offer news and data as it relates to sports betting.

The network will have live streaming, radio and online components. The network will broadcast from a studio located at South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas.

“Sports fans everywhere love a little action – what better way to take a chance and enjoy a good game?” said Musburger, managing editor and lead host of VSiN. “The time is here for these folks to get some straight-forward information from the people who really understand sports betting … VSiN finally brings that insider knowledge and expertise straight to the fans.”

The network will formally launch on Feb. 27 — before the start of March Madness for college basketball. But Musburger will host a special broadcast at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Feb. 5, before the Super Bowl.

This almost certainly not a platform aimed only at people wagering in Nevada.

“Sports gambling is a multi-billion dollar industry that has been forced to operate largely underground, leaving consumers scouring the internet and searching for winks and nods from broadcasters to inform their decisions,” said Brian Musburger, founder and chairman of VSiN.

“We’re so excited to bring together award-winning broadcasters and producers, legendary oddsmakers, as well as a team of content, tech, media and gaming experts to illustrate the legitimacy of, and science behind, this huge and underserved market.”
Musburger alluded to the fact that much of the market for sports betting in the US is done via a black market. While there is legal Nevada sports betting, federal law (PASPA) prohibits single-game wagering in the rest of the US.

That doesn’t mean that sports betting doesn’t occur everywhere else in the US, however.

As the American Gaming Association pointed out last year, Nevada sportsbooks took more than $100 million in bets on the Super Bowl last year. However, that’s just a fraction of the amount wagered in the US. Estimates put the actual amount bet on the game by Americans in excess of $4 billion

A massive undertaking like this points to the fact that there is a massive appetite for sports betting information in the US, whether such wagering is taking place legally or not.
More momentum on sports betting

  • The network comes during an unprecedented time of momentum regarding sports betting in the US:
  • The AGA is set to embark on a lobbying effort regarding sports betting in Congress.
  • The US Supreme Court is considering whether to hear an appeal in the New Jersey sports betting case. NJ has been attemptingto legalize sports wagering for several years.
  • Several states are considering challenges to federal law on sports betting, a la New Jersey.
  • Twenty percent of the US has explicitly legalized daily fantasy sports.

The network will be headlined by Musburger, who will broadcast a daily show Thursday through Monday. Another show will feature boxing announcer Al Bernstein. VSiN said it will announce more hosts of shows before its launch. 

The shows will feature a variety of legendary oddsmakers, including Jimmy Vaccaro, Vinny Magliulo and Chris Andrews. Vaccaro sets lines at South Point.
Starting on Feb. 27, some of VSiN’s shows will air on satellite radio (Sirius channel 215, XM channel 204) and on the SiriusXM app (channel 961), as well as via VSiN.com. You will be able to listen to Musburger’s preview show on Sunday on SiriusXM Rush (channel 93).

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