.jpg?10986 "How Billy Walters built an empire")
Imagine walking into a sportsbook to place a bet with $50,000 that isn’t yours. The money is the second-most important thing you've got. The first is the line on the bet you’re supposed to make. The third is the beeper in your pocket signifying that you are always on call for a boss that works 365 days a year.
The man making the call? Legendary sports bettor Billy Walters, who had teams of “runners”, people that he used to place the bets in the sportsbooks so that he could stay on top of the latest line moves and information to lead the biggest betting circle in the history of the industry.
Brent Musburger sat down with the “GOAT of Sports Betting” for a one-on-one conversation in advance of Walters’ book, , co-written by best-selling author Armen Keteyian. This VSiN exclusive interview details how Walters built his betting empire, his relationship with Phil Mickelson and an insider trading conviction that ultimately led to prison time.
How did Walters build a betting empire? Hard work was certainly at the heart of it, as he noted his 4:30 a.m. alarm in the fall to be ready to bet when the books opened up for business.