Bet Bash Sports Betting Conference Expands Horizons In 2024

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Bet Bash creator/founder Gadoon Kyrollos is seen as one of the sharpest bettors in the United States. Wagering on sports is his stock in trade, literally how he makes a living.

So one might expect that his annual sports betting conference would speak only to professional bettors. Drilling down on numbers, +EV, analytics, simulations and such.

But Kyrollos – more commonly known by his nickname, Spanky – recognized in 2020 the need to educate bettors of all skill levels. Or even no skill level at all. With that, the annual Bet Bash sports betting conference was born, first taking place in 2021 in Jersey City, N.J.

Now, a massively expanded Bet Bash 4 is set for Aug. 6-9 at Circa Las Vegas. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming conference.

Bet Bash 4

Learning Opportunity

When Spanky first began pursuing sports betting in the early 2000s, long before the 2018 strikedown of PASPA, it was a different world.

"I learned from the online betting forums. People smarter than me taught me how to become a better bettor. Now, you've got social media, X, YouTube," he said. "But the fast track to becoming a better bettor is to rub elbows with the people who've gotten there: Billy Walters, Roxy Roxborough, Jimmy Vaccaro, Richie Baccellieri. The best bettors and best bookmakers in the world."

Countless others can be added to that list, as well. Bet Bash attendees can literally walk up to these people and strike up a conversation, and get a little education in the process. Or check out the panels. Better still, take part in the most notable new component of Bet Bash: a plethora of sports betting seminars.

And again, you don't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to take advantage.

"Bet Bash is an all-encompassing, all-inclusive event, for all types of bettors, from the super novice to the ultimate pro," Spanky said. "There are so many ways to learn and network at Bet Bash."

Strategic Seminars

As noted above, the sports betting seminars are the largest new element of Bet Bash. Previous years included panels, but Spanky wanted attendees to be able to drill down more on what interests them most.

So while last year had zero seminars, this year's Bet Bash will have 24 on a wide range of topics, for every level of bettor. The sessions take place on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 7-8.

"I'm excited about the 24 seminars and the six live podcasts. We've just stuffed so much more content into our conference," Spanky said. "I'm excited to make this a real live conference. We have seminars from Sports Betting 101 to Contest Strategy, all the way to Account Longevity, teaching you how to survive and extract as much money as possible from bookmakers.

"The breadth of seminars is second to none."

Hall of Fame and More

Bet Bash 4 caps the week with the second annual Sports Gambling Hall of Fame Dinner/Induction.

"The capstone event of Bet Bash is the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame. This is where the legends are honored. These are bettors and bookmakers who paved the way in order for all of us to do what we do," Spanky said. "It's gonna be epic."

The 2024 class includes five inductees expected to be on hand for the Aug. 9 festivities:

• Richie Baccellieri (bookmaker)
• Nick Bogdanovich (bookmaker)
• Jimmy Evarts (sports bettor/bookmaker)
• Ron Sacco (bookmaker)
• Vic Salerno (bookmaker)

And five honorees will be honored posthumously:

• Michael Kent (sports bettor)
• Gene Maday (bookmaker)
• Herb "Hoops" Lambeck (oddsmaker)
• Ed Curd (bookmaker)
• Chuck Schaupp (sports bettor)

Other components of the four-day event: a pre-conference golf tournament and VIP poker tournament, both on Aug. 6; speed networking on Aug. 7; open-bar networking events; and watch parties at the sportsbook and Stadium Swim.

"It's a four-pronged event: Networking, education, honoring legends and having fun," Spanky said. "All four are guaranteed. If you like any one of those four, you should definitely come to Bet Bash."

The conference is expected to attract more than 600 attendees. Premium/VIP tickets are sold out, but general admission tickets remain, at $699. For more information, go to betbash.co.

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson