For the purpose of this introductory article on what it takes to work in a Sportsbook who I am is not important, that will come later, my story. The real story here, and what made me decide to write this editorial, is that one day I woke up, looked around and thought – “my life just isn’t very normal” – like the fact that nearly everyone I work with has either been in the joint or has been deported from the US or Canada, or both. You see, that’s the kind of employee you get when the only real prerequisite or qualification is the English language, and being able to handle the innumerous idiosyncrasies of the players, besides having to work in a completely politically “incorrect” environment to boot! I remember once the bosses put up on the front wall for everyone to see, a line on which girl in the office would be the next one to get pregnant. And the weird thing is that nobody thought anything strange about it, other than how funny it was, and a reasonably good thing to bet on. As the line changed based on the activities of the girls over the next few months, the action changed in accordance, just like in sports, from one girl to the next. And guess what – The favorite won! About four months after the line first went up, she walks in and announces she was pregnant. We all cheered and threw her a party! No, you won’t find any political correctness here, not in this business, nor in Costa Rica, where we are located.

So who are we then, those who survive the sports business (and most do not)? Then it hit me, we are the reflection of you, the player. I remember one of my first bosses, a true wise guy from the Bronx, said: “Never underestimate the player, they are sharper than you and faster with numbers, they are high IQ guys… and it’s the numbers they can’t resist, so give them respect no matter how crazy they might sound over the phone!”

So we are a reflection of you. Why? Because you are the ones who call us out and break our balls from the first day we start, when we’re mixing up our words and getting the plays confused, to the day we sound like hardened (busting out with shop talk) bookmakers. Because in this business you learn the hard way, unlike other customer service jobs, weakness is fatal in our business, and the player can sniff it out like a Great White Shark a mile off shore from a bleeding Sea Lion on Guadalupe Island. Luckily though, most of you give us a pass as we grow in the business, because you just want to play. And that’s what it’s all about anyway, the action! The foundation of this business, this amazing moneymaking machine, it’s all about the action, where sometimes the money rolls to us, and sometimes to you!

To read our second article in this series, please read it here.