Ted's Blog

Ted’s Take is the official blog from the renowned entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, filmmaker, sports and business executive.

“What are you so afraid of?”: The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the future of sports betting in this Sunday’s issue

In May 2018, the Supreme Court repealed the federal ban on sports gaming and paved the way for legalized sports gaming across the country. I have long been a proponent of legalized sports betting, and now, Washington, DC stands to be a trailblazer in shaping how sports gaming is implemented around the country.

Stats have always been the lifeblood of sports fandom, and a fan today has more stats available to digest and analyze than was imaginable even a decade ago: player movements, biometrics, hyper-detailed opponent history. Data analytics have become integral to teams’ success, but also to diehard fans’ enjoyment of the game – and sports betting is built on a rock-solid foundation of data, plain and simple.

The more data a fan has about a player or a team, the better he or she can predict the outcome of a game, or a possession or a play. And as our data analytics have gotten better, sports betting has only gotten more popular.

Check out this story featured in next Sunday’s New York Times Magazine about the future of sports betting and my challenge to everyone in professional sports to not let fear guide us here – let’s embrace the future.