Over/Under

An Unexpected History of Sports Betting

David Bockino

Named one of the most anticipated nonfiction books of 2026 by The New York Times Book Review

The definitive, colorful history of American sports betting that challenges the dialogue around one of our country’s fastest growing (and most controversial) industries.

Taking readers on a rollicking journey through the history of American sports betting, Over/Under proposes a fascinating and unexpected theory: What if sports betting isn’t just a result of the multibillion-dollar American sports industry, but rather the primary reason for it? An essential catalyst for nearly two hundred years of sports fandom and obsession?

The narrative starts in mid-nineteenth-century New York City, as a new sport called baseball lures bettors out of shadowy gambling halls and into the fresh air. The story then heads to Churchill Downs and Augusta National Golf Club where sports betting dresses up in fancy outfits, to Chicago and Minneapolis where sports betting meets the Mafia and gets some structure, and to Las Vegas and the Caribbean where sports betting makes some people very rich.

Along the way, the story rolls out a cast of colorful characters: hustlers, wise guys, moguls, opportunists, grifters, touts. A parade of personalities, year after year, all trying to make a quick buck. Because isn’t that the whole point?

Written for those eager to explore the history of a recently-legalized industry—one that’s been described both as a financial bonanza and an impending disaster—Over/Under is poised to become the definitive history of a controversial industry in the midst of incredible, yet uncertain, growth.

David Bockino, after spending eight years working for ESPN, is now an associate professor of sport management in the School of Communications at Elon University. He's the author of Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans. Emmanuel Morgan, a sports reporter at The New York Times, called it “a fascinating read for any sports lover” while Richard Deitsch at The Athletic wrote, “Bockino has thrown himself into an examination of this ever-evolving world with passion and an engaging writing style.” David lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and three children.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“A tour of the legal and moral dilemmas of American sports gambling. Bockino’s history is filled with lively anecdotes.” Kirkus Reviews

"Since 2018, sports betting in the U.S. has gone from a maligned hobby to a booming business. After digging into decades of data, and following fans, speculators and grifters across the country, Bockino makes the case that gambling isn’t just entangled with the history of American sports culture—it’s practically responsible for it.” The New York Times Book Review

"If ever a book came along at exactly the right time, Over/Under is it. The world of sports gambling is shifting and shaking under our feet, and David Bockino is here to explain how it got that way and what may happen next. This lucid and deeply researched account takes us from the grimy backrooms of the bad old days to today’s gaming-industrial complex. It’s an exciting—and alarming—story full of colorful characters and crazy tales. Bet on it.” Doug J. Swanson, author of Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker

“With Over/Under, David Bockino turns the history of sports betting on its head—as he deftly illustrates, America's multi-billion-dollar sports gambling industry is not the result of our national obsession with sports, but rather the reason for it. The names of gambling-industry pioneers like Old Smoke, Turnbull the Terrible, and the Wizard of Odds are today little known, but these men were in many ways as significant as Broadway Joe or the Yankee Clipper. In Over/Under, David Bockino tells their stories and in so doing providing an invaluable understanding not just of where the big business of sports betting came from, but also where it might be headed.” Matthew Goodman, author of The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team

“In a matter of years, sports betting escaped the shadows and hit the mainstream. Over/Under doesn’t just chronical this game-changing shift in American culture, but it also introduces new characters and reveals untold stories that led to the creation of what many experts believe will ultimately become the largest legal sports betting market in the world.” David Purdum, ESPN gambling writer

“Over/Under is a compelling dive into how sports betting has shaped American sports as we know them. With colorful storytelling and keen insight, David Bockino reveals just how intrinsically sports betting is woven into the fabric of fandom. Over/Under is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the growth and power of American sports culture.” David Coletti, head of research, FanDuel Sports Network

Praise for David Bockino’s Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans:

"This book is highly readable, and Bockino does an admirable job elucidating an ever-evolving subject.” Choice

"Containing an ample number of facts and quotes, Game On is entertainingly written, comprehensive, and insightful. Bockino speaks with authority on shifts in culture, technical and tactical innovations in sports media, and key sporting events and personalities. Readers interested in sport media, or more generally sports and culture, will find Game On worth checking out." Sports Literature Association

“Where sports media is heading—and where it’s been—is a vexing and complex question that impacts every sports fan. Those charged with broadcasting and chronicling the games we love are part of a multibillion-dollar business—and David Bockino has thrown himself into an examination of this ever-evolving world with passion and an engaging writing style. . . . Game On will help educate you as a sports consumer.” Richard Deitsch, writer for The Athletic and host of The Sports Media Podcast

“An excellent, comprehensive exploration into the evolution of sports media that takes the reader to all corners of the globe, bringing to life an impressive review of sports fan content consumption from the environs of Times Square in the twentieth century to the modern social media square of the twenty-first.” Peter Leimbach, senior vice president of Fox Sports Research