Sports Betting and The Stock Market (Crypto Too)...Place Your Bets

Here’s the problem: Sports betting is a very low-margin business. The take rate of sports wagering is around 5 percent, while it’s closer to 20 percent in horse racing. And in unregulated markets (which will occur somewhere in U.S.), the price of the product is going to get close to zero. It’s going to be hard to make any money, and customer loyalty will be basically nonexistent without pricing power.

As a result, there will not be enough for everyone to split and be happy. Look at Robinhood, which has essentially taken all of the economics out of retail equity trading — overnight. Look at the margin of sports wagering in Vegas — it’s almost nothing. It likely won’t end well for most players. But a few are going to crush it (I hate saying that, but it’s true). And I bet the winners will surprise us.

In addition to all the sports leagues like MLB, MLS, NCAA, NFL, NHL and the PGA, keep an eye on media companies like AT&T (DirecTV), CBS, Comcast (Golf Channel), Disney (ESPN), Fox, Time Warner (Turner), Verizon (Oath) and Action Network/Barstool Sports (with the backing of the Chernin, Kerns and Jacobs dream team). Don’t be shocked if StubHub and even Ticketmaster figure out a way to get in the game, as they know the customers with high propensity to bet on sports.

You will also learn a lot more about the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel (again), Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, IGT, MGM Resorts, Paddy Power/Betfair, Penn National, Stars Group (SkyBet), Stronach Group, William Hill, Wynn Resorts and then tribes like Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Morongo, Pechanga and Seminole, which have all been active in gambling at the state level.