To better serve the millions of sports fans who participate in sports wagering, and to help educate general sports fans with more in-depth analysis, ESPN will launch Daily Wager, a new daily sports betting news and information show, on Monday, March 11. The one-hour program will air Monday through Friday on ESPNEWS at 6 p.m. ET, also streaming live on the ESPN App.
Daily Wager will be hosted by Doug Kezirian, ESPN sports betting analyst, who has covered sports betting for more than 15 years. He will be joined by sports betting experts as well as ESPN analysts and reporters from various sports for discussion centered on analytics and point spreads as well as how the day’s sports news affects betting.
“ESPN’s mission is to serve sports fans,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Studio Production. “The sports betting environment has changed and interest is increasing at unprecedented levels. ESPN is going to have a strong and vibrant presence across our platforms, and the launch of Daily Wager is the next step in what has already been underway for some time.”
Daily Wager joins existing sports betting-related content on ESPN platforms including:
- Behind the Bets with Doug Kezirian podcast.
- Stanford Steve and The Bear podcast (football season).
- “Bad Beats” on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
- Sports betting content on ESPN.com.
Among contributors who will be part of Daily Wager:
- “Stanford” Steve Coughlin – co-host of “Bad Beats” on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, co-host of Stanford Steve and The Bear podcast and ESPN.com columnist. Former college football player who began appearing on Behind the Bets podcast during college football season in 2014. Took over as host in 2015 when the podcast became Behind the Bets, The College Years. Podcast was renamed Stanford Steve and The Bear in 2018.
- Chris “The Bear” Fallica – co-host of Stanford Steve and The Bear podcast and ESPN.com columnist. Also an avid horse racing handicapper and competitor in NHC (National Horseplayers Championship) tournaments.
- David Purdum – ESPN.com gambling industry reporter. Has covered the industry, with a focus on sports betting, for more than seven years.
- Anita Marks – Host for ESPN Radio New York 98.7 FM and ESPN Fantasy Football analyst. More than 20 years of broadcasting experience on television and radio, including football sideline reporting. Former professional football player.
- Preston Johnson – Las Vegas-based handicapper known in the industry as the “Sports Cheetah.” Has Master of Science in Sports Psychology and specializes in using analytics and game theory as a sports bettor. Has appeared on multiple media platforms to discuss sports betting.
- Joe Fortenbaugh — Co-founder of NationalFootballPost.com and morning sports talk radio show host on “95.7 The Game” in San Francisco. Also host of “The Sharp 600” sports betting podcast. Law school graduate.
- Additional voices to be named will join the show.
Discussion and expert analysis will be combined with ESPN’s stats and information resources for Daily Wager, and the television screen will be modified to include graphics related to sports betting news, lines and information. Sports wagering experts will be making picks on the program while ESPN reporters and analysts will provide information and insight but will not be making picks.
The program will originate from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Ct.
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Media contact: andy.hall@espn.com
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