Back in August 2021, the first-ever Bet Bash took place. With COVID still an overarching issue, 220 sports betting aficionados gathered at an outdoor rooftop bar in Jersey City, just outside New York.
Every year since – with the event moving to Las Vegas in 2022 – Bet Bash has seen record attendance. That’ll again be the case from Aug. 4-7, with 800 attendees expected for Bet Bash 6 at Circa Las Vegas.
“We’ve got a 98% retention rate,” Bet Bash founder Gadoon Kyrollos said. “That says a lot about the caliber of clientele that comes to the conference. It’s second to none.
“When people see that and start networking, they realize, ‘I can learn from these people. They all speak my language.’”
Kyrollos, far better known as Spanky in the sports betting community, discusses why he thinks the event connects with sports bettors of all abilities and what he’s most looking forward to in 2026.
A Needed Release
In an age of Google Meet, Zoom calls and text messages, Kyrollos remains convinced that face-to-face interaction is still the best way to engage. That’s why, in his opinion, Bet Bash continues to grow, up from about 700 attendees in 2025.
“It’s hard to have these conversations about sports betting. At our conference, that’s all we talk about,” Kyrollos said. “Let it all out and share ideas. It’s a needed release for the community.”
That release comes mostly via 30 seminars covering everything from betting 101 to sport-specific sessions (NFL, college football, MLB and more) to bankroll management and tax issues. There’s a lighter side, too, with sessions on wine tasting, the history of American sports betting and more.
“Everything in this world seems to be on your phone, on your apps. You’re talking with your thumbs instead of your voice,” Kyrollos said. “Bet Bash is needed to communicate on a human level.
“I’m not knocking technology. But to see people speak in person, see their reactions, even laughing together, it’s needed.”
Hot Topics
On Aug. 7, the conference wraps up with four expert panels, including the highly anticipated Prediction Markets: A Legal Analysis.
“With prediction markets kind of taking over the landscape, we’re featuring more about that this year,” Kyrollos said. “But there are still all the fundamentals, too.”
Indeed, as noted above, there’s a wide variety of session topics, along with six podcasts – four on Aug. 5 and two more on Aug. 6. Leading off those podcasts is Bear Bets, featuring Chris Fallica joined by former NFL player Geoff Schwartz and sports betting analyst Sam Panayotovich.
Tickets for the four-day event are $799 for general admission and $1,099 for VIP. That might seem steep, but Kyrollos said between the retention rate, continued growth and the feedback he’s received, it’s a value proposition.
“If I was trying to maximize profit, I could move it to a bigger venue and sell more tickets. But that’s not my style,” he said. “A lot of sharps have told me the ticket price is comically low. One guy told me, ‘If you can’t make more money than what you pay, sports betting is probably not for you.’
“We welcome bettors of all levels. The conference is designed to help you move up the sports betting ladder, from learning to networking and so forth. In our industry, networking is very important. It’s hard to make it and scale to a higher level without a good network.”
And like any good conference, the social opportunities – all included – make for a good week, as well.
“We’ve got four open bars and watch parties, and that’s just for general admission,” he said. “We’re happy to sell out and make it as cost-effective as possible, and you get so much bang for your buck.”
Also on the lighter side, with a charitable component: At 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, a Charity Dunk Tank featuring prominent sports bettors and industry figures as the dunkees, including Rufus Peabody and Joe Brennan Jr.
“They all volunteered to get dunked and raise money for Autism New Jersey, which is a tremendous organization,” Kyrollos said, speaking from firsthand experience. “My son is autistic, and I wanted to do something for Autism New Jersey.”
Hall of Fame
Bet Bash 6 marks the fourth year of inductions into the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame. The 2026 class has seven inductees:
- Bob Black (posthumous): Born in 1928, Black was widely regarded by peers and bookmakers as one of the sharpest bettors of his era, pre-computers, particularly in baseball.
- Steven Diano (posthumous): Better known as Fats, a professional sports bettor for more than 40 years, including working with Billy Walters Computer Group before developing his own highly successful handicapping systems. Diano died on June 29.
- Richard Klamian (posthumous): Former sportsbook manager at the famed Stardust in Las Vegas, Klamian went on to become a well-respected sharp bettor, particularly in basketball.
- Vinny Magliulo: Longtime Vegas staple behind the counter as a bookmaker/sportsbook director, along with working on the casino floor as well. Among the pioneers at Caesars Sportsbook, Magliulo now works at the South Point with Gaughan Gaming.
- Mort Olshan (posthumous): A pioneering sports betting figure and founder of The Gold Sheet, the influential handicapping publication launched ahead of the 1956 football season.
- Bill Scott: Founder of World Wide Tele-Sports and a renowned figure in offshore sports betting, who shaped the industry with his online betting innovations.
- Dr. John Trijonis: A world-class environmental scientist who graduated first in his class from the California Institute of Technology, Trijonis went on to apply his deep expertise in statistics and modeling to sports, helping pioneer data-driven game prediction.
The induction dinner and ceremony caps the conference on the evening of Aug. 7 and is already sold out.
For more information, visit betbash.co.
