Interview: J. Todd - This Week In Gambling. Gaming Publishing and Entrepreneur Media Man

Interview: J. Todd - This Week In Gambling. Gaming Publishing and Entrepreneur - October 2022

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Media Man continues to do a deep dive into the business world including into the often misunderstood and murky world of gaming, online gaming, casinos and sports betting et al. Today, one of the world's leading online based gaming entrepreneurs, Mr. J. Todd. He's seen just about everything in the modern era and budding entrepreneurs, even industry veterans would do well to sit under his learning tree.

When, why and how did you develop your passion, interest and expertise in the gaming, casino, digital, sports, sports betting sector?

I first got into the industry as a webmaster. It was shortly after September 11th, 2001, and I decided I would like to use my marketing degree and work from home. Back then, that was still a fairly new idea. So I began searching the Internet for the best opportunities and found online casino affiliate programs. I had no web design experience, but I slowly taught myself Dreamweaver and picked up bits of HTML. A few months later I was making five times what I had at my previous job. From that point, understanding the gambling industry was another learning experience. In fact, I'm still learning today.

What do you see as the main pros and cons of betting in sports?

The process of regulating sports betting and watching it become accepted and mainstream in America has been fascinating. Individuals and sports leagues alike went from vilifying betting on sports to embracing it pretty quickly. One of the main benefits of sports betting expansion has been mobile betting apps, and not just because players can make bets more easily. The regulation of mobile sports betting is the regulation of online gambling. And when states eventually realize this, my hope is they will see the regulation of online casino games and poker as the next step. Of course, the biggest detriments to the sports betting expansion is the proliferation of advertising during sporting events. It's understandable that competing operators want to be as aggressive as possible and grab as much market share as they can. But my fear is a backlash against the "gamblification" of American sports, akin to what we've seen in the United Kingdom. While this may be an unavoidable part of the evolution of the industry, the marketing of sports betting may become too much, giving industry opponents and the fear of gambling addiction ammunition to use against us.

Has the sports betting sector in the United States and beyond become too saturated, or not?

As I mentioned, I believe that the American sports betting industry is well on its way to an over-saturation of sports betting advertisements. You may recall the marketing blitz of online poker back in the early 2000's, when Full Tilt and the like blatantly advertised everywhere that would take their money. Of course back then, web-based poker was in a legal gray area for most of the country, while sports betting is now being promoted as a regulated activity. Still, the unwanted attention in each situation is comparable.

If we look to the UK we see a nation that allowed bookmakers to advertise on television, radio, billboards, and even on the sides of taxi cabs. There were celebrity endorsements and the sponsorship of football teams, putting betting brands in the face of every man, woman, and child. The eventual result being what we're watching unfold now with the Gambling Act Review. Moving forward, the British gambling industry will have much stricter laws regarding the promotion of all forms of betting, not just sports betting. And those new laws will also put restrictions on deposit limits, the speed of game play, and a variety of peripheral things not even related to advertising.

What's the biggest and best gaming and casino companies you have worked for before establishing your own firm, including 'This Week In Gambling', and what were the highlights and best elements of each, and any not so strong areas of each you are prepared to disclose?

Working with land based gaming companies here in America has been amazing. I've been able to work with Aristocrat, Konami Gaming, IGT, Light & Wonder and many more. They are all amazingly accessible and very enthusiastic to work with me for mutually beneficial growth. The same is true with online gambling companies, which have primarily been based in Europe and the United Kingdom to this point. That would include bet365, Everygame, and the Casino Rewards group. All of whom I have had a working relationship with for nearly 20 years.

Has the gaming and casino sector done enough over the past few years to protect the youth and even adults from going too far and betting what they can not afford to loose? aka betting over their heads?

This is a particularly difficult question to answer, especially as a marketer. I am not privy to all the data that others may have, but from my perspective this is a two-sided issue. First, we all want to market and do business in an ethical and responsible manner. That goes beyond the issue of problem gambling, to the very core of business practices.

Individuals and companies who lack an overall sense of integrity will most likely be far more willing to downplay the aspect of responsible gaming. On the other hand, however, if we as business people do act in a responsible manner, then there is also a degree of personal responsibility on the part of players. What I do not like to see is individuals who blame everyone but themselves for their actions, or organizations who seem to profiteer from those with gambling problems by villainizing the entire gambling industry as evil, uncaring, faceless entities who target gambling addicts for a fast dollar. I have never met an individual working in this industry who would willingly hurt a player in order to make money, but I do understand that true addiction is something that needs to be taken seriously. Those with a genuine gambling problem may be small percentage of the population, but every reasonable effort should be made to not expose them to increased risk or harm.

We became aware of you with GWPA and your YouTube news updates. Were there any mentors or guides of sorts that helped you achieve the success you enjoy?

I've been blessed to be able to make a living in this business by doing what I do with videos. I would not say I had a mentor, as I have always had this sort of outspoken personality. What I will say is that I had a lot of support from those around me, as well as a team that allowed me to use my platform with a lot of latitude. Additionally, there are people working behind the scenes to promote the videos and promote the GPWA and APCW as a business. Without them, none of this would be possible.

What's your take on the likes of Facebook and YouTube getting heavily involved in gaming i.e: online gaming etc?

Personally, without information to the contrary, I do not view either as a threat or serious player. Facebook has allowed Zynga play for free games for years, and despite the best plans and rumors they never developed into a real money gaming company. My contention was that play-for-free players were not the same as real money players, and that any attempt to use that database to convert them into paying customers would be a failure. As far as I can tell, that was a correct assumption. YouTube, on the other hand, is more of a content management tool for us. And while they were very difficult to work with in the past, they have made tremendous strides over the past several years to be more transparent and cooperative with their policies on gaming.

What's your pick for the NFL Super Bowl this year and who is the smart money on and why?

I love the Kansas City Chiefs, mainly because I have Patrick Mahomes on my Dynasty Fantasy Football roster! But if I were putting money down, I would have to take the Buffalo Bills. The Rams have looked awful so far, but we know things can turn around over the course of a season. And while I don't know if they're quite ready for the Super Bowl, I have been quite impressed with the Dolphins so far this year.

Does the house always win, or is their an exception to the rule ala 'Casino', movie, 'Rounders' and / or 'Molly's Game'?

The numbers say that the house always wins, with poker being the exception. In poker, players take each others money and the house just takes a rake. But the house will always win against the overall pool of players. The exception? An individual who's in the right place at the right time, and knows to walk away when they hit. To quote another great film, when that perfect hand comes along you bet big, and then you take the house.

Your favourite casino and sports betting related movies of all time, and why?

It's sounds so cliché' to say 'Rounders' but we all quote the movie every time we play poker, don't we? I did like 'Runner Runner' just because it was based on so many things I had personally experienced in this industry from the early 2000's. But the one movie I always watch watch when it's on is Maverick. It just cracks me up. I love the originally television show, too.

Other than sports betting and big media rights deal, what other areas of revenue do you think sports teams and such should focus on?

(That's a great question, but I cannot think of anything lucrative enough to provide as an answer)

What's a typical day for you like these days?

That depends on the day. Some days are completely devoted to developing a video, while others are spent keeping websites up to date. Very rarely do I have a day that I don't work on something. But is it really work if you love what you do?

When not focusing on gaming, casinos and sports betting, what do you do to relax?

Ironically, play poker. And when I was a younger man I would snow ski and go gold panning in the North Cascades. These days, I like to travel.

What's your motto?

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

end.

Ed: There you go punters, customers, and other curious cats on there in The Matrix. J. Todd is at the top of his game and he is not quite the overnight success story. For every J. Todd there are plenty who almost got there, and loss big time in the end. As always, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun.