I’ve been covering poker and the gambling industry since 2008, but becoming a gambling writer wasn’t exactly part of a long-term career plan.
Before writing professionally, I worked in IT support for major organizations like Ericsson, Dell, Compaq, and Bank of America.
In 2001, I started a side hustle as a courthouse researcher, and by the end of my tenure with Bank of America in 2002, it became my primary business. Poker became a serious hobby in the mid-2000s, and by 2006, I was traveling the country playing tournaments.
I had some success at the tables, and while I considered becoming a professional player, what I learned during my travels convinced me otherwise. Poker eventually gave me a different career.
From Poker Player to Poker Writer
The housing downturn took a toll on my research business, so I reached out to writers in my poker network to explore potential writing opportunities. A well-known writer at the time connected me with PokerNews, and my first writing gig was live coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker.
After the series, I took on a few small contracts until I connected with the Head of Content at the OnGame Network. That’s when my career began to take off.
Over the years, I covered WSOP events, wrote poker news and strategy, interviewed players and industry figures, and contributed to publications and companies including PokerNews, PokerJunkie, PokerListings, Cardplayer Lifestyle, the OnGame Network, Bwin, and Ivey Poker.
Poker was where my gambling media career started, but it didn't stay there.
Beyond the Poker Table
As the online gambling industry evolved, so did my work.
I began my career writing exclusively about online poker. After Black Friday, I transitioned more into legal coverage of the gambling industry. From there, my content began covering numerous verticals, ranging from online casinos and casino games to gaming and software providers, regulation, and other areas of the industry. My work eventually expanded into editing, content management, research, and other roles beyond writing individual articles.
More recently, sweepstakes casinos have become a significant part of my work. This is an area where firsthand experience is important. I regularly use the products I cover rather than relying entirely on promotional material or secondhand research.
Nearly Two Decades Later
The gambling industry I cover today looks very different from the one I entered in 2008.
Poker's Black Friday hadn't happened yet. Legal online sports betting in the United States was still years away. Sweepstakes casinos and prediction markets as we know them today didn't exist.
I've had the opportunity to watch many of those changes happen while working inside gambling media.
That history is useful, but experience alone isn't enough. Gambling products change too quickly to rely on what was true five or ten years ago. I still test products, research operators, follow regulatory developments, and try to understand how gambling actually works from the player's side.
What I Bring to My Work
I don't think good gambling content comes from simply researching a keyword and rewriting what already exists online.
The best content comes from experience. Research doesn’t cover nuance, and it’s the subtleties that make the difference.
What does that mean in practice? That means I play the games. I actually test the casinos. Whenever possible, my information is first-hand knowledge, not information extracted from a page.
Lastly, I pride myself on being a jack-of-all-trades. Having a specialty is great until 100 people have the same skill set. Being versatile isn't just a gambling skill. It's a life skill.
My Perspective on AI
Too many people have bought into the “AI Slop” narrative and are overlooking AI’s usefulness as a tool. No, AI should not completely replace your writing process. However, it is a useful tool that can speed up processes and inspire writers.
The aversion to AI reminds me of the early years of the internet. When web-building tools started making site creation easier, many touted that “true coders don’t need tools.” Nowadays, can you name one person who can hard-code a website? Of course not. Tools made the process more streamlined.
That’s my view on AI. It is a tool to improve our lives and can improve content. Learn to adapt or get left behind.