A whale of a system: Inside the online gambling VIP economy

Saturday, June 8, 2024 2:31 PM
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  • Brett Smiley, Casino Reports

John Earle couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The former senior member of the VIP host teams at upper-echelon U.S. sportsbooks and casinos scrolled through back-end pages revealing wins, losses, and revenue generated from the big spenders.

“Look at this — this guy here is a winner for the night. He is a massive loser all-time for [the sportsbook], but it’s just funny, we caught him on a good night here,” said Earle (not his real name) in an interview with Casino Reports. Earle required anonymity in order to speak candidly about a sensitive subject. “This is someone where if he says, ‘I want to go to the F1 in Miami,’ he’ll get four tickets, all expenses paid, dinner, and everything else.”