How Basketball Betting Changed Bob Voulgaris’ Life

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“Some people make the world special just by being in it.”

Kelly Ann Rothaus was speaking about individuals like Bob Voulgaris when she made that declaration. Bob didn't just make an impact in the basketball betting scene with his analytical prowess, he went on to become a high-ranking official in a revered NBA franchise. Today, we shed light on Bob Voulgaris’ journey to stardom in the basketball betting world.

Before we go on, we are sure that Bob’s impactful story may prompt many fans to pursue an interest in betting on their favorite sports. While that’s fine, you must understand that he made a lot of effort to understand the game and how to wager on it before he began.

For players in Hungary and beyond who want to be a punter, you must also do the same by studying odds, markets, the flow of the game, stats, the available bookmakers and more. Many review platforms and guides can help you with valuable sports betting tips that will make your experience successful.

The Early Days of Bob Voulgaris

Bob Voulgaris was born back in 1975. He became fascinated by gambling when his father took him to Las Vegas for the first time. Bob himself admitted that his father was a terrible gambler. According to him, his dad would place bets on anything he could lay his hand on, including card games and daily penny stocks.

During his early visits to the US gambling capital, he couldn't watch his father bet on blackjack because he was just 18 years old. You need to be at least 21 years old to place wagers in Nevada.

While his dad placed wagers on blackjack tables, Bob watched basketball games at Caesars Palace sportsbook. During this period, he observed the game and bets made on these events from a unique angle. As Bob watched basketball games, he spent all his time thinking about how he could find a betting edge on them.

Bob Makes His Entry

Between the late 90s and early 2000s, Bob finally got his Eureka moment and discovered an edge over the bookmakers offering basketball odds. He already knew that beating the house was nearly impossible. So, when Bob found the edge in basketball events, he did everything in his power to milk it to the last drop.

You might be wondering: what was the edge that Bob found? Well, he noted that bookmakers didn't put too much effort when creating half-time totals. They simply guessed the match's score and divided it into two. But the game of basketball is much more complicated than that.

Hotly-contested basketball games usually feature higher scores in the fourth quarter. This stems from time-outs, free throws, and players getting fouled of the game. So, half-time totals should have been set based on quarter-basis and not the full match. The bookies didn't know that; thus, Bob used it to his advantage.

With this edge, Bob won 70% of all basketball bets he placed. And within five years, he'd accumulated millions of USD in payouts. His only regret during this stint was that he didn't place bigger wagers.

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An Abrupt End to a Stellar Run

“Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn’t fade out at last.”

This Juan Rulfo quote speaks to Bob’s first betting edge.

After several years of hitting million-dollar wins, bookmakers got smarter and sharpened the lines tied to their totals. This scenario saw Bob lose his betting purple patch, leading him to a string of losses.

At first, he couldn't believe that he was on the receiving end of so many losses. This got him desperate, and he resorted to making rash decisions in a bid to recover lost funds. After realizing that his edge had been sealed and shut by the bookies, Bob knew he needed to create another strategy. As such, he made the smart decision of staying away from betting.

The Ewing Theory Takes Form

After multiple trials and errors, Bob discovered the only way to get an advantage over bookmakers was to develop a computer model. This realization hit him after learning that there were teams in Las Vegas and Hong Kong running computer-based betting operations.

In 2005, he took his remaining bankroll and got to work. Ever being the smart man that he is, Bob realized that he couldn't spearhead this project all by himself. He needed someone who was good in mathematics to assist. As such, he hired a national whiz mathematics champion in the hedge fund sector.

After this collaboration happened, it took Bob and the whiz he hired two years to release the first iteration of a system called Ewing. While this model was in the works, Bob had been betting on his own analytical know-how. The Ewing model has one goal: simulate a match between two teams and give an accurate full-time score. To get this end result, the model needed to be fed statistics on previous games.

In 2008, the first model of Ewing was live. However, it didn't deliver expected results. As such, the team spent some time tweaking the model. After this change, a newer model (Ewing 2.0) was released and delivered the goods.

Soon after Ewing 2.0’s successes made headlines, Bob Voulgaris took another break from sports betting to take on an advisory role at an anonymous NBA franchise. During this timeline, Bob made a bold claim that he could put together a squad better than any GM in the league could.

Bob’s Exploits Gets Him a Role at the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks is one of the top franchises in the NBA world. The franchise enjoyed its best stints under the ownership of Mark Cuban. Why? The billionaire brought in Bob Voulgaris as the team's Director of Quantitative Research and Development back in 2018.

It's claimed that although Bob was instrumental in securing the signature of Luka Doncic, his efforts were constantly frustrated by the franchise's front office. The latter scenario saw the Dallas Mavericks part ways with Voulgaris in 2021.

As MightyTips top tipster András Juhász mentioned, Bob’s story is revolutionary. He’s the perfect example of a man who pays attention, spots an opportunity, and acts on it without wasting time. This explains why he’s successful and other bettors seeking success must emulate him.

We must not also forget he understands when it’s time to seek help. When it comes to finding the right bookmakers, odds, payment methods, or even casino bonuses in Hungary for those who engage in that form of wagering, seeking help by checking what guides and review sites are saying is one of the things that help smart players stay ahead of the curve and avoid mistakes.

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Expanding His Tentacles

Just a year after he left the Dallas Mavericks, Bob took a detour to the football world and purchased a Spanish team called CD Castellón. The acquisition coincided with the team's 100th anniversary, and marked a new chapter for a team that hadn't reached the top flight (La Liga) for several decades.

Bob Voulgaris has curated an analytical blueprint to guide the club's path for the next six years. As it is with everything Voulgaris is involved in, this move is calculated and aimed at pushing the team to the top of their division and ultimately getting promoted to the La Liga.

And with Bob Voulgaris going all out to hire new personnel and improve existing facilities, there's a chance that this goal might become reality very soon.

Final Thoughts

Bob Voulgaris’ success in basketball betting is next to none. What stands out about him is the fact he knew what he wanted from the get-go: find edges and exploit them. This commitment saw him on the receiving end of just not millions of USD, but a role in an actual NBA franchise.

With these accolades and a recent buy of a Spanish team eyeing top flight football, you can say that Bob Voulgaris has lived his analytical life to the fullest. And if we’re to go by everything the man has been over the years, it’s safe to say there's more to come.