Bockino, associate professor of sport management, recently spoke with Complex about the relationship between betting and the Kentucky Derby.
黑料不打烊 Associate Professor of Sport Management聽David Bockino was featured in a recent exploring how the Kentucky Derby helped shape the history and mainstream appeal of sports betting in the United States.
The story examines the Derby鈥檚 long relationship with wagering, tracing how betting became central to the race鈥檚 culture and broader popularity. Bockino offered historical context on how horse racing served as an early entry point for legalized, public sports betting and helped normalize wagering.
鈥淗orse racing has always had this sheen of respectability,鈥 said Bockino.聽鈥淭he idea that you dressed up for the event in some capacity, the idea that you drank fancy drinks. The idea that this was an 鈥榦uting鈥 made the underlying betting foundation more acceptable to American society. Everyone looks nice when you turn on the television [to watch the Derby]. That sort of facade was built up around horse racing and the event over the years 鈥 but in the end, it鈥檚 really just a betting endeavor.鈥
His perspective highlighted the Kentucky Derby鈥檚 lasting influence on American sports culture, from the traditions of race-day betting to the modern expansion of legal sports wagering across the country.
鈥淧eople were always ready to bet [on sports],鈥 Bockino said. 鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been a great societal shift in people wanting to bet on sports. There鈥檚 just been a great technological shift where you can now bet on your phone. You can bet on horse racing, or a table tennis event in China. Technology has made betting so much easier. But people have always wanted to and have always found a way to bet on sports. If you look back at the origin of any American sport, there were people betting on the outcomes from the very beginning. Horse racing included.鈥
Bockino’s upcoming book聽聽explores the “definitive, colorful history of American sports betting that challenges the dialogue around one of our country鈥檚 fastest growing (and most controversial) industries.” It was featured in the New York Times list of聽