Sports Gambling 101: Dan Kilbridge Gives Tips On Winning Money And Reveals His Sleeper March Madness Team

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iStockphoto / Seth Love


As somebody who just recently got into betting more frequently, I’ve been reading all the sports gambling 101 manuals I can find. From knowing which teams to drop money on to understanding the way different contests work, I’m just trying my best to win a few hundred bucks before really stepping up my game. So far, I’m just breaking even.

Lucky for me, there are guys like Dan Kilbridge of Bookies.com — a partner of BetMGM‘s — who literally spends his days writing about sports gambling in order to help dudes like me win big. Kilbridge focuses his attention on college basketball and college football, but, like most guys, regularly plays DFS tournaments in any sport he finds interesting… or that can win him some dough.

Given the expansion over the years of the sports gambling industry — with BetMGM now available in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia, with more to come — Kilbridge has seen more U.S. states legalize betting; and sports fans are getting more and more interested in taking part.

With business booming and bettors looking to play more often, I got the chance to chat with Dan Kilbridge to get his take on the state of the sports betting industry, any tips he has to actually win money, his thoughts on the NCAA Tournament and, naturally, his sleeper team to compete for the national title. Take a look below at his thoughts.

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BroBible (BB): First Things First: What Drew You Towards The Sports Gambling Industry?

Dan Kilbridge (DK): “I’ve always enjoyed the process of studying weekly point spreads, putting parlays together with friends and looking for an edge that others haven’t seen. But the explosive growth in U.S. sports betting with the 2018 Supreme Court decision striking down PASPA is what really drew me to the business side. It is an extremely exciting time for the gambling industry. Getting in on the ground floor with Bookies as more and more states continue to legalize the practice and create new customer and revenue streams is a dream opportunity.”

BB: Did You Have Experience Winning While Playing DFS Or In Fantasy Leagues?

DK: “I’m a casual DFS player. It’s difficult to consistently profit from big DFS tournaments unless it’s your sole focus and you bankroll dozens of entries per contest. I’ll put a few golf and UFC lineups out there to keep things interesting, but that’s about it. I have my share of friendly fantasy league titles but often have conflicting interests with my Sunday lineup and NFL bets.”

BB: Everybody Loves A Good Gambling Story, So What’s Your Biggest Win Or Biggest Loss?

DK: “It wasn’t the biggest play I’ve made, but my favorite win without question was an Idaho-BYU game in 2012. I was on the Vandals as a +39.5 underdog and they trailed 42-7 at halftime. Idaho was god awful but somehow ham-and-egged it to keep things close in the second half. BYU led 52-10 in the final minute and looked like a lock to cover. Then it got weird. Rather than go for it on 4th & 6, down 42 points with almost no time left, Idaho punted. BYU’s return man muffed the punt and Idaho recovered at the BYU 18 with six seconds left. And rather than take a shot at the end zone with time for just one play, the Idaho coach sent his kicker out for a 35-yard field goal. Again, they’re down 42. The coach was obviously aware of the spread and intent on covering. What a hero. Kick was good, making it a 52-13 loss to cover +39.5 by the hook. I’ll never forget the details. Craziest gambling finish I’ve seen.”

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BB: Without Giving Away Too Many Secrets, What Do You Look For When Making Your Bets?

DK: “Every game is different, but there really aren’t any shortcuts. That’s been especially true in 2020. You have to do your research and try to get the best possible understanding of a team’s strengths, weaknesses, motivation level and health/availability on a week-to-week basis. I also prefer to read local media coverage when researching games – these reporters are with the team every day and might have an angle or injury update the national media overlooks. There aren’t really any secrets anymore, so in general I’m looking for information and individual matchup dynamics that I determine to be over or under emphasized by the general public, thus creating value.”

BB: If You’re Doing A Sports Gambling 101, How Are Ways New Bettors Can Actually Be Successful?

DK: “Do your research. Don’t get too high after wins or too low after losses. Don’t let personal bias or majority perception shape your strategy decisions. Recognize that every half-point matters and it’s about the spread rather than the teams. Determine what kind of bettor you want to be and develop a consistent wagering pattern based on available bankroll. Those are just a few basic tips. Bookies.com has a ton of resources for rookie bettors including strategy guides, odds calculators, updated point spreads for every sport and our BookiesEdge expert picks.”

BB: You’re Known For Being A College Sports Betting Expert, Is There A Lucky Team You Often Bet Big On?

DK: “Not from year-to-year, because there’s too much roster turnover in college sports. But in college football I’m usually looking for two types of teams to ride throughout the season – teams that are so dominant they can’t set the number high enough, like LSU last year, and teams that aren’t great but keep it close enough to cover and stay under the radar, like UCLA this season (4-1 ATS).”

BB: If You Had To Guess, Is The NCAA Tournament Going To Happen In 2021?

DK: “I say yes. It’s certainly gonna be a bumpy ride to get there and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a midseason pause or hiatus at some point. But the NCAA has too much at stake and the proposed Indianapolis bubble for the whole tournament has to cut down on the risk, which hopefully is lower in March than it is right now.”

BB: Any Sleeper CBB Teams Gamblers Should Keep Tabs On For March?

DK: “I’ve got my eye on Florida State early. Expectations weren’t all that high with the pieces they lost in the offseason, but they have great senior leadership in M.J. Walker and a nice supporting cast. They still look undervalued to me on futures wagers, especially to win the ACC — Duke and North Carolina have serious issues, and Virginia will probably be their biggest competition in conference.”

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BB: Any Favorite Futures Bets You’re Loving In Either CBB Or CFB?

DK: “I do like Michigan State +400 to win the Big Ten. They’ve won at least a share of the regular season championship three years in a row and former Marquette big Joey Hauser was a key transfer addition. They were expected to be down a bit with Cassius Winston gone, but Izzo has serious talent to work with and it’s already coming together faster than expected.”

BB: In This Weird Pandemic Year, How Do You Think Sports Gambling Changed?

DK: “The need for legal mobile sports betting with online registration became abundantly clear. States that legalize sports gambling but fail to approve mobile betting are leaving millions in revenue on the table and providing an inferior service to customers. In the best of times, there’s nothing better than a jam-packed sportsbook with everyone going nuts. This year showed remote environments, be it work-from-home, streaming new release movies or sports betting, can be far more practical than previously thought. Required in-person registration for mobile sports betting isn’t practical for some residents, many of whom may live several hours away from the nearest legal sportsbook. We should be providing more avenues for legal, responsible sports betting with licensed operators, not limiting them, especially in 2020.”

BB: What Do You Think Will Be The Next Big Thing In Sports Betting?

DK: “Live betting continues to gain a ton of traction and will create interest in sports that previously had relatively small handles. The PGA Tour is all in on gambling and developed an advanced stats system, for which technology has finally caught up. This will lead to multi-screen viewing options and the opportunity to wager on nearly every shot in real time. For example, you could be watching a Players Championship live stream showing just the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass all day and bet on closest to the pin for every group that comes through. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m very high on golf’s potential to generate serious sports betting interest and the future of live betting tech in general.”

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Nick Dimengo avatar
Nick's a Sr. Editor for BroBible, mainly relying on his Sports Encyclopedia-like mind to write about things. He's also the co-host of the BroBible podcast "We Run This," and can be seen sweating his ass off while frequently running 10+ miles around Seattle.