Professional sports gambler Lem Banker is an OG in the professional gambling community. He famously made his money by going on one of the hottest football gambling streaks ever back in the ’70s and ’80s, rolling around with the same people in Vegas that inspired the movie Casino. I got a chance to talk to him a couple years ago and he constantly said that he never held a real job in his life, but still made millions and millions of dollars by getting into the sports gambling game at just the right time.
The very definition of an OG, Lem is in a documentary about the life of professional gamblers called The Best Of It.
The character driven documentary focuses on the lives of Boston, The Shrink, Dink, and Banker who all chose to make a living betting sports. A gambler selects this profession despite knowing the life they fancied tends to chew up and spit out even the most seasoned gambler—an all too common tale in Las Vegas. A feud between Boston and The Shrink develops after accusations are made about gambling debts, but a gambler’s actual bank account balance is often based on rumors and half-truths. The outcome of a gambler is as unpredictable as the the games they bet.
Look for it to drop on HD Digital Platforms on May 3rd. In the meantime, check out a clip above for an incredible story about how he had a huge payday when he got a hot tip about Raiders quarterback.
Hard to believe anything like that would ever happen these days. Life was so much simpler before social media.