Showtime has been pumping out high quality documentaries of late, and its latest project is focused on the culture of sports betting. “Action” will debut on the network on Sunday, March 24 at 8 p.m. to coincide with the opening weekend of March Madness.
The four-part docu-series will focus on the blending of the sometimes shady old world of sports betting and the new legal aspect of wagering on athletic events in the United States. “Action” will follow the lives of professional sports bettors and oddsmakers throughout the 2018 NFL season, culminating with the Super Bowl – which is the biggest sports betting day on the American calendar.
“The world of sports gambling has fascinated Hollywood for decades but never before has a documentary captured the essence of the industry at such a pivotal period,” said Stephen Espinoza, the President of Sports and Event Programming at Showtime. “Through the lens of industry professionals and real-life gamblers within every virtual layer of the business – both legal and illegal – ‘Action’ delivers a one-of-a-kind look as sports gambling enters a brave new world.”
The series will feature some of the biggest names in sports betting and mainstream sports as VSiN’s Brent Musburger, legendary bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, FS1’s “Cousin” Sal Iacono, pro gambler Bill Krackomberger and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will be highlighted.
“Action” also dives deep into the wagering culture as it takes a look at “touts.” For those unfamiliar, touts are people who sell picks for money. Back in the day, touts were all over the horse racing scene and often picked each horse in a race to different customers – guaranteeing at least one victory. The tout would go back to the victorious customer and receive a percentage of the winning bet.
Touting is sure to resurface these days with more and more people getting interested in sports betting.
“The chorus of human stories we present in ‘Action’ will resonate far beyond the world of sports and gambling,” said director Luke Korem. “This is a sub-culture that reflects to an extreme the risk, reward and uncertainty we find in our everyday lives. I’m thrilled that Showtime is allowing us to capture these stories at such a unique moment in history.”
