Legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker Michael “Roxy” Roxborough is one of five industry veterans who will be inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame in April. The induction ceremony will be held at the second Betting on Sports America trade show in New Jersey, organized by SBC.
The founder of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, Roxborough is widely credited with pioneering the use of mathematical formulas and computer models. He also co-founded American Wagering Inc, the first U.S. bookmaking company to be publicly listed in 1996, and Instant Odds, the first site to supply real-time odds updates from Las Vegas casinos.
Roxborough also co-authored Sports Book Management: A Guide to the Legal Bookmaker in 1988, the first educational book for the sports betting business, reported CDC Gaming Reports. He also ranks No. 2 on the Las Vegas Review-Journal list of the most influential sports figures of the 20th century, was one of GQ magazine’s 50 most important people in sports, and is among Sports Illustrated’s 50 greatest sports figures in Nevada history.
“It is an honor to be among the stars of the industry and I’m especially honored to be inducted with two Las Vegas friends,” Roxborough recently said of the induction. “This award is for all the people who worked for the Las Vegas Sports Consultants’ team for years without recognition.”
Others in the Class of 2020 are Raymond Lesniak, former New Jersey senator; Jay Rood, COO of Bet.Works; Vic Salerno, president of USBookmaking & US Fantasy Sports, and Sara Slane, former senior vice president of the American Gaming Association.
The Hall of Fame was established to celebrate the accomplishments of the stalwarts who have changed the face of the industry, and few individuals could fulfill the entry criteria better than Roxborough.
Previous inductees include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Station Casinos VP Race and Sports Book Operations Art Manteris, bet365 Founder & CEO Denise Coates, Pinnacle CEO Paris Smith, Sportingbet Founder Mark Blandford, Sportradar Founder Carsten Koerl, Betfred Founder Fred Done, BetConstruct Founder Vigen Badalyan and Bookmaker Technology Consortium Director Howard Chisholm.
