On his cellphone he consults a spreadsheet that tells him how to play this particular machine so that it is “plus EV,” or positive expected value, meaning the player has an edge over the machine over time. “And I snipe ’em.”ĭespite the bag full of money, Spanky is transfixed by the penny slot machine, pumping one bill after the next into it. “Bookmakers hang a number,” he explains, as he pantomimes holding a gun sight up to his eye and pulling the trigger.
It’s filled with bricks of cash, nearly $150,000 worth. His backpack, however, isn’t carrying school books and snacks.
He’s known throughout the gambling world by the name Spanky, and in his hoodie, sweatpants, and backpack, he very much resembles a 40-year-old version of the Little Rascal. He bets millions of dollars each year on sporting events, from NFL games to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. “I’m a sports bettor.” Kyrollos is actually one of the highest-rolling sports bettors in the United States. “I am not a bookmaker,” Gadoon Kyrollos tells me as we walk through the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, playing penny slot machines.
