They're like characters in a seedy movie and, in fact, when the piece is published, Hollywood types ring my phone off the hook trying to buy the rights to make a movie out of the story. I learn three lessons. Point spreads are the currency of American sports, and not just for guys who look like they should be in The Sopranos. For college kids. Betting generates much of the energy you see in arenas and stadiums.
Bookies are everywhere.
And most of them are students. Which brings us to this weekend, a sort of Ground Zero in the campus betting explosion. On Wednesday, a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Sen. John McCain, fresh from his presidential run, held hearings on the Amateur Sports Integrity Act, which would ban betting on Olympic, college and high school sports. This came practically on the eve of the Final Four, one of gambling's high holy events. It would help.