There has long been an unofficial Hall of Fame for sports betting, with those in the industry speaking reverently about the men and women who had come before and laid the groundwork for sports betting to be successful here and abroad. Back in 2016, SBC created a Sports Betting Hall of Fame to “recognize the individuals who have contributed a great deal to the industry over the course of their careers with a lasting legacy.”

But with legal sports betting expanding in the U.S. into over 30 states and gaining far more mainstream appeal, Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos saw a hole in the market. This led to the creation of a conference solely for sports bettors and a Sports Gambling Hall of Fame as voted on by a 16-member board of experts. The physical Hall of Fame will be housed in the Circa Sports sportsbook, owned by Derek Stevens.

Neither Kyrollos nor Stevens are on the voting panel — to help avoid potential conflicts — and every candidate needs 75% approval to be inducted into the SGHOF.

The inaugural class of 10 inductees — Billy Baxter, Jack Franzi, Jackie Gaughan, Bob Martin, Charles McNeil, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, Roxy Roxborough, Scotty Schettler, Jimmy Vaccaro and Billy Walters — was honored on August 11, with five living inductees and five honored posthumously.

The inaugural class of the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame at ⁦@CircaSports⁩ pic.twitter.com/sSsDD7lfzn

— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) August 12, 2023

“I was able convinced Derek to make a hole in his sportsbook for this Hall of Fame,” Kyrollos joked at Friday’s unveiling of the class.

Each member of the SGHOF has a plaque inside the alcove in the in Circa Sports sportsbook.

Walters is the most well-known figure publicly, widely regarded as one of the best sports bettors of all-time. He has been called the “Michael Jordan of sports betting” by bookmakers.