130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Odds Man Out

The Untold Story of How Professional Sports Crushed the Pioneers of Online Betting
By Jay Cohen
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
Three San Francisco traders become internet gambling pioneers after launching the first truly online sportsbooks, but the fix is in as the professional sports leagues flex their muscle to game the system and turn its founders into fugitives, proving that no bet’s a sure thing. Before... Read More
Format: Hardback
$6500
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Three San Francisco traders become internet gambling pioneers after launching the first truly online sports books, but the fix is in as the professional sports leagues flex their muscle to game the system and turn its founders into fugitives, proving that no bet’s a sure thing.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Three San Francisco traders become internet gambling pioneers after launching the first truly online sportsbooks, but the fix is in as the professional sports leagues flex their muscle to game the system and turn its founders into fugitives, proving that no bet’s a sure thing.

Before the Supreme Court unleashed legal sports betting with its 2018 landmark decision, an unlikely trio of traders from the Pacific Stock Exchange took a huge gamble and wagered their lives on a bet that online gaming was in America’s future. Now Americans, in 2024 alone, wagered nearly $150 billion on sports—with professional sports leagues, casinos, and betting apps all cashing in. But, before this gold rush, these same leagues fought viciously to keep sports gambling illegal.

The revolution began in the mid-1990s, the early days of the internet, when three San Francisco traders dared to pursue a bold, new business venture. Jay Cohen, an options trader who had never placed a bet, found inspiration watching colleague Steve Schillinger turn the fever of the OJ Simpson trial into a wildly popular futures market. With Schillinger and twenty-one-year-old Haden Ware, Cohen set up World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com) in Antigua, a Caribbean Island paradise where sports betting ventures were legal and regulated.

WSEX’s futures sports exchange platform and innovative live betting features quickly became the industry’s crown jewel. But their explosion into the gambling scene would soon unleash a powerful backlash—the first federal prosecution of internet sports betting. While Cohen willingly returned to the US to fight the charges, his partners stayed behind to handle their booming business while battling the Department of Justice, professional sports leagues, and an army of lawyers, politicians, and lobbyists. Cohen and WSEX fought back and convinced Antigua to challenge the US in the courts of the World Trade Organization, setting off a decades-long battle for justice.

Odds Man Out is an insider’s account from WSEX founder Jay Cohen, detailing a sixteen-year rollercoaster ride that ended in tragedy. Were Cohen and his colleagues criminals or ahead of their time? As today's sports leagues ultimately decided to cash in themselves and embrace an industry they once demonized, Cohen’s story exposes how a Goliath wielded power and influence to crush the pioneers of internet betting.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9798895658345

Publisher: Post Hill Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 13 August 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Post Hill Press

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Benjamin Brafman

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 549g

Pages: 384

Collections

Computing & Technology Cooking & Food Education & Reference Finance & Economics Finance & Investment Jay Cohen Non-Fiction

About the Author

Jay Cohen is the co-Founder and former President of World Sports Exchange, the first fully online betting site. World Sports Exchange opened in January 1997 and closed in April 2013.

On February 28, 2000, Cohen was the first person to be convicted in federal court for violation of the 1961 Federal Wire Act for operating an online gambling company despite being in Antigua, where the business was licensed and regulated. Cohen served eighteen months in Nellis Federal Prison in North Las Vegas, Nevada. He was released in March 2004.

Cohen was instrumental in Antigua’s decision in March 2003 to initiate the dispute resolution process of the World Trade Organization to challenge the US’ prohibition on the cross-border supply of online gambling services.

Prior to World Sports Exchange, Cohen worked as an options market-maker for Group One Trading on the floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange.

Cohen moved to Europe and renounced his citizenship in 2012. He currently lives in Eastern Europe with his wife and son. He grew up in Long Island and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in nuclear engineering.

Cohen and World Sports Exchange have been featured in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and on CNBC, HBO Real Sports, 60 Minutes, and ESPN.

More from Cooking & Food

View all
  • Always Delicious
    New Release
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Always Delicious
    The bestselling Vanya Insull, one of our favourite foodies and the creator of VJ Cooks, returns with her fourth cookbook—her best and tastiest collection yet. Packed full of the approachable, reliable recipes she's famous for, Always Delicious covers every occasion with Vanya's signature laidback style. Begin with some light bites, perfect for sharing platters, relaxed lunches, and easy entertaining. Fire...
    By Vanya Insull
    Paperback
    $3999
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Ottolenghi SIMPLE TOO
    New Release
    Ottolenghi SIMPLE TOO
    For the three million home cooks around the world who loved Simple, Ottolenghi brings us 135 brand-new easy recipes that are full of flavour, intensity and creativity For the millions of home cooks who loved Ottolenghi SIMPLE, discover the pleasure of keeping things SIMPLE TOO.It’s a noisy world out there, so stop, take a minute or two, listen to the soup...
    By Yotam Ottolenghi
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Dish Chook Book
    The dish Chook Book is designed to banish boring with a huge range of chicken dishes that will become regulars on the menu for years to come. Created by dish editor Sarah Tuck and food editor Claire Aldous, these recipes range from simply scrumptious to elegantly sensational. With chicken as a base, New Zealand s most loved protein is showcased...
    By Sarah Tuck
    Paperback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Thyme to Cook
    Free Gift
    New Release
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Thyme to Cook
    Thyme to Cook is a practical guide to growing, harvesting and cooking real food at home to nourish our bodies and minds! From successful cookery writer Emma Galloway. 'A treasure trove of a book - an approachable and very beautiful guide to growing your own food and easy and original ways to cook and eat it.' Anna Jones, author of...
    By Emma Galloway
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • How We Cook
    New Release
    How We Cook
    Welcome to How We Cook: The Two Raw Sisters' best cookbook yet, with more than 100 ridiculously good recipes that will help you cook with confidence. The Two Raw Sisters are here to make healthy eating feel easy and genuinely achievable. Inside, you'll find adaptable base recipes, from granola and smoothies to salads and soups, to muffins and rocky road,...
    By Margo Flanagan and Rosa Power
    Hardback
    $4299
    Elsewhere:
    $4999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • 20 Minute Meals
    On Sale
    20% off
    New Release
    20 Minute Meals
    Fast food is good food in 20 minutes or less with Jamie . . . 20-Minute Meals solves all your dinner dilemmas, giving you quick, tasty meals every night of the week. These incredible recipes will be on the table in just 20 minutes or less. With a maximum of ten ingredients in each recipe and 70% hitting daily nutritional...
    By Jamie Oliver
    Hardback
    $4500
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Saint Peter Saint Peter
    Free Gift
    On Sale
    11% off
    Saint Peter
    In 2026, Saint Peter marks a decade at the forefront of global dining – a restaurant that has quietly but decisively reshaped the way we think about fish. In Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse, Josh Niland brings that world to the page for the first time: a landmark work that captures the philosophy, precision and daily rhythm of one of...
    By Josh Niland
    Hardback
    $6500
    Elsewhere:
    $9000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Soph's Plant Kitchen 30 in 30: 30g of protein, 30 minutes or less
    An essential cookbook for anyone looking to increase the amount of plant protein and fibre they eat without spending hours in the kitchen. Instagram sensation and Sunday Times bestselling author @Sophsplantkitchen has created her very best plant-based, high fibre recipes: all with at least 30 grammes of protein, all on the table in 30 minutes or less and all mouth-wateringly...
    By Sophie Waplington
    Hardback
    $4800
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    15% off
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Lunchbox Bible
    From the team behind the bestselling sensation Baby Food Bible, Lunchbox Bible is your go-to recipe book for feeding children healthy, allergen-friendly, and nutritionist-approved food that’s guaranteed to please. With 75 recipes and a visual library containing 75 different lunchboxes, this comprehensive guide has been carefully created with time-poor parents in mind. The recipes are simple, quick, nutrient-dense, and get...
    By Julia Tellidis and Lauren Skora
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $5999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    On Sale
    20% off
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    By Monique Fiso
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Fitwaffle's Easy 6
    Discover how simple cooking can be every day with over 100 easy, tasty recipes using only 6 ingredients. "My mission is simple. I want to help people feel more confident in the kitchen and show that baking and cooking don't need to be complicated. Whether you're brand new in the kitchen or you've been doing it for years, my goal...
    By Eloise Head
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • So Good Express
    Simple, nutritious recipes for when time is of the essence. Bringing together delicious and easy-to-follow recipes with the sound advice of a fully qualified nutritionist, number one bestselling author Emily English shows us that good food can make you feel amazing and bring you joy, every single day. Blending her nutrition expertise with a love of simple, fresh food, Emily...
    By Emily English
    Hardback
    $4799
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Cooking & Food lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all