ESPN hires Las Vegan Kelly Stewart as sports betting analyst
Kelly in Vegas soon will be Kelly on ESPN.
The Review-Journal has learned that ESPN will announce Thursday it has hired handicapper Kelly Stewart — known on social media as @KellyInVegas — as a sports betting analyst.
Stewart will serve as an analyst on “Daily Wager,” the one-hour weekday sports betting news and information show on ESPN2 that airs from ESPN’s studio at The Linq Hotel. She also will appear on “SportsCenter,” the “Daily Wager” podcast and other ESPN programs and sports betting platforms.
A longtime Review-Journal contributor, Stewart will begin working for ESPN in June.
“I’m honestly still floored,” she told the RJ. “Four years ago, I was working for the RJ and doing videos in the various sportsbooks around town. Then the repeal of PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) came along. Coincidentally, I was in Bristol (Connecticut) that day.
“Little did I know, three years later, I’d be a part of a vastly growing space at the worldwide leader in sports. I’m beyond excited for the future.”
A native of Manhattan, Kansas, Stewart earned a degree in business administration, specializing in marketing, at Kansas State before moving to Las Vegas.
In 2012, she gained notoriety in the sports betting world for hitting a $100 three-team money line college football parlay that paid $8,452 (85-1). In 2014, she went 14-1 ATS in the final three weeks of the NFL season to win the mini-contest, which paid $15,000, in the prestigious Westgate SuperContest.
“As a kid from small town Kansas, I grew up watching Kansas State teams during the Bill Snyder era and was immediately hooked on sports,” Stewart said. “Gambling has always been a part of my life, starting with wagering against friends on the outcome of events to playing cards and rolling dice.
“I guess you could say the move to Las Vegas after college was just a natural progression for me, and I quickly gravitated to legal sports betting. I was privileged to be mentored by some of the best in the business. I’m looking forward to sharing my expertise with ESPN viewers and sports fans everywhere.”
Featured in the Showtime docuseries “Action” in 2019, Stewart most recently worked as a sports betting analyst for Bleacher Report and WagerTalk and has appeared across multiple other platforms over the years, including ESPN Radio in Las Vegas.
“Having an experienced voice like Kelly Stewart join us better positions us to expand our sports betting content going forward,” said Scott Clark, ESPN senior coordinating producer, who oversees sports betting production. “She’ll be an important asset to all that we are doing in the space.”
“Daily Wager” is hosted by former Las Vegas anchor Doug Kezirian, who spent seven years as sports director at KTNV Channel 13 before joining ESPN in 2012.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
