Authors

We have assembled a team of casino, poker and sports betting experts at EmpireStakes.com who know New York and know gambling. These veteran journalists will provide readers with the latest New York casino and betting news as well as insight into the industry through interviews with leading figures in the New York gaming community.

Mike Ferguson is a college football betting analyst for EmpireStakes.com. Mike spends his days browsing the latest lines for all the top college football betting markets to find storylines curated specifically for sports bettors in New York. From time-to-time Mike will also turn his attention to NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL betting lines that New York sports bettors might be interested in but college football odds are Mike's expertise.
Shannon Lane is a commercial editor for Gambling.com Group and fact-checker for EmpireStakes.com. She has spent the last decade working in sports media, including at NFL Media in digital content programming and strategy, and as a reporter and fact-checker at Sports Illustrated. She covers everything NFL football to give New York sports bettors the best information on the Giants, Jets, Bills and other NFL teams.
Lou Finocchiaro is a lead NFL betting expert for EmpireStakes.com. He has covered the NFL for decades and has written for publications including ESPN, DraftKings Sportsbook and the NY Post. He covers odds for the Giants, Bills and Jets to give New York bettors the most up-to-date information possible.
Cole Shelton is an NFL sports betting expert for EmpireStakes.com, focusing on the Bills' playoff chances and Super Bowl odds. His work has appeared in several sports and fantasy outlets, including Rotowire, CBS Sports and Sportskeeda. With a background in sports betting that ranges from NFL to MMA, his wide-reaching knowledge will surely deliver the best information for Bills fans and New York bettors.
Michelle is an editorial researcher and fantasy writer for the NFL Network. She also is a co-host for the BallBlast Fantasy Football Podcast and the Gold Diggers Podcast on the 49ers Gold Standard Network.
Blake Weishaar is a commercial editor and fact-checker at EmpireStakes.com. He has a wealth of knowledge within the gambling industry dating back to 2014 and has been at the forefront of the sports betting boom since PASPA was repealed in 2018. He plans to harness that expertise in providing the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding New York's sports betting market.
Chris Wassell writes sports betting for Gambling.com.
Marc has worked in the New York market since 2000. He is currently the lead sports anchor at WPIX and weekend host on WFAN. Marc has worked at CBS Sports Radio, Sirius XM and SNY. Marc has a vast knowledge of New York sports and will be covering the New York Jets throughout the 2023 season.
EmpireStakes.com
Wes Roesch
Editor & Writer
2 Fact Checked
Wes is an editor and writer for EmpireStakes.com. Based out of the Kansas City area, Wes has covered sports professionally since 2015 with a strong emphasis on sports betting and the NFL, though he's also covered pro wrestling, UFC, college sports and more.
EmpireStakes.com
Stefan Krysa
1 Articles Written
Stefan Krysa is a freelance sports writer born in the U.S. and raised in Canada. He is an avid fan of both American and Canadian sports, and is committed to providing up-to-date information regarding New York sports betting.
EmpireStakes.com
Lou Monaco
362 Articles Written
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.
EmpireStakes.com
Bill Ordine
23 Articles Written
Bill Ordine was a reporter and editor in news and sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun for 25 years, and was a lead reporter on a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. Bill started reporting on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for 10 years.
EmpireStakes.com
Cecil Peters
26 Articles Written
Cecil Peters is a Senior Betting Analyst for EmpireStakes.com.
EmpireStakes.com
Matthew Asher
Product Coordinator and Fact Checker
5 Articles Written 1 Fact Checked
As the current Product Coordinator and Fact Checker editor for EmpireStakes.com, Matthew Asher has nearly a decade of experience working in public relations and digital media marketing with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.Matthew is passionate about the sports betting industry and has been known to explain how to bet on the NFL, College Football and other major sports leagues. He is passionate about making sure you have the most up-to-date and correct information about New York betting regulations.
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
EmpireStakes.com
Marcus Mosher
30 Articles Written
Marcus Mosher covers the NFL, NFL Draft and NFL news for EmpireStakes.com. The managing editor of The Raiders Wire is also a contributor to The Athletic DFW, Pro Football Weekly and FanSided, and previously wrote for FanRag Sports. He hosts Locked On Cowboys Podcast.
EmpireStakes.com
Martin Green
5 Articles Written
Martin Green spent five years working at William Hill before becoming a journalist in 2009. He has a degree in English Literature and he has edited a number of magazines, newspapers and websites during his career. He began working as a sports writer and professional tipster in 2014, and his work has featured in a large number of top publications across the web.
EmpireStakes.com
Pat McLoone
7 Articles Written 324 Fact Checked
Pat McLoone is a news editor overseeing coverage for New York state sites EmpireStakes.com and NewYorkBets.com, among other duties. Pat spent more than 40 years at the Philadelphia Daily News, where he became managing editor, and later the Philadelphia Inquirer, as managing editor for Sports.
EmpireStakes.com
Christopher Boan
20 Articles Written
Christopher Boan writes for EmpireStakes.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
EmpireStakes.com
Adam Taylor
Senior Betting Analyst
6 Articles Written
Adam Taylor is a Senior Betting Analyst for EmpireStakes.com. He is an NBA expert specializing in the Boston Celtics and Eastern Conference. Adam has been covering the NBA for six years, and produces content for the likes of SB Nation, Heavy, Oddschecker, and a string of other NBA outlets.
EmpireStakes.com
Mark Strotman
3 Articles Written
Mark Strotman is a veteran sports journalist who has covered the Chicago Bulls and the NBA for NBC Sports Chicago for about 8 years. His work has also appeared on ESPN.com, FoxSports.com, The Chicago Tribune, Yahoo Sports and NBC Sports.
EmpireStakes.com
Brian Dermody
5 Articles Written
Brian Dermody has downloaded and extensively reviewed all the top sports betting sites in the United States, so he is well prepared to break down all the top sportsbooks apps to ensure New Yorkers find the best betting site to sign up with. Brian also provides in-depth guides to the entire New York betting market, making him one of the top resources for gambling knowledge in New York.
Shelby Dermer is a reporter & analyst for EmpireStakes.com. Shelby has been a sports reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer for the last five years and now lends his expertise to the New York sports betting market.
Graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Journalism, Richard has written for notable sports outlets such as Bleacher Report. Now with EmpireStakes.com, Richard is able to combine his sports and gambling interests to spend time exploring online sportsbooks and casinos.
EmpireStakes.com
Joss Wood
4 Articles Written 1 Fact Checked
Joss Wood is a Senior Writer for EmpireStakes.com. Joss is globally considered one of the leading voices in the gambling industry, especially North American sports betting. With decades of experience under his belt, you will find Joss' thoughts published across several of the top websites in the world of sports betting.
EmpireStakes.com
Jeff Parker
8 Articles Written
Jeff Parker is an Entertainment Writer for EmpireStakes.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with an actual Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
EmpireStakes.com
Bryan Nicholson
3 Articles Written
Bryan Nicholson a world-renowned golf betting expert who gladly expands his expertise into covering other emerging betting markets like moneyline and BetMGM.
EmpireStakes.com
Howard Gensler
26 Articles Written
Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist who’s worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.
EmpireStakes.com
Douglas Pils
1 Articles Written
Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He most recently ran the Student Media Department at Texas A&M for eight years.
Ryan Buschmeyer is a software developer professionally, which make him perfect for analyzing the top betting apps in terms of what features they have to offer as well as identifying what sets each sportsbook apart from the other brands in New York.
EmpireStakes.com
Jim Tomlin
2 Articles Written 7 Fact Checked
Jim Tomlin has more than 20 years of experience in sports journalism as an editor and writer. He has covered pro and college sports from football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, motorsports and more for publications such as the Tampa Bay Times, SaturdayDownSouth.com, SaturdayTradition.com and FanRag Sports.
EmpireStakes.com
Martin Booth
2 Articles Written
Award-winning contributor covering sports betting and casino gaming around the world for decades, Martin Booth is one of the most trusted voices in online gambling. From legislative updates in New York to breaking down the top betting apps in NY, Martin covers a gambit of topics for EmpireStakes.com.
EmpireStakes.com
Bryce Derouin
2 Articles Written
Bryce joined EmpireStakes.com after spending nine years covering high school and college sports throughout Michigan. He’s served as the primary Division II beat writer for Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech. Along with his newspaper background, he's worked in marketing and has experience covering casinos and gambling.
Michael is a news editor specializing in online sports betting coverage, including EmpireStakes.com. He spent nine years as the sports editor of the Tulsa World. Before that, he was the high school sports editor at the Houston Chronicle. He also has been the sports editor at the Beaumont Enterprise and Galveston County Daily News in Texas.
EmpireStakes.com
Larry Henry
1 Articles Written
Larry Henry covers gaming news for EmpireStakes.com and other websites.
EmpireStakes.com
Griffin Carroll
Betting Analyst
1 Articles Written
Griffin Carroll is an Betting Analyst for EmpireStakes.com. Griffin in a professional sports bettor who bets year-round for a living. When he isn't finding his next edge or generously explaining his strategies to thousands of followers on social media, Griffin browses the latest lines to find storylines and developments impacting sports betting.
EmpireStakes.com
Lawrence Hollyfield
2 Articles Written 6 Fact Checked
Lawrence Hollyfield's work as a writer, editor and statistician has appeared in a dozen publications, including the Miami Herald, New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today. He has been in publishing for more than 30 years, covering football, hockey, soccer, golf, baseball, basketball, tennis and more.
EmpireStakes.com
Thomas Leary
5 Articles Written 31 Fact Checked
Thomas Leary is a news editor and writer for EmpireStakes.com.
EmpireStakes.com
Jon Young
3 Articles Written
Jon Young is a writer and magazine editor with over 12 years' experience in the gaming sector. He has written on everything from poker and slots to casino, sports betting and mobile gambling. When not trying to take down the Mega Moolah jackpot he can be found playing poker tournaments in casinos.
EmpireStakes.com
Eric Pauly
1 Articles Written
Sports betting expert Eric Pauly has extensively tested New York sportsbook apps so you don't have to when selecting which one to join.
EmpireStakes.com
Editorial Staff
25 Articles Written 1 Fact Checked
The experts at EmpireStakes who bring you the latest updates in New York sports betting as well as the state's casinos. We pull together decades of experience to give you analysis as well as comparisons of the best NY online gambling apps.
EmpireStakes.com
Dan Alexander
Food & Entertainment Writer
1 Articles Written
Dan Alexander is a Food & Entertainment Writer for EmpireStakes.com. Dan is the host of two podcasts one about lacrosse and one about sportsbooks. Dan is going to be the one to keep you up-to-date on the most latest news in the food and entertainment world.
Veteran sports journalist David Caraviello has covered college football, college basketball, motorsports and golf, covering all three US golf majors, the Daytona 500, SEC football and more. He has reported from every SEC football stadium during his career.
EmpireStakes.com
Ron Fritz
2 Articles Written
Ron Fritz is a former editor for EmpireStakes.com.
Josh Markowitz is a freelance writer for EmpireStakes.com. He is a lifelong sports fan with an emphasis on basketball, football, baseball and the scouting/evaluation process. A graduate of Elon University's School of Communications, Josh also has experience in television production.
EmpireStakes.com
Joe Short
Political Betting Expert
Joe Short is a political betting expert for EmpireStakes.com. Joe covers betting on US politics including a focus on presidential election odds. When Joe isn't analyzing and predicting the latest odds for major political races, he is a freelance journalist covering politics, football, tennis and darts, among other things.
Kevin Spain is an editor and writer for EmpireStakes.com.
A veteran journalist based in Windsor, Ontario, Bob Duff has covered the gambling and sports betting industry since 2016. He has written more than two dozen books, including authorized biographies of Johnny Bower, Desmond Howard and Gordie Howe.

Cited by leading media organizations, such as: