Best Seller
The Number
Hardcover
$33.00
Available on Jan 12, 2027 | 368 Pages
From bestselling author Chad Millman, the story of the hidden force that shapes sports—and now powers America’s gambling obsession
When did everything become a bet? It’s not enough to have an opinion these days—now you’ve got to back it up with cash. Every second of every day, a nation of gamblers is logging on to digital sportsbooks and prediction markets asking one question: What’s The Number? Some call it the line or the odds or the price. But to insiders, it’s The Number. Without it, the action never starts. From NFL games to presidential elections to Oscar races, The Number increasingly shapes the way we experience sports, politics, and life.
In The Number, Chad Millman reveals how gambling became a mainstream obsession, uncovers the secret strategies driving billions of dollars, and introduces the people chasing the ultimate edge. The thirty-year-old Bitcoin maximalist betting tens of millions a year; the NFL prop bettor who won a fortune but nearly lost himself; the investigator who exposed some of sports’ biggest scandals; the ex−Wall Streeter turned prediction market kingpin.
Betting is reshaping sports the way crypto reshaped finance and AI is reshaping technology. The Number explains how it works, why it matters, and where it’s headed next.
When did everything become a bet? It’s not enough to have an opinion these days—now you’ve got to back it up with cash. Every second of every day, a nation of gamblers is logging on to digital sportsbooks and prediction markets asking one question: What’s The Number? Some call it the line or the odds or the price. But to insiders, it’s The Number. Without it, the action never starts. From NFL games to presidential elections to Oscar races, The Number increasingly shapes the way we experience sports, politics, and life.
In The Number, Chad Millman reveals how gambling became a mainstream obsession, uncovers the secret strategies driving billions of dollars, and introduces the people chasing the ultimate edge. The thirty-year-old Bitcoin maximalist betting tens of millions a year; the NFL prop bettor who won a fortune but nearly lost himself; the investigator who exposed some of sports’ biggest scandals; the ex−Wall Streeter turned prediction market kingpin.
Betting is reshaping sports the way crypto reshaped finance and AI is reshaping technology. The Number explains how it works, why it matters, and where it’s headed next.
Author
Chad Millman
Chad Millman is a vice president at ESPN, where he also serves as editorial director of domestic digital. He is also the author of seven books: The Ones Who Hit the Hardest with Shawn Coyne, a bestseller about the blood feud between the 1970s Steelers and Cowboys; the New York Times–bestselling They Call Me Baba Booey with Gary Dell’Abate; Iceman: My Fighting Life, with Chuck Liddell; and The Odds, about a trio of Vegas bookmakers and bettors. Visit his website at chadmillman.com.
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