There Are Levels To This

What separates the good online gambling apps from the cream of the crop? And why does the gap appear so vast?

DraftKings and FanDuel are dominating the US sports betting market, but it’s not just about being better. It's about invisible edges that separate the elite from the merely good, much like in the NBA, where true greatness hides in the details.

Former NBA journeyman Brian Scalabrine famously quipped, “I’m closer to LeBron than you are to me; there are levels to this,” while he was busy dismantling outstanding, but not professional-level basketball players in his one-on-one “Scallenge” games — Scalabrine went 4-0 in Scallenge matches, winning by a combined score of 44–6.

Scalabrine’s point is that even though he’s not LeBron James, the gap between him (the consummate NBA role player) and a very skilled amateur is massive. What has always intrigued me is that the average person can’t recognize the gap, whereas someone like Scalabrine understands it perfectly, because it takes an exceptional talent to understand the difference between really good and great, which is usually some very small, sometimes imperceptible things.

An example of this is the Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks game on March 12, 1985, where Larry Bird scored 60 points. Doc Rivers, who was a guard for the Hawks at the time, has recounted the story of how Bird was so dominant and in the zone that even the Hawks' bench players were reacting with a mixture of awe and celebration, only to get berated by their coach in the film room the following day.

The Hawks knew they were watching greatness. The average NBA viewer just saw an all-time player having a great night.

It’s a Universal Truth

I would posit the same is true for martial arts. The typical black belt is exceptionally skilled at what they do, and can easily impress newcomers. They are the Scalabrines of the martial arts world. However, as Scalabrine would say, there are levels to this, and some martial artists are immediately recognized by their peers as the real deal; they’re on a different level altogether.

The "real deal" martial artists operate on a plane that’s almost incomprehensible to those below them, just as Larry Bird’s shooting clinic left the Hawks in awe. The average person wouldn’t really see the difference.

For example, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu might dominate a beginner as easily as Gordon Ryan, but a world-class competitor like Ryan is on a level that he can effortlessly make skilled black belts look amateurish. A gifted Muay Thai legend like Saenchai can read opponents so well that he seems to anticipate moves before they happen, making even skilled fighters look slow by comparison.

I would posit that this is a universal truth; skill hierarchies exist in any competitive domain. This hierarchy isn't limited to physical pursuits; it extends to digital industries like online gambling, where apps battle for dominance in subtle ways.

On the surface, they appear quite similar, but again, there are levels to this.

Dominant gambling apps excel due to superior execution across multiple dimensions, including user experience, technology, marketing strategy, and ability to engage with the consumer. And it’s not always about being the best in every category. It’s often a perfect mixture of the above, plus some intangible qualities that are difficult to put a finger on.

A functional app might attract casual users, but dominant apps like DraftKings and FanDuel operate on a different plane, creating a gap that lesser competitors struggle to close. And most onlookers struggle to understand why. What’s the difference?