Amy Calistri

Amy Calistri

Business and Investment Correspondent  |  AUSTIN, TX

Muck Rack profile

Amy Calistri got her high school letter in golf and hasn't golfed since. She has a collegiate letter in wrestling, but never wrestled. She was arguably the worst catcher in IBM's coed softball league. But she is a hardcore sports fan, having spent her formative years yelling from Boston Garden's second balcony and Fenway's cheap seats. She loves when she can combine her love of sports with her business acumen. Amy is published in the areas of economics, investing, statistics, poker, and the sports and gaming industries.

The Intuit Dome (Image: LA Clippers)

LA Clippers Intuit Dome Sets Record for Naming Rights, Toilets

Software provider Intuit will pay $500 million for the naming rights to the LA Clippers new arena. That 23-year contract set a record in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Intuit Dome will set another record — one for the highest toilet ratio in the league. The LA Clippers currently play at […]

FanDuel Sportsbook will soon be offering live streams of tennis and some European soccer through its mobile betting app. (Image: Ed Scimia/OnlineGambling.com)

Sports Betting Boosts NFL Opening Week Ratings and Ad Spending

CBS and NBC both reported a double-digit ratings increase for last week’s NFL games. Meanwhile, the NFL’s sportsbook partners treated viewers to roughly 100 ads. In related news, sports betting activity was at an all time high during the NFL’s opening week. Last season, NFL ratings slumped for the first time […]

Overall, Wynn's Q4 earnings were down XX%, but Strip casinos (Image: John Locher/AP)

Casino Stocks Crash as Macau Considers Tighter Regulations

Shares of casino stocks tanked on Tuesday after Macau announced it will revise its gambling regulations. In just one day, casino companies operating in the world’s largest gambling center lost roughly $18 billion in stock value. On Tuesday, Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance announced a 45-day consultation period for […]

Underdog victories should be good for sportsbooks. (Image; Amy Calistri)

NFL Opening Week Yields Record Sports Betting Transactions

Indicating a sports betting record, GeoComply tracked 58.2 million sportsbook transactions in the four-day period from Thursday through Sunday. That’s 126% more than the geolocation company tracked during last year’s NFL season opener. Meanwhile, the number of upsets this week should bode well for sportsbooks — and less well for […]

William Hill to Close 700 Shops in the UK (Image: Alamy)

Caesars Sells William Hill International to 888 Holdings for $3 Billion

888 Holdings PLC will acquire William Hill PLC’s international’s assets for $3.03 billion. Caesars Entertainment bought William Hill in April, intending to sell off its non-US businesses. The deal is expected to close early next year. Caesars Entertainment will net roughly $1.2 billion from the sale. Meanwhile, the acquisition will […]

Ricky Williams poses with his 1998 Heisman Trophy. In 2019, Williams sold the trophy for $504,000 in auction (Image: Suzanne Plunket/AP).

Ricky Williams Gets Renewed Recognition in Biopic, Field Name, NFTs

There will be a new biopic about Ricky Williams’ career, focusing on the year he withdrew from professional sports. The announcement by the Los Angeles production company Modern Magic came just days before the renaming ceremony of the University of Texas football field in honor of Williams and Earl Campbell. […]

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Beer Companies Ramp Up Sponsorship of Women’s Sports

Two major beer brands announced new women’s sports programs on Thursday. Heineken announced new sponsorships with UEFA women’s soccer and motorsport’s W series. Meanwhile, Michelob ULTRA is committing $100 million over the next five years to promote gender equality in sports. Beer companies have traditionally been among sports’ largest sponsors. […]

ESPN's gradual embrace of sports betting may pick up steam as it looks to license its brand to sportsbooks. (Image: Getty)

Disney’s ESPN Sports-Betting Deals Could Net $3 Billion

Walt Disney’s ESPN is looking to generate more than $3 billion in sports-betting licensing deals. Once reluctant to associate with gambling, the multimedia company has gradually changed its tune. Initially tentative to offer sports-betting content, the company is now looking to leap into ESPN-branded sportsbooks. According to the Wall Street […]

Sports bettors are betting on the teams first year on a turnaround. (Image: Rey Del Rio/Getty)

Detroit Lions Receive Most Bets to Make the NFL Playoffs

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions are everyone’s favorite long shot to make the NFL playoffs. Although the Lions are roughly +750 to make the playoffs, the sportsbook has received more bets on Detroit than on any other team. A number of studies have shown that people root for underdogs, […]

Giannis Anteokounmpo (Image: Getty)

Giannis Antetokounmpo Joins Brewers Ownership Group as Investment Surge Continues

NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo attended a Milwaukee Brewers game on Tuesday. And, while Antetokounmpo has attended many Brewers games, this was his first as the team’s newest minority owner. Antetokounmpo’s investment is hardly unique, however, as professional athletes, actors, and private equity firms continue to pour money into professional sports. […]

On May 14, 1967 Joe Pepitone loaned Mickey Mantle his bat. Mantle clocked  his 500th homerun with the bat. A lawsuit may finally dtermine the bat's true owner. (Image: Baseball Hall of Fame)

Mickey Mantle’s Hall of Fame Bat Sparks Lawsuit

The bat Mickey Mantle used to launch his 500th home run has been in the Baseball Hall of Fame for decades, but a recent lawsuit filed by Joe Pepitone claims he’s the bat’s rightful owner. Granted, the bat does have his name on it. The dispute over the bat’s ownership […]

AEG founder Philip F. Anschutz poses with the team and the Stanley Cup after defeating the New Jersey Devils in Game Six of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals at Staples Center on June 11, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Kings defeated the Devils 6-1 to win the series 4 games to 2.  (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty)

AEG Founder Selling LA Lakers Stake to Dodgers, Sparks Owners

Philip F. Anschutz is set to sell his stake in the NBA’s LA Lakers to LA Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly. Anschutz, founder of the entertainment and sports conglomerate AEG, owns 27% of the Lakers. The proposed sale still needs approval by the NBA’s Board of Governors. Assuming […]

David Robinson, former San Antonio Spurs

Michael Dell, Sixth Street Partners Join Spurs Ownership Ranks

Texas billionaire Michael Dell and the investment firm Sixth Street are the newest members of the San Antonio Spurs ownership group. Their combined 30 percent stake allowed other minority owners to cash out of their profitable Spurs investment. According to Forbes, the San Antonio Spurs franchise is worth $1.85 billion. […]

Dustin Johnson has Wayne Gretzky rooting for him. (Image Getty)

Wayne Gretsky, Steve Nash Join Vegas NLL Lacrosse Ownership Group

Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, and Dustin Johnson have joined the group owning the Las Vegas National Lacrosse League (NLL) team. Tony Tsai, owner of basketball’s Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, became the primary owner of the newest NLL team in May. Lacrosse is one of Canada’s most popular sports, […]

In 2014, (Image: Phil Parsons Racing)

NASCAR Cryptocurrency Sponsorships: Crashes and Cashes

NASCAR driver Stephan Parsons didn’t have much luck with his cryptocurrency-sponsored car. The “DogeCar” crashed on lap 71 during Saturday’s Xfinity race, but that won’t be the last of the DogeCar or NASCAR’s relationship with cryptocurrency. Cars have been sponsored by everything from adult diapers to rock bands. So, NASCAR’s […]

Allyson Felix competes in the 400 meters during the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships. It was Felix' first competition donning Gap's Athleta brand after her deciding not toresign with Nike. (Image: Andy Lyons/Getty)

Sportswear Roundup: UA Fined, Gap Rising, Nike Dissed Again

Nike lost another high-profile deal as Olympic gymnast Simone Biles signed with the Gap’s Athleta brand. Earlier this year, Kobe Bryant’s estate failed to renew its longstanding deal with Nike. Meanwhile, Under Armour was fined $9 million for misleading investors. Nike can’t be happy with the defection of two gold […]

More than a decade ago, Kobe Bryant wore his iconic Kobe 6 Grinch. Restocked on April 13, 2021, the Grinch may be the last shoe to be issued from the Nike/Brayant deal. (Image: Victor Decolongon/Getty)

Nike Fails to Renew Deal with Kobe Bryant’s Estate

In what could mark the end of an era, Nike and Vanessa Bryant acknowledged a failure to renew Kobe’s legacy sponsorship deal. Nike’s limited-edition sales model, which caters to well-heeled collectors, may have been a sticking point in the negotiations. Dating back to 2003, the sponsorship deal between Bryant and […]

Retired WNBA player Renee Montgomery (Image: Rich von Biberstein/Getty)

Recent WNBA Purchases are Latest in Red Hot Sports Franchise Market

Two more pro teams, the Las Vegas Aces and the Atlanta Dream, recently changed hands. The WNBA purchases are further evidence of a hyperactive sports franchise market. Even as professional sports continue to lose money due to the pandemic, teams are getting snapped up for top dollar. Predictably, billion-dollar sales […]

Las Vegas properties like the Venetian are still struggling during the pandemic, while Asian casinos are bouncing back. (Image: Venetian.com)

The Venetian’s New Owner Has a History of Bankrupting Casinos

Two months after Sheldon Adelson’s death, his signature Las Vegas casino has been sold. One of the Venetian’s new owners, Apollo Global Management, is responsible for the largest bankruptcy filing in casino industry history. Unlucky? The Las Vegas Sands had been looking to sell its Strip properties since October. The […]