Gambling has taken Arizona by storm.
Betting sites, mobile betting apps, and retail sportsbooks in Arizona continue to flood the valley. Since sports betting became legal in the Grand Canyon State, people have wasted little time signing up and placing bets.
The world of sports has historically been a male-dominated industry, and the same can be said for the world of gambling.
However, at least one Arizona woman isn’t afraid to dip her toes into the sports betting waters. Kristi Eide is a working mom who has grown up around sports for most of her life. Now she’s adding gambling to her list of hobbies.
And, she says, it has been a blast.
Let’s meet up with Kristi Eide, aka Illinois momfluencer
Courtesy: Kristi Eide
Kristi Eide is a resident of Gilbert, Arizona. Eide works for a tech company and spends most of her time juggling work and raising two young children. Despite the time spent between work and getting the kids to school and activities, sports have always been a constant in her life.
Eide has spent time in the world of fitness modeling. She has shared some of her experiences on social media and has never been afraid to share stories from her personal life. Eide has been posting photos and videos with her family for quite some time now. She says she always wants to be open about the successes and challenges of being a working parent.
“It has evolved over time. It was fitness when I was competing because that was really exciting. And then I started talking about my kids, and people started realizing I have this love for football. It’s always been my oldest son and me watching football and going to football games.”
Courtesy: Kristi Eide
Over time, Eide has built a significant following. With over 49,000 followers on Instagram, she never expected so many people to be interested in her daily life. However, she says people are always looking for someone they can relate to.
“People get invested in the same way that I do with other people’s stories. It just keeps evolving. I keep sharing what life is as it goes, and I guess it’s interesting to some people.”
When she started getting into sports betting, she wanted to share it with her followers. She says she has been getting a lot of positive feedback. It has led to great conversations and even some tips on how she should approach placing her bets.
Kristi Eide: I will do that, as well
Sports betting in Arizona is still relatively new to people in the state. But unlike some, Eide had some experience with having a little extra skin in the game.
“I work in the technology industry; it’s a very male-dominated field. So, I’ve always been around sports with a lot of the guys, and it seems like a lot of office guys have always had something going on with sports. So, I’ve always been a part of that.”
Not long after legal Arizona sports betting launched, a friend of Eide introduced her to some sportsbooks. She’s been interested in sports, so Eide eventually said, “I can do that, too.”
“It’s numbers and data and probabilities, and that’s what I deal with. I do a lot of web coding and website operations systems, so it kind of goes hand in hand.”
Eide says she grew up loving football, thanks in large part to her dad as they would watch games together.
Once she started betting, she used her gridiron knowledge to score some early wins. However, Kristi Eide says things changed when basketball season rolled around. She had previously not followed the NBA very closely, so there was a bit of a learning curve.
“I don’t know who plays on what teams. I don’t know who these people are, and I just see them as data points. So, I look at the stats, try to figure out usage, over/unders. I like to do a lot of live game betting.”
Eide says she is still learning the ins and outs of sports betting, so she sticks to placing small bets. She says she is quickly learning that small, safe bets are the way to go.
“Try to be responsible about it. If you don’t set your limits at the beginning, you can go off the deep end fast.”
Bring ladies into gambling
Eide says she has a track record of challenging gender norms. Whether it’s working in the tech industry, getting into bodybuilding, or talking about sports. She says none of them are exclusive to men.
“They’ll say, ‘Girls can’t do that.’ And it’s like, ‘Yeah, I can. Why can’t I?’ People will say, ‘Girls shouldn’t be in the gym.’ And it’s like, ‘Says who? Why can’t I do this?’ And it’s the same thing with sports. I don’t understand why people limit themselves.”
Eide says she believes society creates unnecessary boundaries with fictional rules, adding that there is no rule stating that women can’t talk about sports or gambling. She says, unlike going to the gym where some people can feel exposed, gambling in Arizona is easily accessible to women.
“It’s low-key. No one even has to know that you’re doing it if you want to do it. I didn’t know what I was doing. I started from Square 1.”
Kristi admitted that she didn’t know what a “double double” was in basketball. She also learned that the total score in a college basketball game rarely reaches 200. However, her willingness to be open about her learning experience with gambling is something she hopes inspires other women to get involved.
“You don’t have to know everything. You can just start. I think women, in general, have a lot of knowledge to bring to the table, and everybody thinks women are just emotional, and it’s not true. We can lead companies and bet on sports, too. There is no rule that says women can’t belong.”
Learn more about Kristi
If you’d like to follow Kristi on her journey as a gambling mom in Arizona, you can find links to her social media below. We also link to her Nacho Baby Mama podcast, where she talks about various real-life topics:
- Follow Kristi on Instagram: @kristi_eide
- Abide by Kristi about Twitter: @kristi_eide
- Check out Kristi’s podcast: Nacho Baby The female
Pierre is a multimedia reporter currently residing in the Phoenix-Metro Area in Arizona. He has been covering news and sports for over a decade for both online and TV outlets. He grew up in Minneapolis and is an alum of Minnesota State University: Moorhead. CJ has experience as a reporter and videographer and has covered high school, college, and professional sports throughout his career. He has a special interest in following the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Vikings, and North Dakota State University football.
