From a cocktail waitress at a nightclub to one of the top female sports handicappers in the world, Kelly in Vegas has become the most-renowned woman in Las Vegas sports betting and a sports journalist.
Kelly in Vegas is a Kansas native, born in 1983, whose life turned head over heels one night at the Silverado Saloon in Manhattan, Kansas.
“I did a bikini contest at a bar, and I won $1,000 and a trip to Vegas.”
While working as a cocktail waitress at a nightclub in Bellagio, she placed a $100 money-line wager at a sportsbook. She wagered on three underdogs – Oregon State (+250), Rutgers (+320), and Kansas State (+475) and won $8,452.
That’s how the famous #Hottie3some was born.
Today, Kelly is a one-woman army and the most popular girl in Las Vegas sports betting, primarily associated with major American sports leagues like the NFL and NCAA.
“I am, in fact, the most hated woman in sports gambling,” she wrote for herself in her introductory blog on Barstool Bets.
We doubt she’s right!
Kelly in Vegas Real Name
If you’re unfamiliar with Kelly Stewart, known as Kelly in Vegas, you’re welcome to this blog post in advance.
Born and raised in Manhattan, a little girl, Kelly Stewart twirled around the table while her dad, John, and his friends played Texas Hold’em. Her father took her purple-felt Crown Royal bag and her life savings of 70 bucks to teach her a lesson. She begged for her money back, but John shook his head.
This Vietnam veteran instructs Kelly on how to field-dress deer, gut fish, fire shotguns, and bait hooks. She also had pheasants and rabbits in her sights.
“That kid’s a shooter,” said her father.
Her curiosity about sports betting was sparked by her friends at the nightclub where she was working. She would run to the betting window and make the wagers for them to catch the thing.
On September 22, 2012, she hit the three-team money-line parlay worth $8,452, and the legend of Kelly in Vegas took off.
Kelly Stewart Handicapping Career
As soon as Kelly Stewart started to take more money from sports betting, her appetite grew. She started learning how to break down games, learning about the teams, and betting on college and pro football. She spends upwards of 40 hours a week trying to identify flaws in the point spreads.
Her losses didn’t stop her, however.
In 2012, Kelly wrote an article for the New York Times predicting that sports betting would be soon legalized in some US states.
Todd Fuhrman, a former oddsmaker at Caesar’s Palace Casino, found Kelly and brought her under the wing of Don Best’s website, where he was working. Furham assisted Kelly in creating videos of her predictions, which she then uploaded to her website, @kellyinvegas. In addition to her attractiveness, Fuhrman believed Kelly would succeed in sports handicapping because she was intelligent and represented a “fresh voice” in the industry.
She started providing betting advice weekly on Bleacher Report, CBS Sports HQ, and WagerTalk. Furthermore, she’s been featured on Fox Sports 1, E! News, and several radio outlets.
In May 2021, ESPN invited Kelly in Vegas to join their team as a sports betting analyst. In a news release, ESPN highlighted her as a rising star and claimed she would be “a vital asset to all that we are doing in space.”
But that partnership didn’t last long.
Immediately after she started working there, her deleted tweet from 2012 in which she expressed her prejudice towards homosexuals started spreading. In a social media statement, Stewart wrote the reasons why she had been fired and sent her apology for the mistakes she’s made in the past.
She was supported by Clay Travis, who also appears on a betting show on “Fox Bet Live,” and others who have enjoyed her work. However, Kelly in Vegas faced cruel media harassment for her deleted tweets over a decade ago.
Did Barstool Hire Kelly in Vegas?
One month after she parted ways with ESPN, Kelly in Vegas was hired by Barstool Sports – a digital media company focused on sports and pop culture operating in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois.
Kelly Stewart expressed her happiness about a new job in her first blog entry for Barstool, stating, “I’m going to have some hot takes and some terrible tweets, get used to it.”
She posts videos, podcasts, and sports betting predictions on Barstool and her personal blog @kellyinvegas. After two years at the media outlet, Stewart left Barstool in June 2023.
It doesn’t take too long for Kelly to get on the track again.
OutKick hired Kelly in Vegas to host a new betting show three months after leaving Barstool Sports. The news was announced on Twitter/X by OutKick creator Clay Travis, the one who stood behind her back when she was kicked by ESPN.
We heard rumors that she would be scooped by another network, such as FanDuel or DraftKings, who knows? That’s Kelly!
Kelly in Vegas Net Worth
Kelly Stewart hasn’t publicly revealed her net income, so we cannot speculate. Given the fact that she is a well-known figure in the sports betting world, there is no doubt that she has a sizable net worth.
Social Media Presence
In the male-dominated industry such as sports betting, only a few women are making headlines. One of them is Kelly in Vegas, who cleared her way through the thorns and became a trailblazer in her field.
She has many social media channels, including Twitter with 231,400 followers, Instagram with 66,400 followers, TikTok, YouTube channel, and Facebook. #kellyinvegas has 347,300 views on TikTok.
Should You Follow Kelly in Vegas Picks?
Sticking to the plans and concentrating just on bets that make sense financially are traits that successful sports bettors must possess. Their tactical and strategic thinking distinguishes them, and Kelly in Vegas is no exception to other successful handicappers.
She puts money on her bets and bets with her own money. Before making wagers on Kelly’s picks, you should check their accuracy over an extended period of time and testimonials from other users.
Even if you don’t follow her picks, follow her advice.
“Bet within your means. Scale this to your comfort level, if you’re a $100 side bettor, your money lines and parlays should be $10. Don’t be a jackass. #BetResponsibly”
