About The Author
Luke is a seasoned casino and sports content editor for Action Network. At the age of 16, he took on his first freelance assignment and never looked back. When Luke is not at his computer, you can most likely find him at a concert or enjoying the great outdoors.
With 17+ years of writing and editing experience, Luke's work has appeared in several major publications including TSN, The Canadian Press, and Sports Illustrated.
Luke graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts in English. From there, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Sports Journalism at Centennial College, which lead to an internship as a news/editorial writer at TSN.
Were you always interested in gambling, or was it something you discovered later?
I became interested in gambling in my early teenage years, betting on the winner of Leafs, Jays, and Vikings games against my dad (I’m a Bills fan but he’s a Vikings fan).
There was no money involved. If I won, he would take me to get pizza or ice cream. If I lost, I would have to do more chores.
From there, I would play for-fun poker games with friends in high school, and first stepped foot in a casino when I was 20.
Since then, I’ve been fascinated by concepts like prop betting and odds in general, as well as the unique history surrounding table games like blackjack and baccarat.
What did you study in school or university? Did it influence your career?
In university, I began by studying psychology, with hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. During my sophomore year, I realized that I wanted to make writing and general content creation more than a hobby.
From there, I switched to English, and started blogging/freelancing more (even though that was something I had always done casually).
I would definitely say it influenced my career. My main passions have always been sports, music, and pop culture, with most of my early pieces centered around those topics.
Still, I’ve always had a soft spot for odds and casino games, and started dabbling in that content when I realized there was a need for it.
Given my knowledge of casino concepts and my writing abilities, it was a perfect fit. The need for writers who could create this kind of content in Canada was also pretty large as it gained popularity, so there were always freelance assignments available.
What’s the first casino you ever visited, and what was the experience like?
When I was 20, I went to Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I was visiting my housemate from university over Christmas break, and his dad brought us as we had a shared interest in casino games.
I went in with $40 prepared to lose it all for the experience, and ended up winning $350 playing slots. I wish I could remember which game, but I do not.
Overall, it was a very fun experience, as I was dazzled by the aesthetics and the excitement in the air.
What’s your favorite casino game and why?
My favorite casino game will likely always be poker. More specifically, Texas Hold’em. It was the first casino game I ever played, and I loved the strategy involved.
To this day, online poker is a big interest of mine, whether playing at free or paid tables.
What advice would you give to an aspiring casino writer?
It may sound cliche to someone just starting out, but I’ve found that the best advice is to simply write as much as you can.
That said, don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. Find topics within casino that you’re passionate about, and prioritize the topics within that realm with a greater content need.
As such, I’ve found that my general love of history has really helped with this. When it comes to pieces I’ve written that were both fun to create and successful from a traffic standpoint, many were historical in nature.
For example, I used to write an article every few months detailing interesting stories of people who had won the lottery. Timeline pieces that chronicled the evolution of casinos within certain regions have also done well.
Overall, the more pieces you can get your name on, the more your writing reputation will grow. Once your EEAT reaches a certain level in the eyes of Google, you’ll rarely struggle to find work.
Have you ever visited a casino in another country? How did it compare?
To this point, the only casino I’ve visited outside of Canada was at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. The biggest difference was the size, with this casino being much smaller than others I’ve visited despite still being relatively large in general.
It was still fun, but naturally much different as there were people from all over the world. The etiquette of table games was also much different, given that most were gambling outside of their home country.
What’s one non-casino-related skill or hobby you’re passionate about?
Two of my biggest passions include music and anything outdoors. I frequently attend concerts of all genres, and go hiking/camping several times a year.
I currently live in Hamilton, Ontario (an hour southwest of Toronto), and I’m blessed to be near several hiking trails. Many of these trails are on the water as well (Lake Ontario).
What’s your 'guilty pleasure game'? (A title without the best odds you enjoy anyways)
My guilty pleasure is definitely progressive jackpot slots, or any slot game that has in-play bonus rounds with consecutive free spins.