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Austin Gamblers CEO: Team will return 'phenomenal' roster for 2024 PBR season

Alex Lowe
·4 min read
Austin Gamblers riders line up for introductions ahead of the second day of competition at the three-day Gambler Days event at Moody Center on Aug. 26. The Gamblers went on to secure the No. 1 seed for the postseason, but fell in the PBR's championship match. It was the second straight year the Gambers were the top seed.
Austin Gamblers riders line up for introductions ahead of the second day of competition at the three-day Gambler Days event at Moody Center on Aug. 26. The Gamblers went on to secure the No. 1 seed for the postseason, but fell in the PBR's championship match. It was the second straight year the Gambers were the top seed.

This was supposed to be the year that the Austin Gamblers, after dominating the regular season and earning a second straight No. 1 seed for the Camping World Team Series bull-riding championships, took care of unfinished business and claimed the coveted gold buckle that eluded them last year.

Instead, they fell short once again. Making it even more painful, the loss came in the final game against the state's other PBR entry, the Fort Worth-based Texas Rattlers.

"Every bull is bred, raised and trained to be great at one thing: to buck the rider off," Gamblers head coach Michael Gaffney said. "No matter the draw, each team member's job and responsibility is always the same. You have to ride your bulls. We actually got matched up with a really good pen of bulls, but in the end the Rattlers rode one more than we did, so you have to tip your hat."

It was a sour end to a sweet season. The Gamblers rolled through the regular season, earned the No. 1 seed for the championships and had the MVP of the league in Jose Vitor Leme, who earned his second MVP award. "This year's squad was phenomenal," Gaffney said.

Coming back for more in 2024

Gaffney said he's looking forward to returning as the Gamblers' coach in 2024, and Gamblers CEO JJ Gotsch said he's encouraged about the future of both the Gamblers and professional bull riding. Attendance for this year's three-day Gambler Days event at Moody Center was up 33% from last year, he said, and the PBR's TV deal with CBS Sports provided season-long coverage.

"We saw the fandom increase in every home market this year, especially Austin, which had traditionally not been a great PBR town prior to the teams format," Gotsch said.

Dalton Kasel of the Austin Gamblers rides the bull Pete's Dejavu during a Gambler Days competition in late August. Kasel is one of the team's top riders and will return for the 2024 season. And fellow Gambler Jose Vitor Leme is the league's two-time defending MVP.
Dalton Kasel of the Austin Gamblers rides the bull Pete's Dejavu during a Gambler Days competition in late August. Kasel is one of the team's top riders and will return for the 2024 season. And fellow Gambler Jose Vitor Leme is the league's two-time defending MVP.

Compared to the 2022 CBS Teams telecast of the Austin event, there was a 23% increase in viewership, he said. Prior to the 2022 Gambler Days event, the team had less than 20,000 followers on social media; now that has increased to more than 150,000 and Gamblers merchandise sales increased by 233% from 2022 to 2023, Gotsch said.

"We need to continue the education and awareness process of what the PBR is and who the Gamblers are," said Gotsch, who left a similar role as CEO of the Round Rock Express baseball team two years ago to guide the Gamblers in the fledgling bull-riding league. "Even though we're in the middle of Texas, there are a lot of people in Austin that didn't grow up on a ranch or go to rodeos as a kid. The biggest thing is to just get people to an event; we're confident once they see the product in person, they'll become a fan."

Looking to future growth of the league and franchise

Due to the PBR schedule, which allows every league team to host its own weekend event, the Gamblers appeared in Austin only once. Those who wanted to follow the team had to watch via the CBS Sports Network or catch up to streaming coverage. Based on the attendance increase for this year's Gambler Days, holding more than one event in Austin could draw a strong attendance. That probably won't happen in 2024, Gotsch said.

"But it’s more than likely going to happen in the near future," he said. "The league is already expanding to 10 teams in 2024 and there are talks of another expansion after that. When that happens, there is a good chance that you’ll see multiple events in many home markets like Austin.”

The Gamblers have a stable of star riders led by Leme, the Brazilian who's the two-time league MVP and the face of the team. But along with up-and-coming Dalton Kasel and Rockdale’s Ezekiel Mitchell, the Gamblers have no shortage of local star potential. Teams are allowed only 12 riders on their roster, only seven of which can be protected in the offseason, Gotsch said. And teams can protect only three riders in the upcoming expansion draft on Jan. 6.

Until the next Camping World Team Series season starts next year, fans can follow their favorite riders at the upcoming Unleash The Beast series, which features the top 30 riders in the world and runs from November till the individual world championships in May at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Gamblers pro bull riding team looks forward to next run in 2024