The Pell Grant checks came quarterly. At South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, most of the basketball and football players were eligible for the subsidy money from the federal government in 2009. And what was left over after college costs, they wagered in Brandon Pitts’ dorm room. A 5'10" point guard on the basketball team, Pitts hosted any and all NBA 2K9 and Madden enthusiasts who wanted to play for cash. “We’d get that Pell Grant check, and that was the time to play for money because we all thought we were balling,” Pitts says. “Then people started throwing down a few hundred on a game, and it got kind of crazy.
You Can Bet on Yourself in Madden and 2K
