The details
The Professional Bull Riders organization is bringing its PBR Teams league to the Texas capital city for Gambler Days, and what Austin Gamblers CEO JJ Gottsch calls "the most exciting eight seconds in sports.”
Austin Gamblers are hosting their fourth annual tournament Aug. 22-24 as part of the larger, 12-week-long, 35-game regular season.
During the tournament, 10 teams will compete in bull riding matches throughout the weekend, and for a step closer to clinching the regular-season and post-season championship titles.
Austin Gamblers close out each tournament day, but Gottsch said the “big night” comes on Saturday when Gamblers face off against rival team Texas Rattlers in the second round of the Land.com Texas Cup.
Gottsch said, regardless of the match, he hopes attendees can come out of the event with a memorable experience.
"When you go in person and you can see it with your own eyes, you can feel it," Gottsch said. "Not only the feel of the bass from the music, but you literally can feel the tension in the arena from the rider and the bull ... and the highs and lows and when there's the wrecks and the smells and the sounds."
He also said he hopes the event establishes long-term fans of the city’s PBR team.
“Our hope is that folks can come out to Gambler Days ... get an appreciation for it and know that they've got their own team that they can cheer for the rest of the year ... and then continue to be fans year-in, year-out," Gottsch said.
For Gambler Days fan and music events, ticket and streaming information, visit www.austingamblers.com or www.pbr.com.
The rivalry
Gottsch said the competition between the two has evolved into a genuine rivalry on and off the dirt, from poaching riders to both teams being championship-title backed. The Gamblers beat out the Rattlers and other PBR Teams for the 2024 postseason World Championship title, but not before the Gamblers lost out in 2023 to the Rattlers for the World title.
Fort Worth’s more “traditional” style paired against Austin’s modern makeup and new “cowboy curious” residents makes for natural-born competition. The old versus new can be seen even down to the boots, with Ariat sponsoring the Rattlers and Austin-based Tecovas sponsoring the Gamblers.
No matter what the bull riders are wearing or their riding style, Gottsch said the two teams battling it out makes for a “really fun rivalry.”
About Austin Gamblers
The Gamblers debuted in 2022 as part of PBR’s new league PBR Teams, now in its fourth season.
The league transformed bull riding from an individual sport to a team competition, which Gottsch said helps people connect more with the bull riders and the sport as a whole.
“You may have not grown up on a ranch, and you may have not grown up in a rural town or ever been on a horse, ever been to a rodeo, but the guys in green and black that are wearing the Austin uniform, that's your team, and that's the best in the world that you get to cheer for,” he told Community Impact.
In addition to connecting Austinites to the city’s professional bull riding team, Gottsch said he and the team leadership work to acclimate the Gamblers Riders to Austin, as many hail from Brazil.
That looks like taking the Gamblers to popular Austin staples and typical “tourist” spots, such as Matt’s El Rancho or Terry Black’s Barbecue. The Gamblers also usually make a pitstop at Brazilian-steakhouse Fogo de Chão for a taste of their home country while in Austin, Gottsch said.
Gottsch said that although PBR has faced criticism over concerns of alleged mistreatment and abuse of the bulls, particularly through riding equipment, the industry works to ensure the bulls are taken care of, such as making sure bull riders’ spurs are dull and that the bulls don’t buck more than twice in one weekend. Additionally, he said keeping the bulls healthy and treated well is important for the business, he said.
“Some of these bulls are worth between $500,000 to a $1 million. You're not going to mistreat your most important asset,” he said. “That's the big thing for me, is to be able for folks to know that these bulls are animal athletes. They're treated really, really well.”
Learn more
The Gamblers are hoping to clinch the regular season championship and earn the back-to-back championship title at the 2025 PBR Camping World Teams Championship on Oct. 24-26 in Las Vegas.
For more information on the rest of the Gamblers’ season, visit www.austingamblers.com.
- Gambler Days Aug. 22-24, times vary
- Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin
- www.austingamblers.com
