The Time Dink Got A Call From Billy Walters
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60 Minutes profiled Billy Walters which remains his only appearance on television. The interview aired January 16, 2011.
When making a documentary there are things that you have to fight for, things you have to concede, and things that are out of your control. Early in the process pursuing Billy Walters was a high priority, but as the storylines started to develop it became clear that it was more about Boston, The Shrink, Dink, and Banker. It also became apparent hearing from those sharing their stories of Walters in the gambling community felt a lot like I did by the time filming commenced; were we talking about Billy or were we merely chasing Billy Walter's ghost.
There is a deleted Billy Walter's scene that's part of the iTunes Extras package with purchase. It's a scene that paints the picture as to just how dominant and influential Billy's been as a professional gambler. In the end I had to cut the scene. I felt I needed to license expensive footage for a scene that in the end stopped the flow of the essential characters in the film.
In light of this week's charges brought against Billy Walters I thought I'd share a story Dink told that ended up on the cutting room floor. I think it reveals just how plugged-in the legendary sports gambler is to not only what he bets, but what others are bet too.
Dinks_BillyWalters_Story from The Best of It on Vimeo.
Here are a couple of other interesting stories that have appeared on Billy Walters the past several years.
In his only television appearance he used a 60 Minutes package to make the point that sports gamblers in general are honest business men--the real crooks are on Wall Street.
Mike Fish wrote this story on Billy Walters in 2015 for ESPN Magazine.