Dave Cokin, sports handicapper and radio host, dies at 71

Dave Cokin, the longtime professional handicapper and Las Vegas sports talk radio host, died early Tuesday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 71.

Cokin announced his retirement last month on social media and said in an interview with the Review-Journal he was in home hospice care after being diagnosed in 2023 with the terminal illness. His death was announced on social media by several of his closest colleagues and friends.

A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Cokin was introduced to sports betting as a child and said his first bet was on the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League for $5.

“I lost,” he said.

Cokin was one of the first pick sellers, known as “touts,” and gained his national recognition starting in 1978 as part of Jim Feist’s “Proline” sports handicapping show that aired on the USA Network for 36 years. He split time between Rhode Island and Las Vegas during the early 1980s and moved to Nevada in 1987.

Known for his flat cap, Cokin was co-host of “The Stardust Line” on KDWN-AM. The show was the first that catered to sports bettors and blasted out to listeners in 11 western states, Canada and Mexico.

“He’s a legend in the sports betting business. A handicapper’s handicapper,” VSiN host Mitch Moss said in June.

Cokin co-hosted “The Pete Rose Show” on the Sports Fan Radio Network and “Cofield and Cokin,” aka “DC and the Sunshine Man,” on ESPN Radio. He also co-hosted “The Las Vegas Sportsline” sports betting show from 2011 to 2018 on ESPN Radio.

He was a two-timer winner of Nevada’s Sportscaster of the Year award.

“A lot of people know him as a handicapper, but he’s arguably the most well-known guy that we’ve ever had for Las Vegas sports talk radio,” former co-host Steve Cofield said last month. “He’s a Vegas legend. He lived the life of a Las Vegas gambler that I think a lot of people wanted to.

“Everyone knew Dave, and everyone knew his voice. He was must-listen radio. He really does epitomize what Las Vegas is and should be for sports talk radio.”

Cokin received an outpouring of support when he posted last month about his condition, and tributes came Tuesday from several members of the sports betting community.

“Maybe I’d feel differently if my life sucked. It sure didn’t,” Cokin said last month. “I’ve had a great time.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.