John Grochowski, born around 1952, is an acclaimed gambling columnist and author renowned for his newspaper column which originated at the Chicago Sun-Times and is now a national staple. He earned the distinction of being the first to cover casino gambling in a major US newspaper according to the Las Vegas Advisor in 1994. Expanding his expertise, in 2012, Grochowski introduced a new Sun-Times column on baseball sabermetrics, a pioneering move for daily papers.
Grochowski's literary contributions began in 1996 with the publication of "Gaming: Cruising the Casino with a Syndicated Gambling Columnist." Following this, he authored a series of books aimed at demystifying gambling topics, such as "The Casino Answer Book" in 1998 which served as a novice's guide to casino gambling, "The Video Poker Answer Book" in 2000, "The Craps Answer Book" in 2001, and "The Slot Machine Answer Book" in 2005.
Additionally, Grochowski writes prolifically for magazines and online platforms, with work featured in Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Southern Gaming and Destinations, among other publications. He's also known in industry-specific circles, contributing to Casino Journal and Slot Manager magazines.
One of Grochowski's significant impacts was alerting players to the increased house edge associated with 6:5 blackjack payouts. He was the first to spotlight this concern in a September 2002 article following the game's introduction by several Las Vegas casinos.
Grochowski also ventured into broadcasting with his segment "Casino Answer Man," which broadcasted on WLS-AM in Chicago starting in 2010. Previously, he shared his insights on WBBM-AM and hosted a talk show on WCKG-FM, experiences that expanded his voice beyond the printed page.
His media appearances include spots on three Travel Channel specials and as a memorable contestant on ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," where he won $125,000 in 2000.
Grochowski's roots trace back to Aurora, Illinois, and he grew up in the neighboring Lisle. High School graduation in 1970 preceded his enrollment at the University of Illinois, where he served as sports editor for the student paper. His journalism career took him from Hinsdale's Suburban Trib to the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, then back to Illinois with the News-Sun. In 1982, he landed at the Chicago Sun-Times, which played a pivotal role in shaping his specialist gambling column launched in 1994.
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