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An ex-NBA exec and gambling maestro wants to take on Real Madrid and Barcelona. Will his latest bet lift a lowly Spanish soccer team?

CASTELLON DE LA PLANA, Spain -- On a sweltering August afternoon in a small Spanish city just a few miles inland from the Mediterranean coast, the mayor opens the door to her conference room and invites in her last meeting of the day. The guest of honor -- a Canadian who has been the talk of her town for the last two weeks.

For more than a decade, Haralabos (Bob) Voulgaris has been one of the most well-known analysts in the sports world, first making a fortune using complex statistical models to win high-stakes bets on the NBA, then directing the analytics group for the Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban.