I've come full circle on the gambling thing. I used to think gambling needed to be removed to give a pro tour credibility. I've come around to a different way of thinking on that.
I still think "gambling" needs to go. "Gambling" being the guy who's 5 racks better trying to get away with spotting only 2, or the guy who dumps or double-dumps or some other scam. It's all the "hustles" that give pool such a seedy rep. Hustlers prey on people instead of simply competing with them. Add in sharking and cheating and no wonder the sport has a poor image.
That being said, there could be more drama in 2 players going head to head than in an ordinary tournament. So create officially sanctioned "challenge matches" that are part of the tour. Make them their own events or run them on the side of a tourney. Film them with commentary, etc.
Imagine some guy channel surfing who stops on some pool. He listens for a while and the announcers get it across that Jim and Bob are playing a 15-ahead match for $25,000. They've been playing for 20 hours straight. 4 hours ago Jim was 13 ahead but since then Bob has staged a dramatic comeback and they're back to even. Obviously you're only showing selected games or shots, but it's all edited to show some drama and excitement. Your channel surfer dude might actually find that interesting enough to tell his buddies about instead of brushing it off as just another tournament.
You could even make a tournament out of the challenge matches. Players win money every match but the amount goes up every round. Also, add some strategy in. Not every match has to be a fixed format. The two players involved get to negotiate the format of their own match. I'm generally against spots among Pros but let 'em do it if they want. Film that and show some of it too - adds interest to the actual match.
