Becky Yerak has spent nearly five years at The Detroit News covering two beats:  casinos and sports business. She has also been a business reporter for USA TODAY, the Plain Dealer, the Palm Beach Post and Orlando Business Journal. Her introduction to business journalism came as a college intern at Dow Jones News Service.

At one time or another, she has been responsible for nearly every business beat - general assignment, oil and gas, consumer products, manufacturing, utilities, banking, the economy, personal finance and advertising and marketing. Yerak has covered such household names as British Petroleum, Rubbermaid and Sherwin-Williams.

She had never set foot in a casino until joining The News. For one story, Yerak went through blackjack-dealer training for six weeks, five days a week, four hours a day. Her other casino stories have included an expose on the barring of 30 winning gamblers from one property and an analysis of why Detroit wagerers are lousy tippers.

Yerak was born in Cleveland Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University, majoring in Journalism.