Off Shore Gaming Association

It’s the time of year that everyone gets to recap their little corner of the world for previous year. There are articles on the Best and Worst of on almost every topic under the sun. But in the gambling world the big story was really the ongoing stories of the past several years and New Jersey. Below find our Cheers and Jeers for the online gambling industry in 2010.

Though Jeers have outweighed Cheers over the last few years this year saw several bright lights in the online gambling industry.

CHEERS:
1) Barney Frank: The Massachusetts representative pushed very hard to get the UIGEA repealed and made solid headway with HR 2267 – The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. Frank managed to get 69 Representatives to support his bill and had the bill advance with a 41-22 vote back in July. However, more pressing issues like the economy, health care and re-elections doomed the Bill which never advanced through several other committees and reached the full House of Reps for a vote. Frank did get re-elected in November and though his power will be diminished a bit, he most certainly will still fight for personal freedoms.

2) New Jersey: It was inevitable. Atlantic City is dying due to the economy and the rise in casinos in neighboring states. So, New Jersey, specifically Senator Raymond Lesniak, introduced and pushed through legislation for online poker and casino games within the state borders and has a ballot initiative scheduled for the New Year regarding sportsbetting. In addition, they are looking at more ways to wager on the Internet for their horse racing industry which has been spiraling downward for several years. Look for New Jersey to top this list in 2011 and, if they get their ways and introduce what has passed through the legislature, for other states to follow New Jersey’s lead.

3) Bookmaker and 5Dimes: These two books stepped up big in 2010 by scooping up or ‘bailing out’ several smaller books. Had Bookmaker not stepped in with GamblersPalace and Las Palmas/EHorse, thousands of customers would certainly have been stiffed. 5Dimes acquired/partnered with Sportbet/Island and VietBet/BetAnySports to solidify those operations. We still expect to see more consolidation as the fast-paced online gambling industry continues to grow and expand.

4) iMEGA: This group continues to make our list. They are an assemblage of lawyers and industry people that in 2010 fought domain seizures and helped out with New Jersey’s fight regarding  online gambling and sportsbetting. iMEGA continues the tireless fight in courtrooms around the country and though this year did not see them quite as active as the two previous ones, they played an important role and will certainly be working hard in 2011.

5) Canada: The ally to the North has certainly gotten the attention of the U.S. In Canada, B.C. and Quebec got into the online gambling business and now Ontario and other provinces are ready to follow suit. They did have a glitch in one of their games that cause a stir back in November, but the Canadians seem to get what the U.S. government refuses to acknowledge: People are already betting offshore/online and thus, maybe legalization and regulation is a better way to go.

Las Vegas Senator Harry Reid gets a couple of Cheers and a Jeer. Reid faced a huge fight in his home state of Las Vegas in the mid-term elections and did get enough support to win. He gets a Cheer for fighting hard to retain his seat and also get an additional Cheer for circulating a bill after his re-election in the lame duck session of Congress to legalize and regulate online gambling. However, he also deserves a Jeer for not following though with the same tactic that got much of this mess going – the attachment of the UIGEA (a online gambling bill that had little chance)to the 2006 Safe Port Act (a must pass bill). C’mon Harry, don’t tease us in 2011, if you start something in the next session of Congress, please, please follow through with it!

JEERS:
1) Kentucky: We reported back in 2008 that the state had almost no chance of seizing 141 domain names that it claims are breaking Kentucky law by allowing residents to wager with them. Instead over two years later they are still fighting their case in the courtrooms of the Bluegrass State. Thus, a case that never should have been allowed to occur gets our #1 Jeer for 2010.

2) U.S. Department of Justice: This law enforcement arm of the government has ceased going after online gambling companies and instead have focused on payment processors. The DoJ simply waves the UIGEA and seizes funds from payment processors. The take is in the hundreds of millions and this year payments were disrupted at many online gambling establishments simply by the easy ‘take down’ of money processing companies.

3) California: The state was poised to pass legislation to allow online poker in 2010. With supporters far outweighing opponents, the bill regulating California intrastate online gambling seemed a lock to pass. But infighting amongst Indian tribes and existing card rooms that may or may not benefit from online play derailed the efforts of State Senator Roderick Wright. Until these groups figure out how to carve up the lucrative online poker pie, California will take a back seat to New Jersey and perhaps others.

4) UIGEA implementation: How the banks become the police of Internet gambling still boggles our minds. Still, the 2006 law was implemented in June and now online gaming houses will not process MasterCard for fear of having thier funds frozen. Many books were left scrambling at several points during the year and saw check-writing houses close, person-to-person transfers reduced and repeated delays in payout times. Even U.S.-based Internet horse racing sites had problems getting payments through after the mid-year implementation due to the vagueness of the law.

Considering the speed at which the online gaming industry moves, 2010 was a year that saw the continuation of many of the same stories from 2009 and even 2008. Now, with the changing of the guard back to the Republicans that brought us the UIGEA, it may be a long time until there is any change in U.S. laws at the Federal level. However, with States eyeing new revenue sources, online gambling will most certainly become a reality somewhere within U.S. borders in 2010.

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Confessions of a Small-time Gambler

Well, College Bowl season has begun and there have already been some good games and bad beats. But the one thing that I find every year, no matter how much I enjoy throwing a few dollars on pretty much every bowl game, it is tough to turn a profit. Of course, it would help if I was a) more selective and b) more informed.

So far I have put a play in on each bowl game. And, as pretty much happens every year, I am down. In the very first day of bowl games I figured to stick my toe in the water, so I started off with UTEP in a 3-team teaser. I teased them so that the Miners were getting 17! Not even close as they were down 21 within 20 min of play. I knew this play lost but the two other parts of the teaser were still plays that I liked. So I played ‘em both. I took Ohio +1.5, as I am a little familiar with the MAC and figured “What the heck?”, bowl games are always pretty solid on dogs in the early games.

The other part of my teaser was Under 63.5 in the Humanitarian Bowl, Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State. A couple of years back, Fresno was one of those teams that I got lucky with and cashed multiple times. But, in 2010, I was unable to name one player, coach or even remember the team name (Bulldogs). I did watch some of the MAC championship game in which Northern Illinois lost as a huge favorite and under 50 points were scored. So, I played the under, without the added points given to the play in the teaser, and got the game at under 57.5. I sat down to watch this game and heard the announcers talking about how this game was going to be a track meet and the last team with the ball could win. Only then, did I decide to check a few things out. And much to my dismay, Northern Illinois had scored 71, 59 and 65 in the three games prior to the Mac Championship. Then I saw Fresno State had scored 33 or more points in 7 of 11 games this season. Uh Oh!

I sat down for 5:30 kickoff fully prepared to go down in flames. The announcers seemed like they had already watched this game! After taking a drive or two to settle down, Fresno State scored a TD. Then the Huskies scored towards the end of the first quarter and then again quickly in the second. At the half is was NIU 23, FSU 10. Already 33 points. I figured this was over and started doing some other things, checking on the score occasionally. 26-10. 33-10 and ,more than a quarter to play. Then Northern Illinois scored in the first minute or two of the fourth quarter, 40-10. With almost a whole quarter to go, I figured this was loss #2 of the college bowl season. But then the teams went back and forth a bit and with about 6 and half minutes to go, my full attention was again on the game. I watched as the Bulldogs scored with 5 minutes left. The total was at 57. What did I have again? 57, 57.5, 58? What was the number?!!

I went to the computer and logged in. YES! I have 57.5. Now it was time to sweat and pace. And it was great excitement as the score remained the same. I paced, I stared at the screen, scrutinized the replays and all but cheered “Dee FENCE”. Then with a last attempt on 4th down that fell short, Fresno State was done, I cashed. First win of Bowl Season.

And unfortunately, the last . . . so far. Ohio got beat by 3, but I had them +1.5. I again played the underdog in Utah. It was about halfway through the game when I found out that the president of Ohio State had slammed Boise State by saying that they don’t deserve to be in the Bowl Championship Series title game even if they run the table. He said that Big Ten teams, “ . . . do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor.” There was no way Boise was NOT gonna blow out the Utes after a comment like that, no way. I decide that If I am going to play these games I need more ESPN.

As I write this, Dan Diego State is winning the Pointsettia Bowl. Guess who I have.

I did take a look at the upcoming bowl games and to me, most of ‘em are still a coin flip. But I did have a few light bulbs go off in my head while reviewing the OSGA bowl report. Is Toledo really in a bowl game? The Texas Bowl features the 6-6 Illinois Illini vs. the 7-5 Baylor Bears; in a game lauding mediocrity, it does makes sense that a game in Houston would feature a .500 team from the Lone Star State, that actually has a chance to win. And, is it wrong to eat a heaping plate of Mac ‘N Cheese when watching the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl?

Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a safe New Year. Stay away from Uncle Mel and the Hawaii Bowl.

Check back for all new Confessions in 2011. Good Luck to all of us throughout this Holiday season!

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It is the time of year where we start to find out what places like uDrove (transportation management), Beef ‘O’ Brady’s (family sports restaurant) and AdvoCare (health and wellness) are or do. In fact, there are so many sponsors that it is hard to even know where some of the College Bowl Games are begin played or what the purpose is behind them. Except for maybe advertising revenue.

Still, College Bowl season is a great time of year for NCAA football betting and one last gasp for college fooball bettors to cash a few wagers. It is also a time of year where Bowl contests abound and Sportsbooks offer up some extra bonus cash.

Here at OSGA we are in offering our 8th Annual Bowl contest. What started as a simple 5 game pick ‘em has grown into a 3 week contest featuring 32 of the top Bowl games and a grand prize (for OSGA members) of $500. Of course, the contest is FREE to enter and non-members can grab prize cash as well. You can enter the OSGA Bowl Challenge at http://www.osga.com/2011-Bowl-Contest.html. This year, in addition to cash prizes, Diamond Sports is offering up two FREE betting accounts. The player who comes in 3rd will get a $100 account and the fifth place winner will get a free $25 bet at Diamond. If you are looking for more from Diamond Sports, they are offering their own guaranteed $10,000 contest starting on December 26. Players must have a valid account setup before the contest starts and have made a $100 deposit in the last 30 days. Entry for valid accounts is free.

New sportsbook BetRevolution has a great contest setup for the smaller player. The tournament has just a $25 entry fee and everything goes into the pot to make the games more exciting. This contest is for ALL 35 College Bowl games and starts on Saturday the 18th, so get your account started today to get in on this one. Badlands is featuring a $50,000 Bowl Contest that requires a bit more from the player. Players for this contest must have an active account at BetBadlands.com with a minimum $200 account balance to enter. In the unlikely event that a player gets all the games correct, $25,000 will be awarded. Still, the player with the most overall wins will get $10,000, with the top 58 players getting a prize. BetOnline has their first “Lick the Bowls” contest with $5000 in prize money available. The 35-game contest is open to all BetOnline registered players with at least $100 in their account. No entry fee is required and prizes are as follows: 1st place is a $2500 Free play, 2nd place is $1500 and third place gets a cool grand. Get onboard with all three of these books before Saturday to qualify.

Industry giant Bodog has a unique way to earn just by placing bets on College Bowl games. Players who wager on 15 or more bowl games with at least a $10 wager per game can earn up to a $100 bonus. The more Bowl games a players bets on, the more bonus money earned.

So, whether you choose to play the OSGA contest for FREE or enter one of the half-dozen contest that we have seen, Good Luck this bowl season! For the latest sportsbook contest information visit the OSGA Contest page.

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The NFL has deicded to move the Sunday afternoon matchup between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings to Monday night. The game had to be rescheduled because the Giants were forced to land in Kansas City due to a huge snowstorm in Minnesota, which closed their airport.

So, many players awoke today to find the game currently ‘off the board’. For those who alreaady placed a wager on the Giants/Vikings matchup, you will have to re-bet this game.

The head man at 5Dimes informed us early this morning that “the game would be “no action” and you would indeed need to re-bet the game with the new line.”

In addition, early bettors playing teasers or parlays will also be affected. If you play at a place where ties push in a teaser, the play would become a lower team teaser. Players at sportsbooks where a tie in a teaser causes the play to wins; the teaser selection would win. Finally for parlay players, if you have either the Giants or Vikings side or total in a parlay, it will be downgraded to a lower degree parlay.

Good Luck today!

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Here at the Off Shore Gaming Association, we get hundreds of inquiries every month. We get questions on online sportsbooks, casinos and poker rooms, in addition to a vast array of legal and scam requests. One case that has gone on for over four years is the liquidation of the former BETonSPORTS company and we are still getting inquiries on the case, especially since players have heard nothing for over a year.

In 2007, a forensic accounting company in England, Vantis PLC, was appointed by the government of Antigua to liquidate the assets of the sportsbook giant. However, Vantis itself ran into trouble early in 2010 and was forced to sell off the division in charge of the BETonSPORTS case. Vantis Business Recovery Services was sold in a management buy-out to existing Vantis partners for an undisclosed sum and a new firm, FRP Advisory LLP took over the operations in June of this year.

We feared that all hope was lost for players.

However, here at OSGA we are determined to see this case through until its end. Thus, after investigating for most of the summer, we were able to find out that many of the key people who assisted us on behalf of players in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were now in similar positions at the new company, FRP Advisory and that the company was working toward a resolution. We have been in contact with the new company and this week did get an update for players. This is very preliminary information and we expect to have continued updates in the coming days and weeks.

Several orders have been made by the High Court and the financial/gaming regulators (FSRC) in Antigua. These orders are providing for FRP Advisory to make one final attempt to contact players/creditors via national newspapers in Antigua and the U.S. As of our latest correspondence, the final submission of outstanding claims to the liquidators will be March 31, 2011. This cutoff date will finally enable the liquidators to be able to make payouts to players and creditors. A final distribution of funds to gaming and trade creditors should be completed by no later than June 30, 2011.

Still, we were still not given a concrete answer to the big question on players minds, “How Much?”, yet reports indicate only a small percentage will be returned to players. Though this is still ongoing, at least now a timetable for closure and distribution has been scheduled and agreed by the Court. Hopefully, before the 5th anniversary of this ordeal next summer, players will get some funds back and this ugly chapter in Internet gambling can be brought to a close.

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It is time for Internet gamblers in the United States to strike back and help Harry Reid pull the same trick that then-Senator Bill Frist pulled with Bob Goodlatte, Jon Kyle and others in 2006. For those who need a reminder, these Congressmen pushed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) through in a lame-duck session at the end of 2006 by attaching the bill to must pass legislation. At that time the must-pass bill was the SAFE Port Act. The Act was passed at midnight on the day Congress adjourned for the 2006 elections.

Now Senator Harry Reid from Nevada has a similar opportunity. He is looking to work new legislation into the end of this years’ session in favor of Internet poker and opposing the aforementioned UIGEA. OSGA’s own Hartley Henderson wrote a plea to Reid last week (It’s Crunch Time for Online Gambling Regulation). Within 48 hours  of Hartley’s post there were various news reports that Reid may be turning the tables on the Republicans.  In 2010 the Democrats are losing their power in the House of Representatives  and this time around these ‘lame ducks’ could push through a Poker Bill and attach it to a must pass bill like the SAFE Port Act of 2006.

Any legislation introduced could be a real game-changer and has every bit as good a chance to get through as Frist’s bill four years ago. This last-minute legislative effort gives voters who desire the freedom to play online a chance to stick it to the Republicans, whose sneaky tactics in 2006 still affect many of today’s issues related to online gambling payments. Get Involved, Act Today!

Please take the time to contact your Congressman and let them know to back any efforts by Harry Reid, Barney Frank and other to add in a late Internet gambling or UIGEA repeal bill. For those in Nevada, Harry Reid can be reached at http://reid.senate.gov/ or toll-free at 1 (866) SEN-REID (736-7343).

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