Off Shore Gaming Association

In a summer of huge developments in the off shore gambling industry, none may be bigger in players’ eyes than the move over the weekend by The Greek and BetJamaica. BetJamacia closed and the Greek has decided to let their US players leave. Luckily for bettors, Heritage Sports is providing the out that players need.

We have always had Heritage rated very highly, and I can’t remember the last complaint that we have had on them. However, there are many conflicting postings around the various gambling forums regarding the deal being offered by the two sportsbooks from Jamaica and Heritage. New customers should also keep in mind that thier funds currently at Heritage are being guaranteed by The Greek, so trying out the new book is a no-lose proposition.

Players with balances will have their funds available at Heritage Sports and can get their accounts started at Heritage quickly. In addition, players who remain with Heritage will get a 10% Free Play welcome bonus. New players can simply ‘take the money and run’ if they choose. To accommodate this, Heritage will send the payout via Check or person-to-person transfer at no charge. However, players who reject the offer from TheGreek and BetJamaica will most likely be shut out of further opportunities to play at Heritage.

Once player who do complete any necessary rollovers  and are playing with Heritage can request a payout at any time. There is a $55 fee for checks and wires and of course Western Union and Moneygram have their own dollar specific charges. Heritage has already made some changes to accommodate players by upping their max payout via check to $3000.

And Heritage told me that there are more changes coming, mostly in response to the new influx of players who were very used to all that two of the top books anywhere offered. Heritage will be increasing their wagering menu to include some of TheGreek’s tennis, boxing and golf bets. They also will being to offer a wider menu for the four major U.S. sports, quarters, alternate lines and more will be coming in the next few weeks.

We were told, “We are trying to get all of the players that would like to join us situated first. Then, we can work on expanding our menu to accommodate what the Greek’s players are used to,” a Heritage representative told us. 
Several players we spoke to are worried that their volume or style of play will get them booted from their new Sportsbook. We were told that players have already been evaluated and everyone is welcome. We have not heard of many instances over the years of Heritage letting any players go, but their previous clientele was a) exclusive and b) mostly recreational.

The top question on every players mid is “Why?” Why did two of the top Sportsbooks leave the U.S. market prior to the very lucrative NFL season? The fact that the U.S. government is waging war on online betting operations that take U.S. customers was certainly a huge factor. Add to that the difficulties with processing, as BetJamaica and TheGreek had always identified the ‘gambling code’ on transactions. And finally, the fun and enjoyment had simply gone out of the business of bookmaking. As I was told by the upper management at BetJamaica, “The U.S. government took all the fun out of this business years ago”.

Though we are extremely sad to see these two operations go, we couldn’t agree more. The pressure by the Feds has certainly taken a good amount of the enjoyment out of online gambling for everyone, while scaring both players and operators out of the market.

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In the 1960s, The Miracle Mets redefined the term “underdogs,” Maris broke one of baseballs’ most hallowed records and pitchers like Gibson and Koufax simply dominated hitters Think you know a lot about Major League Baseball in the 1960’s? Try this ridiculously difficult quiz and find out! Tweet a link to your friends and see really can score more…

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Fans of the World Series of Poker will have to wait until November 6 for the final table, but bettors can get in on that action at sportsbooks around the globe right now. The odds for the final table of the WSOP main event have been posted and current chip leader Martin Staszko, a 35-year-old poker pro from the Czech Republic, has been set as the slim betting favorite at 4-1. Staszko does not have the huge chip advantage that last year’s winner, Jonathan Duhamel had. Duhamel started with a significant chip lead over the rest of the field and was a 3/1 favorite to win the coveted bracelet. Chip leaders are 1 for 2 (wins) in the last two years – with a first and a second place finish.

Based on the total number of entries, non-U.S. players made up 33 percent of the total field, the largest percentage of internationally-based players in WSOP history. Yet, seven different nations are still represented amongst the 2011 ‘November Nine’. Consequently, the WSOP betting odds vary greatly between U.S.-facing bookmakers and EU betting shops.

The three Americans remaining in the field are bunched together at the third, fourth and fifth spots. Matt Giannetti, is third overall with 24,750,000 chips. He and online sensation Phil Collins, who is is fourth in chips with 23,875,000, are offered at 13/2 at Bodog. Ben Lamb, who leads the 2011 WSOP “Player of the Year” race, has 20,875,000 chips is currently a good value at Bodog at 7/1. Meanwhile at Sportingbet in the UK, Staszko is still the favorite but at a bit bettter price: 4.5 to 1. Gianetti and Collins are slightly shorter at 6-1 and 5-1 respectively, but Lamb is only listed at 5.5-1. Furthermore, Sam Holden, a 22-year-old professional poker player in his first WSOP who hails from Sussex, England is currently at 16-1 at Bodog and just 12-1 across the pond.

Pinnacle Sports in Curacao has an interesting twist on their WSOP betting menu. You wager against a player to win! Though the odds are quite long it may be easier to pick the losers rather than the winner.

Unfortunately, no one is getting as rich as these poker pros. These bets are viewed as ‘prop bets’ everywhere and limits can be quite low. We are updating odds on a daily basis on our World Series of Poker Final Table Odds page. Check back as the tournament gets closer to look for value.

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The World Series of Poker “Main Event” is entering its last two days before the strange hiatus until November. The field has been reduced from 6,865 entrants to just 57 players, all of whom are guaranteed at least $130,997. So far, every celebrity has been eliminated, all of the Poker Hall of Fame members are gone and just one former WSOP “Player of the Year” remains, Erick Lindgren.

The next two days will finalize the “November 9″ who will be forced to wait nearly four months to finish the tournament, which I can not understand. Currently, Ryan Lenaghan is the only player who can boast an eight-figure stack with 12.8 million in chips. Lenaghan’s poker tournament results and statistics include one 1st place finish, five final table appearances, and six in-the-money finishes since he began in 2006. Even if he craps out today, his winning in just this event willbe more than his entire career. His total take is under $100,000 lifetime, which is probably why I never heard of him.

Ben Lamb, who overtook Phil Hellmuth over the weekend to become the leader in the 2011 WSOP Player of the Year, is in second with 9.9 million. Here are the chip leaders entering today’s play:

1. Ryan Lenaghan (12.8 million in chips)
2. Ben Lamb (9.9 million)
3. Matt Giannetti (7.9 million)
4. Andrey Pateychuk (7.2 million)
5. Phil Collins (7.2 million)
6. Hilton Laborda (7.1 million)
7. Nelson Robinson (6.4 million)
8. Tri Huynh (6.2 million)
9. Aleksandr Mozhnyakov (6.0 million)
10. Bryan Devonshire (5.9 million)

The WSOP Main Event is being shown live today and tomorrow on ESPN3.com. I do not watch much poker on the TV, but it is exciting to watch a guy push in a million chips! Click here to get the live video feed starting both days at 3PM ET.

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In the 1990s, Wade Boggs collected his 3,000th hit, Sammy and McGwire put on a ridiculous home run show, a youngster named Jeffrey Maier cursed the Orioles for years to come and Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood each fanned 20 batters in one game! Think you know a lot about Major League Baseball in the 1990’s? Try this expert level quiz and find out! Tweet a link to your friends and see really can score more…

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Gamblers across the U.S. are being greeted this week with an extra envelope in their mailboxes. But once they open them, many are shocked and disgruntled at what they find.

As we reported two weeks ago, the liquidation of BETonSPORTS was all but complete. Among the only things left to do for the liquidators, FRP Advisory, was to send out checks to former players. At the time, FRP Advisory stated that checks would be going out at the end of June. Today, many players did receive their checks as part of the “BETonSPORTS PLC settlement fund”.

However, several players we spoke with were shocked when they opened their envelopes and saw the meager amounts of their checks. “I was happy and excited to get the envelope,” said one payee. Then when I saw the amount of the check, all that went away.”

We had reported several times since 2011 that the amount for each player would be quite low. Apparently, FRP Advisory was not able to recover as much as they thought and everyone hoped. Even after speaking with BOS, then Vantis and finally FRP Advisory, we felt that players would get at least 10% back. But the final figure paid out was literally pennies-on-the-dollar – 4.62 cents to be exact.

Everyone wants to know where all of the money went. Well the fact is that once the dust settled following the arrests, there was almost nothing there for the liquidators to distribute. FRP Advisory did chase down some of the funds, but also was unable to recover several million that could have been used to up the payout percentage.

FRP Advisory did post their final report as promised on June 30. The report is not only a complete accounting of the money, but also details the efforts that were used over nearly four years in the recovery process. The full report is available here.

We did get a note today from FRP Advisory, who has been very responsive throughout this ordeal.  The email stated the “first and final” distribution had been made. We expect that all players will be getting their settlement checks by the end of this week, putting an end to this dark chapter in the history of offshore wagering. A chapter that really started the latest war being waged by the U.S. on Internet gambling houses.

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