Off Shore Gaming Association

The Off Shore Gaming Association (OSGA) is pleased to announce the winner of their 9th Annual College Bowl Challenge. ‘JNoss’ beat out over 100 contestants to win the grand prize of $300. Had JNoss been an OSGA member, he would have cashed for 2X the prize amount, $600.

In its 9th year, the OSGA College Bowl Challenge again had contestants pick 32 College Bowl games against the spread. The spreads were set at half points to eliminate ties. The early Bowl games were worth 1 point but contestants still had a chance right up until the BCS Championship game – BCS Bowls were worth 2 points and the BCS Championship was worth five. In fact, the players who were at the top of the leaderboard for most of the contest ended up missing the prize pool entirely, as all five of the top leaders had LSU being crowned as BCS champion. Instead, ‘JNoss’ and the other prize winners came from as far as 12th place to get in on the prizes.

The contest had several anomalies this year. Four players tied for the top spot on the leaderboard with 27 points and 5 players tied for 5th place with 26 points. Since there was a 4-way tie for first place, we had to go to the tie-breaker. The contest rules state that the player who picks closest to the final score of the BCS Championship game without going over would be crowned champion. The second anomaly was that all but one contestant (who finished 59th) in the Bowl Challenge had their total go over the final score of the game, 21-0!! So, we went with the closest to the final score to determine the winner. The total of 28 was the closest and thus JNoss was determined to be the overall winner! The other three contestants that tied for first place were awarded prizes 2-4 based on their total in the BCS Championship game as well.

This year was also peculiar as we saw the most women EVER hit the top of the leaderboard. ‘bcs wizard gal’ took 2nd place, ‘dp24’ took 3rd and ‘teresad’ and ‘ncyjohnson’1 both tied for fifth place.

The contest oddities continued with 5 players tying for 5th place. The fifth place prize was a FREE $50 bet at OSGA Elite-rated Diamond Sports. Since there was a 5-way tie for fifth place, we would normally go to the tie-breaker. But Diamond Sports stepped up to the plate and offered ALL of the fifth place finishers who tied with 26 total points a Free Bet. This made ‘tks777’, ‘gpatek1’, ‘ncyjohnson1’, ‘KKoz9’ and ‘teresad’ ALL eligible WINNERS of the $50 Free Bet at Diamond Sports.

‘This years’ BCS Contest had several twists and turns and having ‘Bama as the BCS Champ really turned the standings on their head,” stated Jim Quinn from OSGA. “To have such a close contest, with a very different leader board on the last day, than any other day, made this one of our favorite years running the contest.”

This has been another great year for the OSGA College Bowl Challenge and we congratulate everyone who played (except our own OSGAJim who only picked 12 winners and finished in 109th place). We also would like to thank the contest sponsor, Diamond Sports, who really came through for players with the extra Free betting accounts. OSGA is looking forward to their ‘Members Only” SuperBowl contest and the annual NCAA Tourney Contest in March.

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Our annual Bowl Contest is underway and we have had a huge response so far!

The OSGA College Bowl Challenge takes just a few minutes to complete and is free to enter. Check it out at http://www.osga.com/2012bcscontest/free-bcs-contest.html. The deadline for entries is 8PM on Tuesday, December 20.

This year the annual BCS Bowl Contest from OSGA is bigger and better than ever. In its ninth year, the pick’em-style contest includes 32 bowl games and has a prize pool of $1000. This contest is Against the Spread. OSGA has massaged the point spreads to make every game half-point decisions to avoid pushes. Players simply pick the winners of each bowl game (ATS) and then the correct score of the BCS Championship game as a tie-breaker. Points are awarded for each win and each of the BCS games are worth extra points, so everyone has a chance right up until the National Championship game between LSU and Alabama

There is NO FEE to enter the OSGA 2011 College Bowl Challenge and this year the prizes are double that of previous years. The GRAND PRIZE of $600 is for OSGA Members, while non-members will get $300. The Runner-Up gets $200 – $100 for Non-Members. Places 3 through 5 also get prizes – 3rd Place gets a $100 Free Bet at Elite-rated Diamond Sports; 4th Place will receive $50 and fifth place will get a $50 Free Bet.

This contest takes just a few minutes to enter and there is No Entry Fee. Check it out at http://www.osga.com/2012bcscontest/free-bcs-contest.html. The deadline for entries is 8PM on Tuesday, December 20. GOOD LUCK!

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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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The annual College Bowl season is here and OSGA has got you covered. Two of our annual college football offerings, the BCS Bowl Contest and the College Bowl Report, are now available.

The 2009-2010 OSGA College Bowl Report is a must-have for anyone interested in the college bowl season. The annual report features the opening LVSC line, updated odds from two sportsbooks and the date, time and network that will air each bowl game. In addition, the report features comments from pro handicapper Marc Lawrence, hand picked from the Playbook 2009-2010 Bowl Stat report. This report is a great tool for both fans and bettors of College Bowl games. You can view the report here, or download a printable PDF version of the report here.

This year the annual BCS Bowl Contest from OSGA is bigger and better than ever. In its seventh year, the Pick’em Contest now includes 32 bowl games and has a prize pool of over $500. This contest is Against the Spread. Players simply pick the winners of each game (ATS) and then the correct score of the BCS Championship game as a tie-breaker. Points are awarded for each win and each of the BCS games are worth extra points, so everyone has a chance right up until the National Championship game between Alabama and Texas.

There is NO FEE to enter the OSGA 2009 College Bowl Pick’em. The GRAND PRIZE of $250 is for OSGA Members, while non-members will get $150. The Runner-Up gets $100 – $50 for Non-Members. Places 3 through 5 also get prizes – 3rd Place gets a $50 Free Bet; 4th Place will receive $25 and fifth place will get a $25 Free Bet

This contest takes just a few minutes to enter and there is No Entry Fee. Check it out at http://www.osga.com/2010-Bowl-Contest.html. The deadline for entries is 8PM on Sunday December 20. GOOD LUCK!

For all of your College Bowl game needs (except for beer and snacks) head to OSGA.com. There are several sportsbook contests and college football bonuses listed in addition to the OSGA College Bowl Pick’em. You will also find the latest gaming news and membership information.

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As NCAA Football winds down the 2008 campaign, we offer up the Annual OSGA Bowl Schedule and Odds report. This report features every game with opening lines and current odds from two of the largest sportsbooks offshore. This year we have added comments from pro handicapper Marc Lawrence, hand-picked from the Playbook 2008 Bowl Stat report. Check out this great betting tool online here or download the report in .pdf format as a clip ‘n save or to print and follow throughout the entire bowl season.

Check back next week as we release the 2008 Bowl Specials, Contests and Bonuses from OSGA Elite and Premier sportsbooks!

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