Online Sports Gambling & Me

April 18, 2007

When I started looking into challenges teens and kids were faced with on the Internet a year and half ago, I found that many of the same trappings for kids were also the same for adults. Recent headlines have reported people losing their jobs over inappropriate use of the Internet and even being arrested for viewing child pornography.
My first article for the Northern Express was in 1991 and was all about the Internet and the endless possibilities it would bring to our society. I received phone calls and letters (e-mail wasn’t big in those days) with most telling me this online society I wrote about would not become a reality. My article focused on communications, education, medical and economic benefits of the pending Information Superhighway. What I didn’t see coming in 1991 was how the Internet would change the gambling and pornography industries.
So, when my research led me to find that teens and even tweens were gambling online, I decided to take a closer look and try my luck at online gambling to see what the fascination was all about. Last December, I opened an online gambling account.
 
EARLY ACTION
I am not a gambler for several reasons. First, in third grade I made my first bet with a friend on the Indy 500 for $10. Little did I know that the race had already taken place, the broadcast was taped delayed and he already knew the winner. I didn’t have $10, so he showed up at my front door one evening and explained to my parents that I owed him money. As my dad pulled 10 bucks from his wallet while giving me the look I had seen before when I was in trouble, I knew my betting days were over.
My second reason for not gambling is I am a competitive person and do not like to lose. So, I have opted out of trips to the casino or card games with friends for money.
Now, I am not opposed to gambling and obviously there are millions of people who gamble responsibly. I just know that I wouldn’t be one of those.
I mentioned to a few friends that I was going to try my hand at online gambling. I was surprised when some of them mentioned they regularly placed bets online. One friend e-mailed me an invitation to sign up with BetUS.com in which he would receive a bonus for having me join. So I made an initial investment of $100 and got started.
Online gambling companies do not exist in the United States at this time; they are illegal. BetUS.com is located in Costa Rica and has over 100,000 customers and employs 550 people. They are also licensed and bonded in Canada. BetUS.com is just one of more than 1,700 online gambling businesses that exist. While hard to track annual earnings, some experts estimate that profits each year are in the billions for the online gaming industry.
 
EASY MONEY
I decided to set some guidelines for myself. No matter how much fun I might have, and no matter how much I might win, I was only going to place bets for 30 days or until I lost my 100 bucks.
Not being an expert, I started out small and placed some $5 bets on college football games. I won four out of five games that I bet on. The next day I bet on six NFL games and picked four out of six correct. Figuring I had a good handle on this, I bet $20 on the Monday Night Football game and won. Now my account had 150 bucks in it; I was excited and called my friend who introduced me to the site. He said I should place some parlay bets -- where you pick multiple winners -- and that my earnings would be higher.
So I placed a $10 wager on five college basketball teams. They all won and that netted me $240. I started thinking, wow, this is pretty easy. Then reality set in. I went on a losing streak.
 
PLACE YOUR BETS
I quickly found my account below the initial $100 that I had invested. So, I decided to try some other options. I was amazed that you could literally place a bet on almost anything. They were taking odds on whether Miss America would lose her crown by year’s end. You could even bet on who would make the final table at the World Poker Championships or what bonehead thing Britney Spears would do next. There was even an opportunity to bet on things that might happen to California in the near future, such as a flood or an earthquake. I was tempted to bet on the next FBI Most Wanted list person to be caught, thinking we have to catch bin Laden pretty soon.
I decided to try my luck instead on foreign professional basketball leagues. There are several professional men’s and women’s leagues around the world. I did some research on these leagues, placed some bets and started winning again.
This was getting exciting. Some days I found myself placing bets three or four times a day. My account kept going up and down, and at one point I was close to $1,000. Feeling invincible and seeing myself as the next Jimmy The Greek, I finally met my match: college football bowl games. By January 1, 2007, I had $1.10 in my account.
 
THE AFTERMATH
My online gambling days are now over. BetUS.com still considers me a valuable customer as they mailed me a free BetUS calendar that features girls in bikinis. They even sent me a free DVD, “The Making of the 2007 BetUS Calendar.”
Just a few weeks ago, I received a letter from Jesse Ventura, former big time wrestler and Governor of Minnesota, who is the spokesperson for BetUS.com. He offered me a free 50 dollar coupon to try out their online casino. I still get the occasional e-mail offering me bonuses if I put more money in my account, or if I recruit friends to sign up.
I have to admit it was fun. I found myself addicted in a very short time. There was this rush that would come over me when I won that was countered by angry feelings when I lost. I also found myself spending hours researching teams and pondering my bets. What surprised me the most was how often the odds makers were right. Often a college basketball team that was given 25 points would lose by 26 points. Pro football teams that were given 13 points would lose by two touchdowns.
For me, personally, online gambling doesn’t work out. I hate to lose and I want to play until I win. But I know the odds are against me, and in reality few people win. Just ask Charles Barkley or John Daley -- both have lost millions gambling. But for others, online gambling is a form of entertainment. They are able to control their bets and accept their losses.
 
KEEP THE MONEY
The gaming industry in America is lobbying Congress for the legalization of online gambling in this country. Based on my experience and research, I support their effort. Why should billions of dollars leave this country to benefit economies elsewhere? Legalized online gambling in the United States would be regulated as gambling is at casinos and horse tracks.
Legalizing online gambling in the United States might also eliminate the many minors who are currently accessing gambling sites. The gaming industry in the United States is well managed and would go to great lengths to keep minors from accessing online gaming sites.
Even if online gambling becomes legal in the United States, the odds are a billion to one on me placing another online bet. I have two kids who eventually will be going to college – I will be wagering on their future instead.