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Columnist Buzz Daly: Sports Book Scene

At what point do impetuous youths morph into mature individuals, retaining their vitality but losing the sophomoric characteristics that marked adolescence?

Well, for most of us, it just happens. And so is the same rite of passage true for the offshore gaming industry.

Back in the early '90s, when it was going through its formative years, enticing sports bettors to scratch their itch with a freedom that went far beyond local bookmakers, there were overtones of the wild, wild west.

But as the loosely knit accumulation of shops scattered throughout the Caribbean and Central America grew into an industry, its newly acquired specific gravity added layers of responsibility.

Whether it is bookmaking operations, software development, marketing or customer service, the majority of today's books approach their business with foresight and strategy acquired through hands-on experience.

During the last few weeks, we've interviewed quite a few bookmakers, and couldn't help but notice how often the term "the industry" was invoked. The sense that they feel they are part of a larger community is unmistakable.

The part of the business we're most familiar with, marketing, has become much more sophisticated with each new season. Sure, there are some newbies who mistakenly think that buying business with outrageous signup bonuses is the way to go. But veteran books and conscientious startups are looking beyond the wrong-headed solutions.

Slicker ads, the use of innovative venues, and attempts to separate from the competition are in greater evidence this season than ever before. We're going to cite one specific marketing approach that books are taking, which illustrates how far they have come: creation of football magazines as a way to put their message in front of potential customers.

Now the technique isn't radically new. We saw them years ago. Crude, poorly written, with woeful production values and an obviousness to their purpose that was embarrassing. Even with low cover prices, not too many bettors were willing to pay for such shabby efforts.

But give the books credit. They learned, and today are publishing magazines worthy of their cover prices and of our attention.

It should be noted these pubs do not indicate that specific books were involved with their production. Call us cynical, but that doesn't perturb us, since the editorial matter is credible. The advertising contained therein will tell savvy bettors who is backing the effort.

On a refreshing note, in the pubs we reviewed there is an absence of competitors being trashed. There are recommended guidelines for selecting a book that contain worthwhile info but no explicit endorsements. The obligatory list of top books is also contained in the magazines but hey, that's just the kind of advertising license to which we are regularly exposed and which appears in other magazines targeting bettors.

Two magazines with highest production values are The Inside Players Pro Football and College Football Guides.

The writing, editing, layout and graphics are of Athlon-like quality. As preview magazines go, they stand very nicely on their own merits. Both pubs are notable for the sparse placement of ads.

The Pro Football Guide includes team previews prepared by Marc Lawrence. Two pages are devoted to each NFL squad, with well organized, easy-to-read stats and info. Action photos add to the pages' overall attractiveness.

The College Football Guide is equally attractive, with the NCAA previews contributed by Phil Steele. Each team gets an info-crammed page, consistent with Steele's style in his own popular magazine.

Feature stories are topical and interesting, and written by such well known names as J.R. Miller, Kevin O'Neill and yes, Wayne Root. College Football Bad Boys and NFL Violence on the Streets are examples of the magazines' feature material. At $5.99, we believe the pubs represent solid value.

Two sister Insiders' Football Betting Guide publications – one college and one NFL edition – appear to be spinoffs. They are streamlined versions, apparently destined for distribution via mail.

The college betting guide covers three teams per page, and the pro pub has one team per page. Both include feature stories, and offer more condensed info for those who prefer brevity.

Another preview magazine, representing a different group of books, is the Official Offshore Football Betting Guide. It covers both college and pro teams.

The handicapping content is crisp and succinct. Each pro team is covered editorially on a page, and with stats and trends. College teams are covered with stats and trends, three to a page.

There are a few feature stories that recap the NFL draft and bash Vegas somewhat. For disclosure purposes, let us note that it contains a reprint of a story from our annual magazine, and carries an ad for Players Guide.

It is encouraging to see offshore books publishing preview pubs with meat on their bones as a means of marketing themselves. It is also interesting to see they are eschewing the old-fashioned and generally discredited approach of bashing competitors.

Let's hope these pubs achieve their goals, and that offshore gaming finds out that Finesse Works.

Calling All Soccer Fans. It had to happen. Despite the jingoistic tendencies of U.S. bettors to assume football is the ONLY sport to attract the masses, soccer has its share of advocates, and they come from all over the globe.

So, to meet that demand, a recently formed website, www.internet1x2.com, which calls itself, "the first 100% soccer website to be established" is now operating out of Belize.

Internet1x2.com covers every professional soccer league in the world at its website, said Ido Raviv, who with his brother Shay are the guys who dreamed up this concept.

Soccer, which also occasionally goes under the term football, inspires rapid loyalty by fans throughout the world. Teams represent cities as well as countries, so nationalism is a factor in the fans' intensity.

The Ravivs, soccer enthusiasts from Israel, intend to give bettors who follow the popular sport an outlet in which they can back their opinions with hard cash. "We have handicapping agents with over seven years' experience in South America, Europe, Israel, and we cross reference what they provide us. Obviously, our ability to set competitive lines is very important," observed Ido Raviv.

So strong is their soccer expertise, that Ido said they are looking not only for retail business with bettors, but would be interested in discussing some sort of arrangement with other sportsbooks that want to be more aggressive in offering soccer, but do not have the inhouse oddsmaking expertise needed to make it feasible.

"We live, eat and breathe soccer," said Ido. "The average bet we book is $100, but we will take $50,000 if needed to balance a side. We are interested in accommodating our players so limits are negotiable," he added.

The company prides itself on prompt payments. Ido said it is audited regularly by an independent third party, a prestigious European auditing firm.

"If you win, we pay. That's the basis on which we intend to grow. You'll have your money within three working days," affirmed Ido. He noted that the company uses the Firecash.com transaction system. The three-day processing time is due to the company checking to ensure that no cards were used fraudulently.

Internet1x2.com is devoted to giving soccer enthusiasts the ability to wager on their favorite teams throughout the world, with a diverse and imaginative betting menu. Betting with its user-friendly layout is simple and intuitive, said Ido.

"Our package is based on a comprehensive view of what it takes to give players the confidence to play and the desire to return. We invite anyone who is interested in betting soccer to check out our website" at www.Internet1x2.com.

Customer service is equally dedicated and professional, and is available round the clock. "Our office is operational 24/7, since we book soccer action all over the world. We're available to a lot more than just the U.S. time zones."

He said the company is committed to quickly respond to customer inquiries. "Within 15 minutes you will have an email from us," he promised. There are also two toll-free numbers that are used for everything from signing up players to resolving disputes.

First-time signups get a 20 percent bonus, and monthly bonuses are also awarded.

The company says it is continually upgrading software and developing new games. Currently it offers the following online games: Toto Pool; Toto Goal; Lines and Parlays; Top 10; Toto Classic, and Toto Tie.

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