He won’t tell you his name, only that he’s been betting on football for nearly 30 years. After all, betting on sports is illegal in Connecticut, though millions of people do it on the Web. His wife and boss don’t know about this habit, and he wants to keep it that way.
So, we’ll call him "Ace."
Some elected officials, seeing all the money Ace and his buddies spend on gambling especially around Super Bowl time, are thinking of making sports gaming legal. And why not? Scores of bettors are scooping up lottery tickets and putting money down on the horses in OTB parlors.
Ace says he’ll probably bet $200 on next Sunday’s Super Bowl game. He likes the Patriots and the 6½ point spread. The "over-under" is 47½. "Over-under" is the total amount of points both teams score. You can either bet that number is going under or over.
Some people will actually fly to Nevada for Super Bowl weekend.
"There are 152 casinos that have sports books," he says. "Most hotels are booked. Former NFL players host parties. It’s big in Vegas and Reno."
If you can’t get to Nevada, there’s the Internet where approximately $1 billion is expected to be wagered during Super Bowl weekend.
Or, there’s offshore boating casinos anchored in international waters 125 miles offshore Florida and Louisiana.
If you want to bet in Connecticut, you’ve got to track down your neighborhood bookie, or jump on the Internet. Most bookies insist on a minimum $50 bet; on the Internet you can wager as little as a dollar. There are so many people playing on the Internet that 5 percent of all bettors can bet a buck and the house still rakes in the money. Besides, a dollar gets a lot of new "punters" online.
"If someone is betting with a bookie, you’ll never get him to admit it," Ace says. "The law will come after him for names. I’d say that 50 to 75 percent of people who will bet in Connecticut next weekend have never bet before and will probably use the Internet. They’ll open up a wagering account and might bet ‘straight-up,’ (a win-lose bet -- no point spread) put up a $100, actually $110. You’ve always got to give some ‘vig’ (vigorish). You’re always putting up a little extra to make $20, $50 or a $100."
Ace says there are several ways you can combine or parlay bets, and some gambling Web sites will give you better odds than others. A winning $50 bet might get you $120 or $130.
In 2004, Ace says nationwide over a million dollars were bet over the Internet on the Super Bowl game. This year, Ace says $500 million is expected to be wagered over the Internet. Last year, bettors in Nevada spent $81 million on the Super Bowl. This broke a previous record of $77.2 million, set in 1998.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if that figure tops a hundred million this year," Ace says. "If you add illegal betting, anywhere from $750 million to $1 billion is expected."
Ace says people who rarely follow football are into "prop" bets.
"This is a gimmick bet," he says. "Will the coin toss be heads or tails? Will Corey Dillon (Patriots’ running back) rush for over a hundred yards? Who will throw the first touchdown pass? People go crazy for this kind of bet; they may not know football, but they know the difference between heads and tails."
Still, guys who seriously bet the Super Bowl have usually bet the entire season.
"If these bettors have been losing all season, they try to recoup everything in this one final game," Ace says. "If they’ve lost four or five thousand during the season, they’ll make a four or five thousand dollar bet on the Super Bowl."
And if they lose?
"With the sports book and Internet you have to put money up front," Ace says. "I’ve never heard of anyone who had his legs broken. But, if you owe in the thousands, it can happen. Some people in the hole for a lot of money get a break from the bookie. He’ll let them pay their debt in installments. But, once you go into the illegal realm, you’re taking a walk on the wild side. Nothing’s regulated; you’re on your own."
This Sunday, Ace says he’s putting $100 on the Patriots, $100 on the "over," and he’ll probably play another $50 on "prop" bets.
Want to root for Ace? Keep your fingers crossed the Patriots kick a field goal first.
source : newbritainherald .com
