SINGAPORE: Illegal bookies feel heat fom legal rival. So they dangle pricey goodies to...BAIT BIG BETS

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Illegal bookies feel heat fom legal rival. So they dangle pricey goodies to...BAIT BIG BETS
But ex-illegal punter says: NO THANKS, I'D RATHER BET LEGALLY
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

June 12, 2006

FANCY a free Rolex Oyster or an all-expenses paid holiday to Indonesia or Thailand?

How about shopping vouchers?

These are just some of the goodies illegal bookies are dangling in front of punters to lure them to place bets with them during the World Cup.

Why so generous?

Well, it's because they may be feeling the heat from Singapore Pools.

Their legal counterpart has come up with creative new ways to beat the bookies at their own game. From introducing phone betting to diversifying their types of betting, it is aiming to give the bookies a run for their money. (See report on page 4.)

Realising that their market share is likely to be eroded, illegal bookies have resorted to giving away gifts to punters.

But World Cup fans like Mr K Singh aren't buying it.

The 26-year-old mechanic knows it's all a ploy by bookies to get people to dump huge sums of money into illegal soccer bets.

He should know. He lost $8,000 in the 2002 World Cup when his gambling spiralled out of control.

After he lost $1,000, the bookies allowed him to bet on credit and he ended up losing even more.

By the end of the World Cup, he was deep in debt.

And no amount of free holidays or expensive watches could have made up for his losses.

Mr Simon Phua also got burnt by illegal betting in the last World Cup.

The 27-year-old businessman told The New Paper on Sunday: 'When you bet with bookies, you don't need to put cash upfront to bet. You can even delay payment by a day or two. But what happens when the bookie can't guarantee your winnings?

'In the last World Cup, I lost $15,000 when the head bookie ran away. His runner wanted to pay me by instalments, but in the end, he also became bankrupt.

'This seldom happens, but suay suay (bad luck in Hokkien), it happened to me.'

You don't often hear horror stories about illegal gambling because it's a close-knit fraternity.

Bookies do not openly advertise their new deals - they spread the news only through word of mouth or through loyal punters.

One bookie, Sam, said the appeal of illegal gambling is its flexibility. Punters can bet on almost anything.

Said Sam, 33, a handphone salesman: 'This time, some are offering very good odds and even on the underdog teams. All they want is for you to spend money.'

Sam, who answers to a boss, sometimes uses punters' money for online soccer gambling.

'If I'm lucky, I can earn more than what my boss gives me in commission when I gamble on Internet soccer sites.

'They give rebates like those you get when you buy a car.'

On average, a bookie gets a commission of 5 to 15 cents for every dollar wagered.

Bookies would like punters to believe that the more they bet, the more perks they gain.

Win or lose, punters will get something in return, bookies claim. Like free holidays and shopping vouchers.

The prizes are bought with punters' money.

Mr Donnie C, 41, a soccer punter who won $23,000 in the last World Cup, saw the advertisements on illegal betting websites recently.

He said: 'Some bookies are tech-savvy. They advertise that if you gamble big with them, even your wife would approve because she'll get free shopping vouchers. If you don't want the vouchers, you can redeem them for cash.'

Punters get a free holiday in a neighbouring country if they bet $10,000 on a soccer game, he added. Those who can afford to bet $100,000 on a game are assured of a luxury watch.

Donnie showed this reporter the 'promos' being offered on a members-only betting website.

Said a 29-year-old bookie: 'The bigger the bet, the bigger the zui lui (water money in Hokkien). Zui lui is the commission we make.

'But this amount gets smaller when people who can afford bigger bets decide to go to Singapore Pools. So far, we won't know the outcome until after the first few matches. But we must try to rope in potential punters.'

In illegal soccer gambling, trust is important, he said.

'It works both ways. Punters must trust that the bookies can pay up. Bookies must trust that the punters can afford to pay when they lose.

'Some punters (who can't pay up) will even threaten to call the police, so the bookies have no choice but to leave them alone.'

Mr Phua will not be taking any more risks during this World Cup. He will bet with Singapore Pools.

'If you have the money, why risk gambling with the bookies? I'll earn less, but I will see my money,' he said.

'The odds offered by bookies may be slightly better, but when you bet with Singapore Pools, you are assured of getting your money.

'They won't run away.'

FINE, JAIL

Betting with illegal bookies can cause you to lose more than just money.

Those found guilty of placing illegal bets can be fined up to $5,000, or jailed up to six months, or both.

Those who illegally accept bets on soccer matches can be fined between $20,000 and $200,000, and jailed up to five years.

During the last World Cup, 61 people were arrested in Singapore for illegal betting.

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BEAT BOOKIES AT THEIR OWN GAME
S'pore Pools introduces pre-paid cards & betting by phone
It extends betting time & increases ways of betting

By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

June 12, 2006

AS 32 teams battle on the field for soccer's most prestigious prize, Singapore Pools is also going head to head with the illegal bookies during the World Cup.

Their game plan? To beat the bookies at their own game.

To discourage punters from betting with bookies, Singapore Pools recently introduced the pre-paid card and extended betting until the 80th minute to discourage punters from placing bets with bookies.

Now, all punters have to do is call Singapore Pools.

It has also expanded the number of ways of betting from three to 11.

During the 2002 World Cup, only three types of betting were available - win/lose/draw, half-goal advantage and total goals.

This year, punters can bet on championship winner, half-time/full-time score and first scorer - to name a few.

Out of the 11 different ways to bet, two are meant for the S-league games.

The pre-paid cards help customers set a budget on how much they want to bet during the World Cup.

But Singapore Pools does not offer betting on credit, which bookies do.

Singapore Pools has formed a team, headed by CEO Tan Soo Nan, to come up with ways to 'defeat' the illegal bookies. It knows the other side will be playing dirty.

But before executing its game plan, it has to first understand how illegal bookies and punters operate, said Singapore Pools spokesman Ho Whei Chern.

Said Ms Ho: 'Our objective is to counter illegal gambling. It is especially crucial during the World Cup when illegal phone-betting will be rampant.

'We observed the preference to phone rather than queue and the interest in betting during matches. We need to offer equally, if not more, convenient and attractive alternatives.'

Except for its CEO, Singapore Pools is not unveiling its team players to the public.

Ms Ho said would only say that the line-up consists of dynamic young individuals from the sports betting and customer service sections who are passionate about football.

Big bucks are at stake in this fierce battle.

In 1992, The Straits Times reported that illegal football betting was a potential $2 billion-a-year industry.

Then, based on preliminary studies, Singapore Pools estimated the amount to be $500 million.

BIG MONEY

It has invested a huge amount of money in the new initiatives.

Said Ms Ho: 'The biggest expenditure among all the World Cup initiatives is the prize for the Instant Strike lucky draw. That alone amounts to over $2m.

'The other significant amount is the prize money in the lucky draw for phone punters worth $200,000. Other costs involved include the production of posters, flyers and betting cards.'

So has the investments reaped returns so far?

Singapore Pools declined to reveal the number of pre-paid cards sold and the number of calls received for phone betting so far.

Ms Ho said: 'Since the betting for the World Cup opened, we've been busy with both over-the-counter sales and phone-betting.'

But it's still early days to say if Singapore Pools' strategy will work against the illegal bookies.

While some punters said its initiatives make football betting just as 'flexible and exciting' as the bookies, others punters doubt the measures will affect the big boys in the illegal soccer betting syndicates.