Since as you said, you know firsthand, (As you claim to know about everything else) I won't disagree.
Lol, Okaaaaay then...I guess?
Aside from my personal knowledge, does it NOT make perfect sense to you logically?
If you delve into, and actually investigate what I'm saying, instead of getting all insulted right away, you might realize that what I'm explaining to you is, in fact, FACT!
But don't take my word for it. Check out and investigate the information I've provided you and see if what I say is right. If it isn't, then I stand corrected. Right or wrong here?
PS: Like the man once said, "Don't hate the player, hate the game."
Best you simply ignore "IT" - Period! A close friend that's an old time BM tells me that a lot of his "customers" don't or can't qualify for On-Line betting. These BMs and their customers have been together for years. With the on line winnings taxable, just adds to why there's still a need or want for Old School BMs. Besides, you can't break balls with an on line bet. As usual your observations are correct.
So does this mean all illegal sports betting is done on a local level? What exactly is the advantage of illegal bookies setting up online if they,
1. Dont take payments that are not in person, only cash in hand.
2. Dont do credit cards, cant really take collateral either....
3. So...... and this is the part I really dont get, they CANT take out of state bets, right?
4. If it's all cash in hand, and no credit cards, and all the customers are local, why do they go to Costa Rica and set up offshore books?
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Here are the answers to your questions one by one, ok CG:
1. Bookmakers still operate like in the "old days" in the sense that they still have "runners" who operate locally that bring in new customers under their particular "sheet," and meet those customer weekly to "settle up" with them by either paying them what they "won" or collecting what they "lost" for the previous week of betting.
2. No illegal books handle credit cards! 99.999% of all illegal bookmakers are not set up to accept credit cards. They deal in "cash" only transactions get like in old days. (This is another reason why their runners must meet the bettors, so as to collect or pay out in cold cash). In fact, initially some books started accepting credit cards but the FBI contacted those card companies and had them shut down the terminals of those books as a deterrent.
3. The vast majority of bookmakers operate locally. For instance bookies based in NYC, mostly deal with betting customers in NY. Although, in theory and in actuality mob bookmakers can operate and accept bets anywhere they have their "runners" and "junior partners." For instance, if they have runners in NJ, CT, or FL, then those runners can, and do, interact with betting customers in those states.
Conceivably, an illegal book could book bets anywhere they have their operatives to meet those bettors for "settle up"
4. The reason why ALL the bookmakers first sought out Cosa Rica (and a few other Island nations for that matter), was to escape the clutches of American law enforcement. Both local and federal authorities (FBI) really started breaking balls back in the early 1990s. Massive arrests, heavy jail terms, asset seizures, etc. So the wiseguys figured they'd move their operations beyond the clutches of police. (Remember that this was the same era that saw a major expansion in computer technology, 800 numbers, etc). This technology is what allowed organized crime to make this move as never before.
Another reason why they now operate online though "computers" is that this technology is like having 1000 accountants, statisticians, and handicappers to set "betting lines" at the bookies beck and call 24/7. The computer age had allowed them to eliminate hours and hours of grueling paperwork. Its become a 'win-win' situation for them.
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Additionally like FOH mentioned, after setting up in Costa Rica, eventually a collaboration between illicit books previously located in various states like NYC, Chicago, CT, LA, and elsewhere led to developing a relationship with one another and an intermingling of gambling operations. The move offshore later actually became very advantageous for the professional gamblers that they'd never imagined; "edging bets" among themselves, hiring one another's "sites" to handle runners, merging together to reduce overall costs, etc.
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