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The Denver area sports bookies are breathing a sigh of relief that the NFL lockout is now over but, at the same time, they’re not exactly thrilled over the prospects of their local team, the Broncos.
Bookmaker had the Broncos, Panthers and Bengals winning the least number of regular season games in 2011at 5 ½ (Carolina actually was expected to win only 4 ½).
Sam, a local bookmaker in the Denver area, spoke to our Payton O’Brien this past weekend while she was in town.
“I haven’t seen much of a pickup,” he admitted. “Of course it’s a little early but typically I’ll be getting a few new guys wanting to get set up this time of year.”
Sam handles around 30 guys though business was down last year and he attributes this to the offshores. This year, some of the online sports betting sites that cater to US players are maintaining low profiles due to the reduced number of credit card payment processing platforms available. Others are focusing more on bank transfers. Companies like PayPerHead.com have begun marketing heavily as call centers that handle the business of local US-based bookies like Sam’s.
He believes that low expectations for the Broncos this season will contribute to the downturn in his business, coupled with concerns over the economy.
“A few years ago I could put a line on the Broncos playing at home at -20 and people would bet it here,” Sam said. “This season, people really don’t want to touch them and you won’t have a lot of people betting against their Broncos.”
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
