World Cup sparks local sports betting rush

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

With the major players in the betting sector expressing satisfaction at their returns, following the staging of the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in South Africa, it appears that the local sports betting fraternity is truly on a rise.

Though no figures were made available by either of the two; Justbet and the United Bookmaker's Association (UBA), officials from both organisations expressed delight at the response that their odds received from the betting public.

Justbet, an offspring of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) and the newer of the two bookies, benefited from an extensive advertising campaign and aggres-sive marketing on their part ahead of and during the tournament. The demand was so great that staff had to be beefed up midway the tournament to deal with the influx of calls.

Strong market

Sonia Davidson, vice-president of group corporate communications at SVL is confident there is definitely a strong market for sports betting locally and that the industry will continue to grow.

"We were really overwhelmed during that one-month period of the World Cup; we are very happy with the way things went," said Davidson. "Sports betting is definitely here to stay, and we knew it all along. We know that Jamaicans are sports loving people and will always informally talk among themselves and bet on who will win, so what we have done is offer the legitimate way to do it and win money."

Though clearly happy with the betting returns, Davidson was unable to point to exact figures. She did, however, underline that, by all indications, the reaction would have been even better if they were able to offer bets over the telephone or Internet - facilities that cannot be extended to the betting public because of current restriction by the regulators, Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC).

"As I said, it was really great, especially when you consider all the challenges and limitations that we have had to deal with," Davidson said.

"The biggest challenge for us was the amendments with the BGLC Act; that had a lot to do with how we could roll out to meet our objective, which was to get this product into the bars and sporting lounges across the island," Davidson continued. "It's still a challenge because although the amendments have been passed, regulations that would govern how we go about doing this are not ready. We are still in a wait and see state, and our plans are being limited now because everything is not in place."

The UBA, a grouping of local bookmakers namely Track Price Plus, Markham Betting and Champion Betting, also recorded impressive numbers, according to spokesperson Wilbert Witter.

Increased awareness

Witter explained that because of the pattern of betting, they did not suffer a huge loss, and that they also benefited from increased awareness around their offerings.

"We carried Spain as the early favourites but most people placed bets on Brazil and Argentina. Some switched to Germany and, as usual, a lot of people also bet on Italy and France and they both dropped out early on, so we didn't lose a lot of money," Witter explained.

"There was a lot more awareness this time around, we did our own low-keyed, internal advertising and that worked out for us," Witter added. "We had very good responses and everybody was pleased with it."

With club football, National Football League and a plethora of other sporting events on the horizon, both organisations are expecting the public to continue their gravitation towards their bets and products.

Justbet's Sonia Davidson - File