Dave’s Dime
“Because Two Cents Just Isn’t Enough”

THE INTRO

And then there were 4 (I didn’t forget the Colts, they just didn’t fit in my title).

Quite an interesting weekend in the NFL. The league’s best two teams in Baltimore and San Diego got knocked off, officially making the Super Bowl worthwhile again. It is no longer an AFC lock, and as we take an in depth look at THE CONSOLAZIO CURSE in the next Dime, a Chicago victory this week virtually guarentees them a Super Bowl win. Confused? More on that next week.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves… there are still a few good games left to be played before we get to the big one.

Plus, I have an important (and long) issue in online gambling to address, so I’ll just get right into it. If you gamble online, you should definitely tough out the length and read it through. Enjoy.

THE DEATH OF ONLINE GAMBLING

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006

The ban on gambling offshores, including the ever-so-popular industries of poker and sports betting, was officially passed into law in November. It was met with critcism and something significantly stronger; indifference.

Poker sites and sportsbooks are owned and operated outside of the USA. Many companies are listed in London and operate their facilities in places like Antigua and Costa Rica. This way, companies felt for the most part that they could ignore the laws in the United States, since they would theoretically be impossible to enforce.

The law’s passing caused some sportsbooks and poker sites to stop accepting customers in the USA, but not many of these places were too reputable; they were generally the types of sites that were not financially stable enough to handle a large legal battle should it ever come to one.

The law against online gambling created a bit of an inconvinience for its participants; depositing money with a credit card, for example, was no longer legal, since credit card companies would no longer pass transactions to gambling sites.

This inconvinience was easily overcome by the immergence of middle men. That is, companies that would accept money from your credit card, and then deposit said money into the gambling website of your choosing – with a few transaction fees along the way, of course.

No “middle man” company was more reputable, efficient, and trustworthy than neteller.com. Virtually all serious gamblers used it; while the transaction fees could be a nuisance, they bought you state of mind and security. Not to mention, some poker and sports sites would offer to pay these transaction fees for you, so you simply couldn’t go wrong using it.

The online gambling industry took a colossal hit this week. Two of NETeller’s former executives were arrested by the FBI on charges of illegal money laundering. They were allegedly “ambushed” by the FBI while in a USA airport between flights, and face a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail. In response to these arrests, NETeller has officially stopped funding betting accounts.

Probably the second most reputable “middle man” site, ATMOnline.com, followed suit. They officially closed their doors to American consumers Thursday afternoon.

Losing NETeller was actually the second (albeit bigger) big hit the online gambling community took in a week’s time. On January 11th, PINNACLE withdrew from the US market. Pinnacle is the undisputed best when it comes to online gambling; they offer the best lines and are the most trustworthy and influential website on the web. The only reason they gave for this withdrawl was “careful consideration”.

What is the big deal about Pinnacle leaving the US market when there are still literally hundreds of other places to bet? And what makes NETeller so special that another company can’t just fill the void?

Valid questions, and some writers suggest that internet gambling in the USA will survive and do just fine. I am not one of those writers.

Pinnacle leaving the market made me think that a lot of other books would leave it too. Tons of other sites look to Pinnacle for lines and other ideas on how to run a successful sportsbook. They in my opinion undoubtedly started a trend by leaving the US behind that would catch on fairly quickly.

The NETeller situation, however, makes my fear and theory a legitimate reality. First of all, it makes these offshore companies realize that they are not invincible. Secondly, bettors now need to use other methods to get their money from their wallets into their websites. Most middle men websites will learn from NETeller’s mistakes, like ATMOnline did, and also withdraw. So who does that leave? Companies that may be a little more shady and a little less trustworthy that may not be able to handle the huge influx of customers. Or worse yet, scam sites that will take your money and credit card numbers, only to vanish without a trace.

Vanishing without a trace, mind you, is a fear that all online gamblers here in the US should have regarding their favorite poker or sports site. Reputable and top of the line sites like Pinnacle or NETeller will PROBABLY get you your money back. But there are hundreds of middle of the line sites that have, can, and will just completely cut you off, and keep your money while they are at it. And what can you do? You have no legal path of action to retrieve it, as partaking in online gambling was illegal in the first place. Furthermore, some websites may be forced to shut down due to bankruptcy or financial problems revolving around NETeller’s shutting down or their own legal battles. I have seen plenty of gambling webpages be fully functional one day and simply come up a “404 website not found” the next – leaving your money 404 not found, too.

Do what you will, but if you are a gambler, remember that gambling is supposed to be fun. Gambling your money on whether or not the site you are a member of is going to last and be good about payouts for the coming months or years isn’t exactly the same type of fun that a poker tournament or a couple of bucks on the Super Bowl is. Win, and… nothing happens. Lose, and you could very well lose hard-earned money on a bet that you never even made.

I’m neither a gambling nor an economics expert, but I still want to offer my advice; get your money out of online gambling as quickly as you can. The NETeller situation will not be an isolated event – on the contrary, it is the beginning of the end of online gambling here in the USA. I don’t think it will ever die completely; but expect the business to get a lot shadier, payouts to become a lot more difficult, and sites that you know and love to fall.

And for those of you that have thought about getting into online gambling? Don’t. The market will be filled with all sorts of great bonuses to try and lure the unsuspecting public in over the next few months. Don’t be fooled.

I’m not advocating finding a local bookie, but I will point out that human beings are a lot less likely to completely disintigrate into the depths of cyberspace.

THE RECORD

Season (Final)
With the spread: 126 – 121 – 9 (.510)
Without the spread: 154 – 102 – 0 (.602)
$$Money Picks$$: 27 – 30 – 1 (.474)
^^Zen Picks^^: 24 – 22 – 2 (.522)
**Outright Upsets**: 36 – 33 – 0 (.522)

Last Week
With the spread: 2 – 2 – 0 (.500)
Without the spread: 3 – 1 (.750)
OVER/UNDER: 3 – 1 – 0 (.750)
$$Money Picks$$: 1 – 1 – 0 (.500)
^^Zen Picks^^: 0 – 0 – 0 (N/A)
**Outright Upsets**: 1 – 0 (1.000)

Playoffs
With the spread: 3 – 5 – 0 (.375)
Without the spread: 7 – 1 (.875)
OVER/UNDER: 4 – 4 – 0 (.500)
$$Money Picks$$: 1 – 1 – 0 (.500)
^^Zen Picks^^: 0 – 1 – 0 (.000)
**Outright Upsets**: 1 – 0 (1.000)

LAST WEEK’S RECAP OF DAVE’S BRILLIANCE AND FOOLISHNESS
(Often Foolishness)

#3 Indianapolis 15 13 – 4 (+4.0) @ #2 Baltimore 6 13 – 3 (-4.0)
Baltimore loses, huh? One of those examples where I’m glad to be wrong.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS $Baltimore
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: LOSS Baltimore
OVER/UNDER 42: WIN UNDER

#3 Philadelphia 24 11 – 6 (+5.5) @ #2 New Orleans 27 10 – 6 (-5.5)
And I had Philly + the points typed out until seconds before I sent the Dime out. Tragedy.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: LOSS New Orleans
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN New Orleans
OVER/UNDER 49: WIN OVER

#4 Seattle 24 10 – 7 (+9.0) @ #1 Chicago 27 13 – 3 (-9.0)
Seattle probably should have won, but ask San Diego about “probablys”
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *Seattle
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN Chicago
OVER/UNDER 37: WIN $OVER

#4 New England 24 13 – 4 (+4.5) @ #1 San Diego 21 14 – 2 (-4.5)
Those damn Patriots always just find a way, don’t they?
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: WIN *New England
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: WIN *New England
OVER/UNDER 46: LOSS OVER

THE PICKS

* – Indicates Upset Pick
$ – Indicates Money Pick
^ – Indicates Zen Pick

#2 New Orleans 11 – 6 (+2.5) @ #1 Chicago 14 – 3 (-2.5)
Well, all week I’ve been talking about how it should definitely be a Saints Colts Super Bowl this year. The Saints should have no trouble at all scoring on the Bears’ defense that has been mediocre at best lately. But then I get to thinking about a few things. First of all, the Colts and Saints both can’t go to the Super Bowl… I like them both. Someone I dislike simply has to go! And I’m quite sure of the Colts game. So, then, how do the Bears beat the Saints? Comes down to one simple thing; home field advantage. The Bears aren’t necessarily a very experienced team, but the Saints are about as young and inexperienced as you can get. Bears fans are very, very passionate and will make the Saints quite uncomfortable. That, of course, and the blistering cold; 31 degrees outside with a 40% chance of snow. There are just too many intangibles here, and the Saints just seem to be too easy of a pick, that the Bears are going to surprise even me and pull this one off.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: Chicago
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Chicago
OVER/UNDER 47.5: UNDER

#4 New England 14 – 4 (+3.0) @ #3 Indianapolis 14 – 4 (-3.0)
And so we meet again. New England VS. Indianapolis, Patriots VS. Colts, Brady VS. Manning. Call it what you will, but this is a legitimate playoff rivalry, and it is always fun to watch. That is, of course, if you are a Patriots fan. I don’t need to pull out the stats on how this playoff series has gone for Peyton Manning; it is on the front page of every sports section and website out there. And you know what? Enough, in my opinion, is enough. The Colts and their fans have suffered through this loss one too many times. The game is actually IN Indy for the first time, where the Colts are undefeated this season. Demons need to be exorcised. Pigs need to fly. Hell needs to freeze. It is finally time, in my humble opinion; and Peyton can only pray to God that I’m right.
PICK WITH THE SPREAD: ^$Indianapolis
PICK WITHOUT THE SPREAD: Indianapolis
OVER/UNDER 43: OVER

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Questions? Comments? Love the Dime? Hate it? Should I cut it down to a nickel? SEND ME FEEDBACK!

MY TEAM’S RECORDS
OAKLAND RAIDERS: 2 – 14 – 0
USC TROJANS: 11 – 2 – 0
LOS ANGELES KINGS: 16 – 26 – 6

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