Victor Zakharchenko. Place your bets, gentlemen!

Place your bets, gentlemen!
Victor Zakharchenko

Publication date: May 21, 2001

It has long been the case that people are attracted to easy money. Hence the guaranteed success of bookmakers. Everyone understands perfectly well: if such offices were unprofitable, then no one would open them. But experience shows that large sums are won by rare lucky ones, namely the lucky ones, and not sports experts who burden themselves with complex calculations. Most lose or gain small amounts. But how drawn every player is to join the cohort of those chosen by fate!

From the above, there is only one conclusion - bookmakers are beneficial to their creators. And everything that is profitable and brings money, sooner or later finds its refuge in the great and powerful Network.

Today's conversation will focus on online bookmakers that allow you to place bets without leaving your favorite computer.

For those who have never encountered the subject of conversation, a little about the operating principle of such offices in general. In any office you can always take a printout of current sporting (and other) events on which you can bet. For someone unfamiliar with this process, the first glance at the printouts can be intimidating. But in reality, everything is as simple as five cents.

For example:

Event	1	p	2	1 hour	x2	Date
Perugia-Milan	6,7	2,5	2,6	1,3	1,1	28.10.99

Here's what it means:
The numbers are odds, they are multiplied by the bet amount.
1 - victory of the first team.
2 - victory of the second team.
x - draw.
1x - first win or draw.
2x - second victory or draw.
That's all. The odds on 1x and 2x are usually not great.

There are many betting options (Express, Total, etc.). For example, in “Express” you bet on several events, and all odds are multiplied.

In RuNet, special attention should be paid to the bookmaker " FON ". It was one of the first founded in the USSR and remains one of the best. The office accepts bets on the following events:

• Football. World and European Championships, championships of Western Europe and Russia, European cups and matches of national teams;
• Hockey. World and European Championships, Russian Championships and NHL matches;
• Basketball. European cups, NBA matches, World and European championships;
• Tennis. ATP and WTA tournaments;
• Race. Formula 1 Grand Prix stages;
• Boxing. Professional boxer fights;
• Baseball. MLB;
• American football. NFL;
• World and European Championships in team sports;
• Olympic Games competitions.

In addition to the online service, the page provides the addresses of 29 betting points in Moscow and partner organizations in the regions. Right here you will be given the opportunity to open your own office, collaborating with FON. For the first time in Russia, FON specialists have developed a computer program for organizing work using the Internet to transmit information.

Many may be interested in the opportunity to place online bets using WebMoney, which is provided by the Favorit office . Favorit accepts bets on the results of sporting events. For payments, the universal electronic payment system Webmoney Transfer is used, which allows instant payments online. Bids are accepted by email. There is no need to waste time filling out numerous forms online. To start playing, you do not need to transfer money to your personal account at the bookmaker. You can pay the bet directly from your WM wallet. The minimum bet amount is only 0.20WM. Every tenth bet can be made for free. The free bet amount is 0.50WM.

Similar offices are organized in many regions of the former Union. Thus, in Ukraine the “ Sportonline ” server is popular, the range of services of which is a gentleman’s set of any such organization.

Even Tatarstan has acquired its place in the odds-based world. At www.fora.mi.ru you will be greeted by a bookmaker's office... that's right, "Fora". There they will tell you that they have been working for three years without violating the law, and that your winnings are exempt from paying taxes. They are also trying to buy a player because the odds from Handicap are much more attractive than those from other companies.

The reader may get the impression that the development of this online service in the Russian-speaking part of the Web has reached unprecedented heights. But everything is learned by comparison. Many of you have probably heard about the William Hill office. Well, he's waiting for you with open arms at www.willhill.com . As they say, we still have room to grow. The range of events covered, the many betting options and, of course, payment options are amazing. For English speakers, we can recommend www.eurobet.com and www.worldbet.com , where you will find a convenient interface and a variety of possible bets.

Runet is happy to adopt methods of providing online services from Western colleagues. Bookmakers that accept bets are a prime example of this and are growing like mushrooms after rain. As always, our fellow countrymen are a little behind the West, because they are catching up. But the typical Runet word “ free ” is pleasantly pleasing to the eye, which is very rare in its world analogues.