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sports betting in the US before the advent of the internet
Posted: 02 Dec 2011, 15:56
by donore
I know that NYC had off track betting parlors from around 1970 to 2010 for horse racing, but was it easy for the average guy to bet on the big championship fights, american football, baseball, ice hockey etc down through the ages from the 1920s onwards. Where did the illegal bookmakers operate from? Were they licensed in any part of the States? And what were the odds against you getting paid if you had a big win.
Re: sports betting in the US before the advent of the internet
Posted: 02 Dec 2011, 16:40
by SaadOffTheDeck
I can only talk about the 80's through the 90's and bookies were very easy to find. But the majority of them didn't take bets on fights. Football is the main game there, though some would do year round for baseball & basketball. The fights just take too much out of their wallet if an underdog comes in, where as the other sports they turn a profit if the gambler goes .500
They definitely weren't licensed, that would be like having a license for drug dealing. I never had one that didn't pay me and I had many through the years.