Bodog is going next....

[savage1]

Locals are scum? In what way are local books preying or leeching. They provide a service. Yep illegal but so is your offshore account. Are they scum? Are the state lottery personnel scum and leeching as well. All gaming from sports bets to the lottery is in it for the cash and if YOU or I win we get paid. If we lose do we hate our local book or ourselves cause we can't pick a winner. I don't get it. I enjoy gambling. If I didn't meet a local 20+ years ago I guess I would of never gambled. I never blamed anyone but myself for my losses. It's a hobby and locals provide a service and IMO are not scum.

As long as a local gives me the correct line and pays on time to me they are providing a service.. Yes the odds are in their favor but it's my choice to play... I never had a local come to me and beg me to make a wager...

I am speaking from my experience using Locals for many years until over 10 years ago I started using Offshores.
At least around here, the guys I settled up with were seedy looking characters who acted and talked like some of the guys portrayed in movies involving the Mafia.
The gave me the creeps, and since we always met in some secluded place, I always had an uneasy feeling about it, like perhaps the cops would show up, etc.
In addition, I know for a fact that they used their profits to support drugs, prostitution and a lot of other things which weren't too nice.
They were also loan sharks and enforcers around for those who couldn't or wouldn't pay.
Also, although things may have changed(don't know if it did around here), I always got shit lines, over unders were split lines(eg. 48/50 in the NFL-over 50 you win on an over, under 48 you win on an under and anything in between you either push or lose-lose edither way if number falls right at 49).
In addition parlays were at 6/5 with shitty payoffs.
As far as Locals go, I will admit that the fact that I don't have to settle up with anyone and that the person(s) taking the action are anonymous helps.
On the other hand, I have always been treated with respect when I call to wager(hardly ever now because of internet and IPhone)-conversely, some of the guys I settled up with I considered thugs who were working for even bigger thugs-it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Add that to fact that at Offshores lines are good, parlays are at even money and a host of other stuff, and you have more reasons fo disdaining Locals.
Sure things MAY have changed around here for the better, but at this point in my life, I would consider it a HUGE step backward and a weakness to go back to using a Local and would indicate to me that I would be so desperate to gamble, that I would have to resort to compromising my overall attitude and feelings towards Locals looking at everything retospectively.
In al fairness, I am sure that there are some classy Locals out there somewhere, but as stated, at this point in my life, it is just not worth my while to seek them out should I no longer be able to wager on line.
Hope that clarifies my feelings on the matter.

[bryce]

i agree 100% bryce.Most of the time locals will treat you the way that u treat them.I know some guys that owe the locals $$$$ that when the local calls they dont ANSWER THE PHOE AND AVOID THEM.ALL A LOCAL ASK IS ANSWER THE PHONE EVEN IF U USE THE EXCUSE,MY KID NEEDS DIAPERS," AT LEAST YOU ANSWERED THE PHONE,WHEN YOU AVOID THEM MOST OF THE TIME THEY DO IT BACK JUST TO SHOW YOU A LESSON

Yea buddy I never knew a local that came after people. I am sure people know them types. Fk if I knew someone was going to come after me if I didn't pay then I wouldn't be risking to much cash as I do fear death! Locals take a risk and they get hit. They do not win ALL the time. It your money vs. Theirs. May the best man win. Are gamblers scumbags? I mean seriously.. Are we all scum bags or just trying to make an extra buck. People forget that online didn't come about that long ago and we dealt with many locals. Some are good and some are bad. Anyway I hope all of us here aren't scubags because we like to throw a few bucks on a game. Think about it who is worse the book or the gambling man. IMO neither.

[bryce]

Savage if you dealt with a shit hole then I guess I could see why you don't or many people do not like locals. But when you generalize they are all scum I just questioned that. Yes shit lines and what you said would make me quit asap. I never had any type of experience that you mentioned.

How do you even hook up with these characters.. Seriously... What would possess you even to place a wager with Mafia or shady people like that..if I didn't know the person or a friend of a friend introduced me and referred me then I wouldn't have been so apt to wager.

[tech fan]

Savage if you dealt with a shit hole then I guess I could see why you don't or many people do not like locals. But when you generalize they are all scum I just questioned that. Yes shit lines and what you said would make me quit asap. I never had any type of experience that you mentioned.

How do you even hook up with these characters.. Seriously... What would possess you even to place a wager with Mafia or shady people like that..if I didn't know the person or a friend of a friend introduced me and referred me then I wouldn't have been so apt to wager.

i also agree.I have dealt with 3 different locals the only problem i ever had with the first local i ever dealt with was he said i had to play a minimum of 3 plays every call.then he would only be open for business from12-1 sunday.What i did like was he had recorded message with all the lines and he provided all the rotation numbers so all you would do was call in give him your id # that he gave you and then just give your figure to make sure we were even.Always was even,Then just called out ex 343,412,434 and that was it lasted less than 30 seconds and in the atlanta area i know he had over 500 players.we would settle up only when we were over 300 or -300.We met up every 2 weeks to get the new rotation schedules.

[savage1]

Savage if you dealt with a shit hole then I guess I could see why you don't or many people do not like locals. But when you generalize they are all scum I just questioned that. Yes shit lines and what you said would make me quit asap. I never had any type of experience that you mentioned.

How do you even hook up with these characters.. Seriously... What would possess you even to place a wager with Mafia or shady people like that..if I didn't know the person or a friend of a friend introduced me and referred me then I wouldn't have been so apt to wager.

Bryce-perhaps because you are somewhat younger than I, you don't have a recollection as to what wagering was like in the 70's anyways or maybe even part of the 80's long before Offshores came into vogue.
The best comparison I can make is to compare it to say the situation in baseball prior to free agency as to opposed to after free agency.
In baseball players were tied to their teams-if their contract ran out and they were offered a new one, they either accepted the owner's final offer or sat out the season-no going to highest bidder as exists today.
With Offshores it was pretty much the same-if you had a Local or Locals, you were pretty much at their mercy-the lines they gave out, the terms, the parlays, times they were open, how much you could bet on a game, the times they were open, settlement terms, etc.
Then along came Sports Internet Gambling and Offshores, which imo is comparison to Locals overall is comparing filet mignon to dogshit for the reason mentioned earlier.
Everything about is has been great-the lines, teaser terms, parlays, convenience, the fact that they hasve Seven Eleven hours of operation and on and on and on.
Even though in all honesty, my intellect tells me that even around here the Locals don't currently operate in the same shitty manner in which they used to(they have to compete with Offshores), something tells me that if all of the Offshores closed, the Locals would once again hold the trump card.
It is simply a situation I don't want to revisit.
And yes, it is unfair of me to characterize all and past Locals as scum-I speak only re:my own experiences
If a certain person on this forum(think hard now)who at one time took action and lived around here, from what I know about him, he CERTAINLY would qualify as an exception to my statement even though it certainly wouldn't change my mind aboutn using a local again.

[savage1]

i also agree.I have dealt with 3 different locals the only problem i ever had with the first local i ever dealt with was he said i had to play a minimum of 3 plays every call.then he would only be open for business from12-1 sunday.What i did like was he had recorded message with all the lines and he provided all the rotation numbers so all you would do was call in give him your id # that he gave you and then just give your figure to make sure we were even.Always was even,Then just called out ex 343,412,434 and that was it lasted less than 30 seconds and in the atlanta area i know he had over 500 players.we would settle up only when we were over 300 or -300.We met up every 2 weeks to get the new rotation schedules.

Yeah-I have to be fair here.
Without knowing the current situation near where I live as to how Locals operate, in all honesty I should not generalize about Locals.
I have bad feelings baed on my own experiences with these folks especially now when I try to compare them to the Offshores.
Perhaps if my experiences with Locals had always been more positive, once I made the switch to Offshores, I might feel a bit differently than I do.

[bryce]

I find this comment unbelievable, knowing that some people on this site probably fit this bill.

We all know that you have a lot of money; the majority of it inherited. You have made that point abundantly clear on several different occasions. That's fine, and I am happy for you. Your comment about locals is much more of a statement about you than the local's you demean.

Why don't you take some of your wealth and take some courses in interpersonal relationships?..Again, your comment is unbelievable, and not the first time it has happened..

You owe the board an apology, but something tells me that that would also be "beneath your dignity"

I guess we are on the same page and it was stereotypical and totally off base. But hey I guess some people hate locals and that is their choice. But if you know they are scum and think they are scum then why deal with them in the first place.

[savage1]

I find this comment unbelievable, knowing that some people on this site probably fit this bill.

We all know that you have a lot of money; the majority of it inherited. You have made that point abundantly clear on several different occasions. That's fine, and I am happy for you. Your comment about locals is much more of a statement about you than the local's you demean.

Why don't you take some of your wealth and take some courses in interpersonal relationships?..Again, your comment is unbelievable, and not the first time it has happened..

You owe the board an apology, but something tells me that that would also be "beneath your dignity"

I did revise my statement in my last post, but I feel I am entitled to my opinions based on my own experiences in the past and relative to where I reside.
Also, if Locals(which are strongly connected to Mafia where I live) in any way used/"invested" money won directly or indirectly for drugs, prostitution and a host of other nasty activity, then I certainly have a right to think of them as I wish in my mind.

[bryce]

Yes offshore books are much better than locals. They have much more options and better payouts. Locals on the other hand have their advantages as well. I never said locals were better than offshore folks. I just was taken back by the scum comment. That's all... Moving on....

[savage1]

I guess we are on the same page and it was stereotypical and totally off base. But hey I guess some people hate locals and that is their choice. But if you know they are scum and think they are scum then why deal with them in the first place.

In my case, I never liked dealing with them for reasons stated but was forced to because here was no other way to bet other than going to Las Vegas.
Offshores solved the problem at least up until now.
Hopefully they will continue to operate for the good of all and that the good classy folks will operate the Locals and make my own bad experiences in retrospect a thing of the past.
ps Again if ALL present and past Locals acted/act like and had/have the demeanor of you know who, then I would never have made the remark in the first place, and my past experiences would have all been good.

[WayneChung]

heys guys lets get back on point,not are locals scum,just if the bottom fell out,would you use them ? i would not. more feedback on this ? ps-i like the freedom the offshores give us,mutiple wagers,open around the clock,simple to get your bets in,they have spoiled me,i will not go back to the confinement of a local.

[WayneChung]

heys guys lets get back on point,not are locals scum,just if the bottom fell out,would you use them ? i would not. more feedback on this ? ps-i like the freedom the offshores give us,mutiple wagers,open around the clock,simple to get your bets in,they have spoiled me,i will not go back to the confinement of a local.

plus most charge 10 percent,some use a 20 on bases-way to hard to overcome. ps-easy to get 5 to 8 cent lines with the offshores.

[bryce]

I would absolutely positively continue to wager. Come on chunger i know you love your college football. You mean to tell me you would not get the itch as soon as it started...
Hey maybe you wouldn't but I don't know I think you would be all in at some point.

I think we all would be... Just my opinion.

[jcindaville]

No one is going to get stiffed. MMGG (the company that owns bodog.eu, formerly bodog.com) wants to expand and registering the company’s domain where there gaming license is located is probably the safest bet for an online gambling company anyway, so the .eu move makes perfect sense.

Sounds like Marvin wants to do some stiffing!!

[savage1]

I would absolutely positively continue to wager. Come on chunger i know you love your college football. You mean to tell me you would not get the itch as soon as it started...
Hey maybe you wouldn't but I don't know I think you would be all in at some point.

I think we all would be... Just my opinion.

Question for you Bryce and any others for that matter;
Ok the question was posed as to whether we would go back to use a Local if there were no more Offshores.
To continue this further, would would you continue to try to wager if as unlikely/improbable as it seems, somehow the Feds not only closed down the Offshores but also took such strong action aganst locals all over the country or at least in the area in which you lived, that they were forced out of business also, meaning that the only way you could bet would be to go to Vegas or to find someone who lived in Vegas or someone who had connections there to place the bets for you.
Obviously there is no right or wrong answer here, but I think everyone's response is an indication as to how important gambling whether it be to try to make money, whether it is for recreational purposes or whether somewhere in between.
To take it further, would you still follow the same sports you do with the same intent and interest, etc.?
My own response is that for me I think there would be a period of adjustment for sure, and that I would still watch college sports because they are exciting in their own right.
I can honestly say though that with pro sports, things would go back to the way they were before I started gambling-mainly I would remain a HUGE Sox fan and big baseball fan in general and continue to watch Sox games and other games also.
Re: pro football, pro basketball and hockey, other than following Pats and Celtics and Bruins whom I like(not in same class as Sox and baseball), I probably wouldn't watch that many regular season games(if I flicked on a game, and it seemed to be exciting, I would watch it) and just get interested once teams got late into the playoffs-that is me though and I know others would feel 100% differently.
In short, at least for me, once baseball ends, gambling which is on the recereational level for me in any evenr, simply creates more interest in following other sports which on their own would not have that much overall appeal.
Again, I know I am in the minority here, but I thought the question posed is relevant.
The next relevant question, which we will save for another time, is what would you do if you couldn't gamble on sports at all anywhere-what would you do in your lives to replace it?