Who the hell
is Bill Dozer?
Posted on Thursday, April 29, 2004 (GST) By: Bill Dozer, SBR Analyst ? 2004 All rights reserved
It was 1991, I had just received my 5th-grade diploma, and the Bulls were playing the Pistons in the NBA playoffs. I was wearing my Michael Jackson Underoos. The room was packed with squares who each had, what was for them, a substantial bet on the game. The keg was tapped and Marv Albert?s voice could be only faintly heard over the trash talking about whose bet was a lock and who made the wager guaranteed to lose. Sitting in the middle of the room with a cell phone in one hand and a notebook in the other, was the only guy not sweating the outcome. He wore a cocky expression as if he had already won. This was precisely the case, since he was the man smart enough to have taken all the wagers. He managed to book even action by steering the gamblers to his lines like livestock to a barn. This guy was not me. I was sitting to his left having just taken the training wheels off my first bike.
Fast forward thirteen years and I have now gotten my drivers license and am even allowed to vote. My course has taken me from a monopolizing local bookie to using numerous online shops. I have had years of experience wagering offshore, and therefore have a standard of what to expect from this type of business. Although, in the beginning betting online lead to taking a gamble in more ways than one.
When I started laying my hard earned cash on the line, I was earning 2 dollars a day at the local lemonade stand. Hell, at that time I had a hard time getting online because of the Net Nanny program on my parents computer. The days of knowledgeable wiseguys in posting forums and sites like this one had yet to arrive. If I did manage to find a bookie review, it was biased at best. But I was an action junkie at an early age (9 years old, to be exact)and didn?t think there was enough to gain for a book to abuse its source of income. I was wrong.
I found my book by typing in domain names by accident while trying to access the Nickelodeon site. The site I came upon seemed to have all the bases covered. The plays were easy to select and there were simple instructions on how to redeem my winnings. The risk seemed worth the reward. It was the answer to no longer having to shop from my local bookie?s inflated prices after I tracked him down in 5th period wood shop. The concept in itself was exciting enough to give it a try. I deposited fifty dollars to check out this new process.
The benefits were visible immediately. The wagers were graded quickly for that time and I liked the feeling of not having my gambling be public information. My growing comforts with the site lead me to question the safety of my funds less and less. A few wins in a row and a long shot parlay later brought my balance from under 100 dollars to hovering well over 1000. I decided it was time to cash in my chips and smell the real money.
Six months later I didn?t have anything more than a few pubic hairs yet and just started getting interested in girls. I suffered through hours of terrible customer service and received a crash course in Spanish. Although I did eventually find a fraction of my funds in my mailbox, the hassle was enough to make me think twice about where I would send my money in the future. I am actually grateful for that experience. It marked the end of taking uncalculated risks and the beginning of considering wagering an investment.
Today, I have positioned myself to watch the industry from a much better angle. Years of experience as a client have given me the ability to help and advise other players in dealing with offshore sportsbooks. My reputation as a player advocate has allowed me to mediate many disputes in which a fair outcome has often been the result. I offer both the player and the institution an educated, objectionable and honest assessment of any questionable situation. In this unregulated business, I am proud to have the respect of not only my peers but the sports books as well.
I believe expecting quality is the key to the gambling industry as well as to the rest of the consumer business world. Although online gaming is still in its infant stages, it is still 5 years older than I am. More than a few books have lowered their prices; not because they want to have a sale, but because the player seeks it. More books have also increased the speed of their site and customer service level because the standard demands it.
Resources like SBR are showing the customer what is available, leaving sub-par books to follow or fall behind. In this constantly evolving commerce, the thinning of the herd will inevitably continue and players will be at risk. For these reasons, I have joined the SBR team. SportsBookReview.com will provide me with the best platform to assist players in the future and promote the business in the right direction.
Bill Dozer: SBR Writer, Analyst, and 15-year Sportsbook player. Mr. Dozer helps other players avoid scams and provides advice in dealing with offshore sportsbooks. For more information visit SportsBookReview.com or send an email.