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Online Bookies Prepare For NFL Betting Season

Americans Love To Bet On Football

By Ellyn Miller
August 17, 2007

Americans have always had a love/hate relationship when it comes to betting on sports. On the one hand, we will object to the notion because of moral issues, while at the same time continuing to gamble on the outcome of the game. The reasons for why people bet on sports is as varied as the types of bets that they place, but one thing all sports bettors agree on is that it makes the game much more interesting to have a monetary incentive on the line.

As much as Americans love to bet on sports, the statistics make it clear that the sport they love to bet on the most is football. More specifically, the games of the National Football League (NFL), top the list of sports bettors from coast to coast. While it's not uncommon for betting to take place on college football games, the volume of wagers placed on those games does not come close to the bets placed on NFL football games each year.

Betting on sporting events is an endeavor that requires two parties - one to make the bet, and one to take the bet. Traditionally, in order to make a bet on sports, a bettor had to either deal with a local bookie, or travel to Las Vegas. The trip to Las Vegas, which is the only place in the United States where such bets are legal, was usually too expensive, and dealing with small time local bookies was often a risky proposition.

That changed with the invention of online sportsbooks, which allow anyone with access to the internet (or in many cases, a toll free telephone number) to bet on any sport in the world. These online sports betting web sites often offer better odds than their Las Vegas counterparts, in addition to a convenient, easy and anonymous betting environment. These factors have made them widely popular with American citizens, despite the controversy over whether or not it is legal to bet on sports via the internet.

One internet sportsbook in particular, Intertops, has been taking bets over the internet since 1996. Many say that Intertops is actually the original online sportsbook. Whether or not they were the first doesn't matter to most who place sports bets online at the Intertops web site - what matters to the gambler is knowing that they receive fair odds on the games and that they will actually get paid when they win.

In fact, it was Intertops who made headlines in June when they were the first sportsbook in the world to post odds on this year's NFL match ups. This have given Intertops a distinctive advantage during the Pre-Season football games, and is an edge the company hopes to keep through the first kick off of regular season football on September 6.

"So many big books have closed their doors to Americans," said Intertops bookmaker Andy Donahue. "We've had a lot of action on NFL bets ever since we posted our early lines in June."

Of course, the real action will begin with the first kick off of regular season football on September 6. The first game of the year will feature the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts facing off against the New Orleans Saints. The Colts will enjoy a home field advantage at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The Colts are currently the #2 favorite to win the next Super Bowl, trailing slighting behind the New England Patriots and just above the San Diego Chargers.