The Straits Times Interactive


Sports

MAY 23, 2000

Austrians set up S-League Internet betting


SOCCER

FAS chief unaware and there's nothing S'pore can do -- except smile

By S. MURALI

BETTING on S-League matches is no longer just a Singaporean affair. An international betting house has started to put S-League match odds on its Internet site, allowing anyone in the world to wager on its games through the net.

The irony is that the Football Association of Singapore, which runs the S-League, and Singapore Pools, which runs S-League betting game Score!, do not have any control over the site.

The Austrian website, www.interwetten.com, has started to offer S-League odds alongside English Premiership, European Champions League and other major league bets.

According to a spokesman, the site decided to venture into S-League betting after determining that 5 per cent of its 50,000 customer base was from Singapore.

Said Heinz Patzelt, in an e-mailed response to Timesport queries: "We started two weeks ago as a test run because of the growing number of customers from Singapore.

"The response has been very good. We took a huge number of bets from the first day of offering S-League. People also contacted us asking if we could also offer handicap bets and special bets like which team to score first and how many goals will be scored."

The site, which was established in 1989, also has two people calculating odds for South American soccer and for the S-League.

FAS chief operating officer John Koh said that he was unaware of the site, but seemed pleased that the S-League has drawn such interest.

Singapore Pools, which was estimated to have generated $210 million in wagers last year from Score!, does not believe that the new site is a threat.

Said its spokesman: "We are aware of the site and are monitoring it very closely but we do not believe that it will impact on our sales."

One worry for the FAS, though, is that the anonymity provided by the website will allow those currently banned from betting on Score! such as the players and officials, to bet on their matches without being detected.

FAS director (competitions) Chris Chan stressed that it would still be a breach of the rules guiding the players and officials.

He added: "Well, all of them have signed a code of conduct prohibiting them from doing just that.

"So, they know that it is illegal for them to do so."


Meanwhile, Home United has released striker Brian Kristensen from its squad.
The Danish striker, who was injured for a significant part of the season, scored only one goal so far. Home is currently looking for another striker to replace him.

In other news, Home midfielder Iswandy Amil is also leaving the club. He is being courted by Woodlands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HOW THE WEBSITE WORKS

The website requires a punter to open an account with it in order to place a bet on matches, only through the internet.


The punter must deposit money into the account, either with a credit card, a wire transfer from a bank, or by sending a cheque to the company.

The account is accessed by a unique password that the punter decides on. The password will be asked for each time the punter logs on.

Punters then can bet on any of the matches offered by the site, where they will be told the various odds for their bets.

S-League matches are usually on offer the day before the match starts, with odds offered for picking the winning team or predicting a draw.

Winnings will be credited into the account, and punters can ask for a payout at any time.

Once the punter indicates that he wants to cash out, the company will then send a cheque to the punter.