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  1. #1
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    Default First the AP scandal, and now SBG Sportsbook not paying alleged betting syndicate

    Gambling911 has a great story about how negative PR can affect an Internet gambling company, and how that's changed in the past few years.

    When high ranking officials at Absolute Poker decided to cheat unsuspecting customers, they didn't bank on a "mob mentality" and the mainstream press that followed from such media organizations as MSNBC and ABC.com, just to name a few.

    What used to be confined to the industry proper is now big news among media outlets. Years ago, when Sports Market founder Charlie Therwhanger robbed his customers of an estimated $13 mil, the bad press was limited to only a handful of websites that catered exclusively to the online gambling industry. Not one major media outlet took notice.

    Today, in the midst of what is arguably the biggest scandal to ever hit the billion dollar industry, the press is paying attention....close attention.
    ESPN's Gary Wise is already promising a major expose on the Absolute Poker scandal come later this week. Apparently ESPN has been in contact with customers of another online gambling establishment, this a sportsbook, SBG Global.

    A group of players have accused SBG Global of withholding well over $100,000 in winnings. SBG Global contends this group is part of a betting syndicate and joined the gaming firm in violation of its "no syndicate" rule.
    It's a very well written piece, and the only sensational items in the whole story are the pictures of Jenny Woo.

    http://www.gambling911.com/Absolute-...al-102407.html

  2. #2
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    ESPN has also been in touch with the guys who broke the AP story, an article ispromised this week or next.
    Terry - The Pokerkeep
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    Quote Originally Posted by thepokerkeep View Post
    ESPN has also been in touch with the guys who broke the AP story, an article ispromised this week or next.
    Maybe being a sleuth for the gambling world these days pays dividends!


    Cheers



    Dave

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    On one side it's good to keep a close watch on the online gambling sector, but then again, knowing ESPN, they would probably spin the story, it would be very negative piece. I remember ESPN columnists rushing to blame the Tim Donaghy scandal on gambling and not on the crook he was... ESPN is way to far in bed with all the sports leagues to support online gambling in any way.

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    From the sounds of it, they are doing indepth interviews to ensure that what you here is accurate. Hopefully they'll do a good job. From what I've read in the main stream media so far on the Absolute scam, the reporters haven't taken time to get the facts or verify what they're printing. I hope ESPN does a better job.
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    It just goes to show, once again, why this industry needs regulation - rather than being forced underground - swept under the carpet, so to say.

    The media has a strong influence in US policy... When the media gets hold of something, congress magically takes notice and plans hearings and such.
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  7. #7
    The Buzz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ogpaper View Post
    On one side it's good to keep a close watch on the online gambling sector, but then again, knowing ESPN, they would probably spin the story, it would be very negative piece. I remember ESPN columnists rushing to blame the Tim Donaghy scandal on gambling and not on the crook he was... ESPN is way to far in bed with all the sports leagues to support online gambling in any way.
    Bill Ordine, who blogs about sports for the Baltimore Sun, makes a good point about Absolute Poker running ads on WSOP broadcasts on ESPN ... perhaps this relationship will affect the story they end up running?

    called ESPN to ask, considering the brewing scandal, whether they thought it was a good idea to be running ads for AbsolutePoker.net during its marquee poker telecasts. After making the point that the dot-net site was the free site and not a gambling site, an ESPN spokesman said that it was the network's understanding that problems at AbsolutePoker had been addressed and that, yes, ESPN would continue running the commercials.
    http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spor...uch_about.html

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