American Idol, Duke LaCrosse Scandal, Whitney Houston all contribute to record readership for Gambling911.com

Thursday’s traffic numbers the most in its five year life lifespan

MIAMI BEACH, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/02/06 -- Gambling911.com, the world's leader in online betting news pertaining to sports, entertainment and the political landscape, has shattered its all time highest traffic numbers this past Wednesday, March 29.

The web site, which has been in business since September 2000, reported nearly 40,000 visitors and a total of one million hits in a single 24 hour period.

“Gambling911.com has carved out a niche for itself in the lucrative entertainment/pop betting sector,” commented the site’s Founder and President, Christopher Costigan. “We are also mentioned in the cover story of this month’s Forbes prestigious Billionaire issue which spotlights online gambling mogul Calvin Ayre.”

Costigan points out that his company has capitalized heavily on the success of American Idol.

“Dozens of American Idol-related blogs and fan web sites have picked up on our original content that focuses on current betting odds. Any online sports book smart enough to offer odds on the show should be benefiting. We have companies that are now listing odds on which of the Idol wannabes will be eliminated each week, who will ultimately be named the next American Idol and there are even sites that list odds on the last remaining male and female.”

The payout potential is enormous in light of favorite Katharine McPhee nearly being voted off this past week. She would have paid $20,000 for every $100 bet had she gotten the boot.

“This season’s American Idol is one of the most unpredictable, which is why betting on the show can turn into a profitable venture,” commented Costigan. “Both McPhee and Ace Young were originally listed among the early favorites to be named the next American Idol and both have now found themselves among the bottom three in terms of votes. Last week was Young’s second time in the bottom three."

Gambling911.com has also discovered singer Whitney Houston is more popular than ever before based on web traffic, albeit not for her singing necessarily.

BetUS.com offered to pay for Ms. Houston’s drug rehab after the National Enquirer showed pictures of what they claim to be Houston’s “drug den” bathroom, complete with drug paraphernalia. Houston has not commented on the reports nor has she accepted the BetUS.com offer. Some 10,000 readers have accessed the story related to Houston and the online gambling company’s offer since it first appeared on Thursday. Readership interest in Houston continued through the weekend and showed little sign of letting up.

Gambling911.com has also become a formidable player in the world of controversial sports-related stories under its Sports911.com division. Sports911 has been among the most cited media venues in regard to the Lacrosse “Rape” allegation scandal that broke early last week.

“Aside from the local North Carolina media, Sports911.com was one of the few media organizations reporting on the scandal,” Costigan said. “Now the story is overshadowing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, so much so that it is becoming our headliner on most days, and this is before any charges have even been brought against players.”

By Sunday, traffic out of the United Kingdom made up a respectable 12% of overall Sports911.com readership. The top story in British sports as it relayed to Sports911 centered around a reported multimillion dollar shirt sponsorship for Manchester United, originating from an online poker room.

“After Whitney (Houston) and the Duke scandal, this was our third most popular story for Sunday,” Costigan confirmed.

Gambling911.com/Sports911.com is now commanding top dollar for new sponsorship inventory as a result of its phenomenal traffic increase.

“We continue to welcome new advertisers on board,” commented Marketing Director and columnist Payton O’Brien, “But the web site is now out of reach for all but the most respected and established online gambling firms. Our advertiser turnover is among the lowest on the internet. We can afford to be extremely selective and continue to exercise that option.”

O’Brien also suggested the company will begin to accept more mainstream forms of advertising revenue. Some such firms have already expressed interest.

About Gambling911.com:

Costigan Media LLC is the parent company of Gambling911.com and worldwide leader in multimedia coverage pertaining to sports, gambling, politics and entertainment. Through its 24 hour flagship news and entertainment web site, Gambling911.com provides all the latest stories from a wide gamut of subject matter with a special emphasis on gambling-related odds and Internet trading. In addition to being mentioned in the cover story of Forbes 2006 "Billionaire" issue, Gambling911.com's Founder and President, Christopher Costigan, was also recently quoted exclusively in a piece appearing in the Red Herring. The web site was also mentioned in December’s issue of Playboy Magazine.
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