Sportsbooks, Pay Per Heads See Few Disruptions With Telecommunications Overhaul
Sportsbook operators and Pay Per Head businesses breathed a collective sigh of relief Sunday morning following the conclusion of work on Costa Rica’s MAYA-1 submarine cable this weekend, one of three that provide cable service to the Central American nation. More than 85% of online sportsbooks and nearly 100% of Pay Per Heads serving the North American player base are headquartered in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is connected to the Internet mainly through three submarine cables: ARCOS, MAYA-1 and Level 3 Communications and there were serious concerns over service disruptions during the busiest betting period of the NFL and College Football season. As a result, customers were being advised to place their wagers ahead of the scheduled work. Poker sites such as Americas Cardroom are also based out of Costa Rica.
Disruptions, while they were expected to be brief, could have costs books and Pay Per Head operators hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue during peak times especially just prior to televised College Football games.
That work, which commenced on Friday at 10 pm Mountain Time, concluded at 8 am Mountain Time Sunday morning.
Planned work on the cable included securing the electrical infrastructure as well as the transport route and the platforms that support the cable, SUTEL reported, the Tico Times reported.
- Payton O’Brien, Gambling911.com Senior Editor
