05/25/2003 - 1:46 AM ET

A LOOK AT TODAY’S GAMBLING SOFTWARE (SPORTSBOOKS)  

Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com  

Only a handful of the several hundred sportsbooks and online casinos on the market today utilize their own “in-house” software platforms.  For the vast majority, they must rely on licensing gambling software from outside providers.  With that comes problems, among them cost issues, maintenance, upkeep, load factors and lack of customization (identity).   

911 has taken a long hard look at the many sportsbook and online casino software providers that enjoy a portion of today’s market share.  

IQ LUDOREM (IQL) – At one time, IQL held more than 50% of the online sportsbook market.  Today they only control a fraction of it.  Here is a company that had a chance to monopolize much the same as a Don Best or Microsoft.  They essentially blew it!  But all is not lost.  IQL could be viewed as the Apple of offshore sportsbook software.  Whether or not they will continue to carry a quality product remains to be seen as there are rumors of staff cuts and relocation.  Nevertheless, IQL has managed to woo World Gaming’s second largest licensee and they’ll be keeping on board offshore powerhouse World Wide Tele Sports for another year at least.  The software company does have its own technicians in-house at the WWTS office complex in Antigua . 

INET SOFTWARE – Here we have a company that was poised to capitalize on IQL and Unified Gaming’s ineptness.  Instead they ended up with a handful of shit operations like GoTo Entertainment, Gamblers Palace and Sky Tower just to name a few.  All is not lost though as Inet also managed to reel in Unified’s bread and butter operation, Sportbet.  They also license what 911 considers to be the strongest newcomer onto the offshore sports betting scene, Gamblers Avenue .  Another one of its licensees, Odds N Ends, already maintained a significant credit business prior to going online late last year.  Furthermore, Inet has continued to upgrade its software to the point where it is actually worth something, unlike the original version they reportedly provided for WIT Sports at a fire sale price.  Still, like IQL, Inet has suffered from a bad image brought on by poor licensing decisions and disgruntled former employees.  

ACTION SPORTSBOOK INTERNATIONAL (ASI EXTENSIONS) – Right now ASI accounts for a good chunk of the online sportsbook market.  All things considered, ASI’s clients rank among the biggest in the industry, among them Pinnacle, Olympic Sports, Millennium, Grand Central, Rio International and First Fidelity.  Feedback from operators continues to be favorable and the software has had the ability to keep up with fast growing businesses the likes of all of the above.  No doubt ASI will continue to be a pivotal player in the world of gambling software for many years to come, or at least until something better comes along (and I don’t see that happening any time soon).  One of the drawbacks with ASI we are told is a lack of support, though the issue has not been brought up often, perhaps because this is a superior product.  

INTERACTIVE GAMING AND WAGERING (IGW) – This Curacao based software company has its limitations.  All of its licensees and technical staff remain in the Dutch Antilles island nation.  That’s not always a bad thing as the company provides its sportsbook operations with “on-premise” support, the only problem is a minimal presence of wagering shops located in Curacao .  IGW has had its fair share of problems, mostly a result of unprecedented growth of its licensees like VIP Sports.  They have also continued to upgrade the software platform, introducing a horse racing feature this past year.  Another drawback is the company’s compatibility issues with America Online.  Make no mistake about it though, IGW is the most responsible of all sportsbook software providers, having assisted with the takeover of some weaker licensees by its mainstay venues like VIP and Game Day Sports.  They also began providing their platform to newcomer, Sirbet, which is poised to become a noteworthy player in offshore sports wagering.  

WORLD GAMING (STARNET) – Nothing amazes me more than a company so rife with problems continuing to provide an above average product over the years.  World Gaming has lost most of its licensees but its pride and joy, The Sportsbook.com Group, continues to reshape the organization.  Without Sportsbook.com, World Gaming would probably cease to exist.  The software platform is well liked by most customers and very easy to navigate.  911 predicts that World Gaming will eventually be eaten up by its own “sugar daddy” licensee over the next year or so.  After all, who really needs the headaches associated with poor management and an oversized walk-in closet full of skeletal remains (the company has gone through seven CEO’s in the last four years).  

FUTUREBET (WORLD WIDE SUPPORT) – At one time World Gaming’s second biggest licensee, Future Bet (previously known as Global Interactive) had seen the writing on the wall and decided to branch out on their own.  In doing so, they reside over some of the worst sportsbook licensees the industry has to offer.  Shoddy customer service, cookie cutter mentality and very annoying management personnel will continue to keep this organization down.  In all fairness Futurebet’s CEO did step in to help get players paid at least a portion of monies owed to them after infamous licensee, Black Rhino, decided to close shop last year.  Nevertheless, if you are going to sell licenses for a few thousand dollars a pop, there are bound to be problems in the horizon.  Slow pay issues such as those witnessed recently with the closest thing they have to a flagship operation, Safari Casino and Sportsbook, continue to hamper this group’s reputation.   

UNIFIED GAMING – Unified was good because the software platform offered an online casino that did not require downloading.  It was bad because the security concerns associated with this casino were practically nonexistent in today’s “hack friendly” environment.  Furthermore, you had a lot of unscrupulous or otherwise poorly funded mismanaged licensees jumping into the fray.  A lot of bad blood ensured with several disgruntled licensees claiming that Unified’s former owner had misappropriated funds to pay for the trial (and subsequent second trial) of his son, Denny Ross, who authorities charged with murdering an ex-girlfriend (the judge declared a mistrial the first time).  Unified’s former owner steadfastly denies such allegations.  The million dollar defense "dream team" did include the likes of famed Las Vegas attorney David Chesnoff, San Diego's Michael Pancer, San Francisco death penalty specialist David Nickerson, Akron lawyer Larry Whitney, and Bay area private investigator David Fechheimer. The licensees used this as an opportunity to cry foul and make a hasty retreat.  Unified is a mere skeleton of what it once was back in the year 2000.  Two weeks ago, The Ohio Supreme Court  refused to hear the appeal of accused murderer Denny Ross. The one-sentence, 6-1 decision could mean that Ross will stand trial a second time in the 1999 slaying of 18-year-old Hannah Hill of Akron.  It also could mean another series of appeals in a case that is approaching four years of unprecedented legal missteps

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