Intertops, one of the Web's longest running sports betting services, has made a name for itself, in part, by delivering ample opportunities to make unusual wagers. Its latest exotic offering, for instance, is a bet on whether Michael Jordan will rejoin the NBA.
With Phil Jackson's return to coaching in the NBA, speculation has already begun about the return of Jordan, Jackson's favorite player. Given the fact that Jordan publicly stated that Jackson is the only coach he would ever play for in the NBA, Intertops.com decided to offer wagering options on his return to the NBA to play for Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last week, the Antigua-based sports book announced that it was accepting bets on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, speculating whether the DOW would surpass the previously inconceivable 12,000 plateau by December 31, 1999. The odds were set at 4:1 (i.e., win $4 for every $1 bet) and 1/5 (i.e., win $1 for every $5 bet) that it won't eclipse that mark.
"Basically we are always trying to offer something new and exciting to our customers at Intertops.com," said Simon Noble, executive director and co-founder of Intertops. "One of our most popular bizarre bets was whether or not the President of the United States in a news conference would confirm that an intelligent lifeform from another planet had landed on earth. This was at the time when the first NASA pictures were beamed back from Mars."
In the past, Intertops has offered betting on the four main categories of the Oscars: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
Primarily a sports betting site, Intertops also offers a full range of online casino games and more than 200 betting options daily. It boasts over 350,000 customers and since 1995 has offered more than $200 million in payouts.
"In line with our recent 'Star WarsTM bet and its tremendous success, we're continuing to provide fun and interesting content to the online community by offering unique betting opportunities to our worldwide customers," Noble said.
Offering unusual bets has proven to be a great way to attract new customers and allows Intertops to set itself apart from the hundreds of online sportsbooks with which it competes. The big money still lies in sports betting, but that's not to say the exotic bets haven't been a hit. "We usually receive a large number of individual bets on unconventional bets, but the dollar amount is much less because we normally reduce the maximum amount that may be wagered," Noble explained.
Incorporated and fully licensed in St. John's, Antigua in 1997, Intertops.com was spun off from Intertops Sportwetten Gesellschaft m.b.H., a leading European sports bookmaker licensed in Europe since 1982.