| You Bet Your Life! | | | | Estimates on winnings in the 1983-84 sports season |
| Historical records revel that a team sport called | | | | alone amounted to over $5,000,000. Records show |
| Pok-A-Tok has been around since 3000 BC. | | | | that the group won and amazing 60.3%of its football |
| Archeologists discovered a playing court in Central | | | | game wagers in 1983. All in all, during a 5 year run, the |
| America that dates back to 1600 BC. The game was | | | | group's performance topped over $13.9 million. |
| first played by the Mayans around 250 B.C. and then | | | | At the heart of this was a man who was one of the |
| the Aztecs around 1200 A.D. The Spanish | | | | first to adopt the use of computers to calculate the |
| Conquistadors found evidence of this in 1590. | | | | odds of sports team match ups. Michael Kent, a |
| The playing field was similar to the modern football field | | | | mathematician who had helped develop nuclear |
| and was designed with arrangements for seating in | | | | submarines for Westinghouse, spent years studying |
| elevated bleachers on either side of its 80 meter | | | | game results starting with his own softball team. Based |
| length. The goal posts were located along the length of | | | | upon his study of different odds, point spreads and |
| the field rather than at each end. Goal posts originally | | | | sports games, he developed algorithms that provided |
| consisted of 3 round "markers" or rings mounted high | | | | predictions as to the final scores and outcomes. At the |
| above the playing field. The object of the game was | | | | heart of his theory was a book called "Theory of |
| to pass a round rubber ball through the ring using only | | | | Gambling and Statistical Logic" by Richard A. Epstein. |
| the player's elbows, knees and hips. | | | | His formula encompassed many different components |
| There is no direct evidence, but one theory that has | | | | such as first downs, home field advantage, schedules, |
| persisted is that the game was played for both | | | | home court advantage and every other aspect of the |
| recreation and to settle disputes. In the later case, the | | | | game that could be quantified. |
| captain of the losing team would be beheaded as part | | | | The full story is much more robust including those who |
| of the victor's spoils and as a sacrifice to the Gods. | | | | helped him place and collect the bets, bookies, family |
| Other theories exist portray warriors captured in battle | | | | members, beards, obsessed FBI agents, and a cast of |
| sent into the ball courts for their final combat, as | | | | thousands on the bet-making side of the business. Full |
| gladiators. | | | | of deception, intrigue, mile high success and bottom of |
| The Computer Age and sports betting | | | | the basement failure, this group rode as high as it gets |
| Perhaps the most fascinating sports betting story | | | | in the world of sports betting until 19 men and women |
| involves a loose association formed in 1980 called the | | | | faced 120 counts of conspiracy, gambling and |
| Computer Group. The Group had tentacles reaching | | | | racketeering in a Nevada court room. |
| out into the Mob, Computer Geekland, hi powered TV | | | | Quite a story. Look it up if you want to know the gritty |
| executives, a respected, orthopedic surgeon and a | | | | details. Better yet, wait until it comes to a theater near |
| national network of over 1000 associates. To attempt | | | | you. I am sure that it will. |
| to condense the mammoth story would do it injustice. | | | | Factoid-In 1925 a Scotsman named Arthur Ferguson |
| Rather, it makes for more of a relative story to | | | | sold Big Ben for 1,000 pounds and Buckingham Palace |
| concentrate on the wagering and its origin. | | | | twice for 2,000 pounds to American tourists and |
| Between 1983 and 1985, this group had incredible | | | | nearly sold the White House to a Texan for $100,000 |
| influence over the American sports betting audience. | | | | yr. |