Here is a another story from one of our readers:
My buddy Tony started in the bookie business being a runner for a local “big-city” type bookmaker. When Tony went off to college he found that his services were in demand like never before.
Back in the mid-nineties, the guy that Tony had been working for managed to get himself busted… right before the big NCAA tournament. Guys were calling Tony to place their wagers… but what could he do?
Fortunately, Tony had applied for a student loan and… lo and behold, it came through just about the same time that Tony’s former employer went away for an unscheduled vacation. Yea, you guessed it… Tony used his student loan money that had just been dropped unexpectedly in his lap to bankroll a bookie business.
Tony was very lucky there at first. Everyone was betting the favorites… and all the dogs were winning. Tony made out alright and the rest is history.
For several years thereafter, Tony was the major bookmaker on a large Big Ten University where lots of students… and faculty… loved to gamble… especially the athletes.
Tony told me, “After my old boss got busted, ‘I thought, you know, I can do this.’ I already had the names and accounts to begin with from working the other book. He was gone, so I started making phone calls and said, “Hey, I’m opening up shop.”
Tony was a history major when all this started but after a short while he was spending 6 nights a week in sports bars and going home each evening with a pocket full of wagering slips that he had taken from clients in the bar.
His first big weekend after starting his own shop came when Arizona took on Georgia Tech. If Georgia Tech had not covered that afternoon, it probably would have been Tony’s last venture into the bookie business. But, as it turned out, that game basically bankrolled Tony’s new business for the entire football season.
Tony had two telephone lines installed in his apartment across the street from the college campus. Computers and cell phones were yet to come in those days. He got his point spreads from Danny Sheridan’s numbers in USA Today.
In no time at all, Tony had over 100 clients wagering with him… many were student athletes… both current and former. Like all bookies, Tony got stiffed from time to time but he claims that his collection rate was good overall.
It was great for awhile there. Tony was making a Dime to $1,500 bucks a week… as a college student! A whole new perspective on working your way through college!
