Johannesburg, 01 Sep 2005
South Africans can now use the Internet to bet on local and international sporting events for the first time. Betting World became the first fixed odds bookmaker to take bets over the Internet when it launched its online betting site www.bettingworld.co.za on 6 July 2005.
The site was a collaboration between Betting World and TurfSport, the developers and distributors of wagering and betting software for bookmakers and active participant of the UUNET Bandwidth Barn, an IT incubator of 64 small and medium companies.
TurfSport Online is a natural extension of the company`s traditional back office wagering and record keeping product TurfSport. Both products have been approved against the required SABS 1718 standard as set out by the National Gaming Board.
"TurfSport provides the framework to take and validate bets according to a set of rules laid out by the bookmaker. It is designed to manage the financial risk for bookmakers or betting shops associated with horse racing, sports and spread betting. Our system calculates all the possible outcomes of bet types, allowing the bookmaker to make informed decisions when managing their business. TurfSport Online places equal emphasis on risk management and control of all relevant data when issuing a bet," says Gail Petrie, Managing Director of TurfSport.
"Until recently, SA`s bookmakers have only taken bets direct from the public, either over the phone or as cash bets over the counter," says Michael Weare, Managing Director of Betting World. "A significant benefit of the online betting site is that it gives us the opportunity to extend our client base, while providing customers with the convenience and flexibility of placing bets when it suits them and enabling them to manage their accounts online."
Betting World was the first client to test the online software. Successful beta tests were based on live betting events such as the English Premier Soccer League, Wimbledon, PGA Golf and all the daily horse racing events, both locally and internationally. Based on the success of this test, the site went live in early July.
TurfSport Online is available to all bookmakers and betting companies. The design of the software ensures no sites look the same, as each bookmaker is able to brand the site with the look and feel of the company, giving each site its own appeal.
For further details regarding the online betting site, visit the TurfSport Web site at www.turfsport.co.za.
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