Published October 19, 2006
 |
Fantasy Gambling Sites Like
NBX.com Popping Up |
A “growing universe of sports ‘fantasy wagering’ Web sites ...
have emerged in recent years” that effectively allow U.S. consumers “to
engage in legal online gambling,” according to Bobby White of the WALL STREET
JOURNAL. Players on Pickspal.com can earn points that are “converted into
prizes such as concert tickets” or even cash on sites like NBX.com. On some
sites, actual money sometimes “does change hands,” as NBX lets members
buy “extra points, which are later wagered on events.” Many of the
sites — including Pickspal, Faniq.com, NBX, Fanlete.com, Pickheads.com and
Wagerline.com — do not receive enough visitors to be measured by research
firms, but several of them said that “traffic is spiking up and in some
cases doubling from a year ago.” Wagerline said it has nearly 90,000 subscribers,
while Pickspal claims slightly over 100,000. Many of the sites “rely on
Internet advertising for revenue,” as users do not have to pay to join them,
and Wagerline has “attracted advertising from offshore gambling Web sites.”
Both Wagerline and NBX said that the “federal crackdown on online gambling
has not yet hit advertising on their sites.” White writes PicksPal “blends
social-networking elements, such as friends lists, with sports site features,
such as injury reports.” Subscribers at NBX can “listen to podcasts
of matchups recorded by former professional athletes.” The site also allows
members to “display their predictions for sporting events and see how they
match up with friends” (
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/19).
