Singapore's soccer betting spark rise in phone 'analysts'

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Every weekend, Darren Teo flips through an evening tabloid, hoping to pick up a few tips for the big soccer games. After marking down the games he wants to place bets on, he keys in a saved number that will connect him to the "King."

"I just started calling the 'Platinum Soccer King'...It's expensive but I've won four times already," said Teo, a part-time insurance agent.

His total winnings since he began consulting the "King" for his soccer bets a month ago amount to 6,600 Singapore dollars (US$3,882).

The city-state legalized soccer betting nearly two years ago, but only recently have a flurry of "analysts" sprung up, mostly in the New Paper, the evening English newspaper from Singapore's largest media company Singapore Press Holdings.

The "analysts" offer tips on the English, Spanish, Italian, German and European club competitions. Most of the ads tell callers to phone in after 5 p.m Singapore time (0900GMT) on matchdays.

Foreign soccer games dominate weekend viewing in many pubs across Singapre. Attendance at local S-League matches, with some games playing host to under 500 fans, has also suffered from the popularity of the foreign leagues.

Teo says the quality of foreign games are better, and it's more exciting to bet on.

"We believe Arsenal will win," said the S$4.99 a minute "Bola King" after an almost two-minute analysis of the English Premiership match later Saturday between Bolton and Arsenal. Bola is soccer in Malay.

Teo, meanwhile, pays S$238 for his premium calls to the "King".

Others like "Supreme Players" (S$38 per call) "Asian Insiders Network" (S$5.88 per minute) and "Football Guru" (S$3.33 a minute) may not end up cheaper in the end, Teo says.

"There are certain steps, it's like we have to press one for the (English) language, then press code for matches...But it all depends on what you want."

"It's not that expensive if it works, is it?"

Others companies also offer tips via text message, with the caller sending a message with a code number in the body of their message. The operator would then reply with a brief analysis.

All the ads, which regularly take up at least three full pages, say callers under 18 must seek parental consent and have the stock line of "we do not encourage gambling in any way or form."

"Why would we call them and not bet? I don't need to pay them to listen to team news, I want to know what they think," said another regular caller Edgar Foo.

Soccer betting reached its peak during the World Cup last year, with total amounts wagered legally surpassing the S$500 million mark at Singapore Pools, the local Straits Times newspaper said.

Betting agency Singapore Pools is wholly owned by Temasek Holdings, the government's investment arm.

"This is not a gambling service. We are doing this as a public information service," said a man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, over the helpline for PSK. "I think callers would be happy if we 'hit' two of three right."

When asked why they asked callers to dial in after a specific time, he said it would "be more accurate to analyze" but declined to say why callers had to pay so much to receive "public information."

"We still get calls. So they (callers) must be OK with the prices and the service."

(ey/nf)