Nobody Asked Me But…They’re Coming To America

On the boats and on the planes
They’re coming to America
Never looking back again,
They’re coming to America

Everywhere around the world
They’re coming to America

Got a dream to take them there
They’re coming to America
Got a dream they’ve come to share
They’re coming to America

Neil Diamond won’t mind but his lyrics tell the story. The only omission is that when my parents and sisters made their way here from Russia they were told the streets were paved with gold and there was opportunity for everyone. No and yes to that, in order. A few years after their arrival, it was my turn, the “prince” of America was brought into the world. While dad laboured to make $10,000 annually, placing us in the upper middle class at the time, my mother and sisters toiled away and concentrated on yours truly.

Education was the mainstay of our very being, my own existence and growth. Point? Perform, Sports/Betradar, William Hill, Paddy Power and others are all hyperventilating and eager to jump in, preparing off-shore accounts for the inevitable, open fields for harvesting the riches of allowable gambling, a harvest that will sweep across the country like a wintry storm, snow everywhere, snow that is green and covered with depictions of former presidents.

Maybe. Waiting on the sidelines has become a tedious task, a wearisome, tiring and expensive one. Ask Perform about their relationship with the NBA, SportsRadar and theirs with the NHL and NFL, William Hill and their “positioning” in Las Vegas – how much fruit have they harvested from those saplings and what return on the investments made? Paddy Power waits, patiently.

Sportech has taken to a sport gasping for breath and survival – horse racing. Then along came fantasy and a determination whether an entry onto that field of play was worth the effort. Watching was the posture of attitude and choice save for soccer efforts undertaken abroad and no one of import, strangely enough, venturing into the U.S. from England, etc., to launch soccer fantasy here. Hmmmm. Then along comes Fan Duel and Draft Kings offering what is, to anyone familiar with gambling, a daily wager, a gamble, betting, erroneously secreted between the folds of the fantasy skirt.

If the courts of New York rule in their favour – highly unlikely from this vantage point – then those with a penchant for a foothold in America should cross the pond by plane, ship or swim to stake a fantasy foothold in the turf of the pitch quickly and aim for the audiences, the punters, of the U.S., Canada, Mexico that will beat a path to your site(s). And, you will have to contend with private jets from Costa Rica and the rest of the Caribbean. But, there should be enough for all.

Players hear in. The Colonies do not take kindly to interlopers, particularly in the gaming world. That attitude is indigenous to the mentality and “loyalty” of those that inhabit our turf and that place any sort of bet or play a particular game. In the latter case, the above referenced fantasy, “daily wagering” efforts and marketing, alleged detailed exploration of legalities resulted in huge amounts of monies being processed and transferred daily with corporate values hovering in the billions (take careful note of the “s”) causing Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, among others, to pause, scratch their heads and utter an audible, “You have to be kidding!” Neil was/is right! But he probably didn’t have William Hill and others of similar ilk in mind. Remember, if and when it works, the line of lemmings forms on the left, not to be confused with the one on the right, gambling entities eager to jump into thisfrenzy with a fervour heretofore unmatched in the world of gaming.

Why not prepare, just in case? Why not indeed? You have my vote and encouragement, neither of which was sought nor needed when it comes down to the final analysis. Just be cautious, investigative, prepared, cautious concerning expectations and wonder why you are doing this. There is a definitive expense to simply reserving a space on line as if it was the night before Star Wars hit the big screen. The folks on that line got to see the flick. Get on this line and the meter starts to run.

The fantasy conferences that abound predict fortunes to be made, prognosticate with charts statistics that are questionable at best are the PowerPoint highlight of the day. And, while everyone is still seeking the golden fleece of this world with the daily wager hiding in wrappings marked “fantasy” has already cropped up to lead the field, they might be better served to take a deep breath and explore plans B, C and D.

It is not the time to come to America unless to visit and we can certainly enjoy a lunch or dinner with imagination and creativity on our menu.