Bragged About How Much Money He Had Made
Teacher in $130,000 debt over World Cup bets
By MAUREEN KOH
HE was thrilled when Germany beat Australia 4-0 in the Group Stage match at the World Cup last month.
In just under two hours, the first-time bettor made $6,000 - the equivalent of two months' salary for the secondary school teacher.
But by the time Brazil suffered a quarter-final defeat by Holland, John's thrill had turned into shock and fear.
He had chalked up nearly $130,000 losses in bets with three different illegal bookmakers.
The only way for him to pay off his debts was to sell his car.
He started with "small bets between $2,000 and $4,000" for the first two matches, but upped the stakes to as high as $10,000 for each bet.
At his request, we are not using his real name as he risks losing his job.
In the hour-long interview with The New Paper on Sunday earlier this week, John, 28, who has been teaching for two years, pleaded repeatedly: "Please, please don't name the school too.
"I can't afford to lose my job now - my future will be gone."
While he has "deeply regretted" his folly, he admitted: "I realise it's too late."
He added: "I was blinded by greed."
Only his girlfriend, a 26-year-old primary school teacher, knows about his debts.
John said: "I've already let my parents down - I can't hurt them further."
It was his cousin who had introduced him to football betting, he claimed.
John follows the English Premier League and the European Championships.
But he had never placed any bets on the matches, even legally, until last month, when his cousin bragged about how much money he had made in the World Cup four years ago.
John said: "I was tempted, especially since my girlfriend and I were planning to get married next year. My cousin said it was a golden chance for me to make extra cash."
He added: "If not for him, I wouldn't be in this mess."
It was through the same cousin that he managed to open three online accounts with different bookies.
When contacted, his cousin, who wanted to be known only as Mr Low, said: "Look, it's easy to blame someone else when you lose.
"But no one forced him to bet, right?"
He added: "It was (John) who asked me to recommend the other (two) bookies when he could not place bets with the first one."
Mr Low claimed he did not bet at all and had asked another friend for the recommendation.
While John conceded it was his own folly, he blamed tournament favourites such as Italy, France, England and Brazil for his woes.
Just like Beng, the NTU undergraduate who lost more than $8,000 by betting on the hot teams.
In an interview published in The New Paper on Sunday on June 27, Beng said: "Who'd expect these teams to fare so badly in the Group Stage"
"Even when they held on to a draw in some matches, I still lost money because I had given a one-ball or two-ball handicap."
Biggest losers
Most punters prefer betting on tournament favourites and would often concede a handicap. When these teams lose or draw in a game, punters - like John and Beng - turn out to be the biggest losers.
John said that when he defaulted on his payment, he was made to sign IOUs with two bookies.
When he skipped the deadline for his interest payment, John claimed they threatened to turn up at the school.
He said: "That's when I got really worried and decided to confide in my girlfriend."
In a telephone interview, his girlfriend, who wanted to be known only as Annie, said: "I thought (John) was joking but when I realised he was serious, my reaction was, 'Are you mad?"
"I was also furious - we were supposed to travel to Japan during the (June) school holidays but we put it off so that he could watch the games. Then this."
It is only because Annie is certain that John is repentant that she is willing to help him with the debts.
They managed to pool together about $30,000 from their individual savings and with a $9,000 loan that John took from a private moneylender, he managed to settle the account with one bookie.
He has also just been informed that a personal loan of $11,000 with a bank has been approved.
John intends to use the money to return part of his remaining debts.
He has put up his two-year-old Honda Odyssey for sale at $82,000 and hopes to put the nightmare behind him after this.
"It's a hard fall but I've learnt my lesson," said John.
"My advice to everyone out there is simple: You may be excited when you think you're on a winning streak but that excitement is short-lived.
"And when the bubble bursts, you are the one who has to suffer the losses. By then, it can be too late."
Those who bet illegally can be fined up to a $5,000 or jailed for a maximum of six months or both.
Any person who is involved in bookmaking can be fined between $20,000 and $200,000 and jailed for up to five years.
Bookie turns car washer: It's for punters to win
IF you are a punter, you should know that the odds are stacked against you.
There are always more losers than winners. And if it looks like you have a winning streak, it can't go on forever, and you will soon be back among the losers.
But what of the bookies? Aren't they making all the money that their punters are losing?
Sure, they are. Till the long arm of the law reaches them.
That's the story of this man, who cleared his betting debts by becoming a bookie, only to end up in jail.
He is now estranged from his family and survives by washing cars.
Ray (not his real name) agreed to this interview only on condition of anonymity.
He declined to offer more details of his conviction as he did not want to risk offending his former cronies.
"I don't want any trouble - the only reason I'm talking is because I feel punters should realise what they are getting themselves into," he said in a mix of Mandarin and Hokkien.
He had contacted The New Paper on Sunday after reading our series of reports on illegal bookies.
Ray, 53, said: "(Many) Singaporeans bet on everything.
"And when it's some big game like the World Cup, the excitement is multiplied because of the hype."
But according to him, the odds are in favour of the bookmakers by about 80 to 20.
That is what led him to become a bookie.
Ray began betting on football matches in 1990.
He said: "S-League, English Premier League, UEFA Euro - you name it, there was always one competition or another to bet on."
But when the then-contractor started losing money - "first by the hundreds, then in thousands" - things spiralled out of control.
Said Ray: "I had to borrow money from friends, relatives and in the end, I turned to loan sharks."
Finally, unable to pay off his mounting debts, he agreed to become a runner.
With the "up to 5 per cent" commission he earned for every new account he recruited, Ray claimed it didn't take him long to clear his debts.
He also got a percentage cut from the total sum of bets placed.
When the renovation firm he worked in folded, Ray decided to go into illegal bookmaking full-time.
He said: "Anyone can be a bookie - as long as you have a master agent. What you need is a network of gamblers.
"Then you decide if you want to 'fight' or not."
For example, if you arrange to 'fight' 30 per cent, it means that for every $1,000 collected, the main agent will take $700.
Ray added: "Chances are, you will get to keep most of the $300 because nine out of 10 gamblers will lose.
"No matter what happens - even when the market forces shift and the odds change, the ultimate winners are still the bookies."
There are also other forms of commission that bookies earn - all of which, he said, seemed attractive to him at that time.
"The money made up for some of the sleepless nights I'd go through, especially whenever we heard that the police had stepped up action," he added.
But being able to take his wife and two sons on trips overseas - flying business class, no less - "gave me the best excuse to continue with what I was doing", he said.
His family did not know about his activities and found out only when he was arrested.
A few years ago, he was convicted and sentenced to jail for "several months".
Ray said: "My wife was furious and wanted to file for a divorce. My sons, who were in their teens, felt angry and ashamed."
Until today, they have yet to forgive him.
He said: "There's nothing I can do but to accept it and pray for the day they'll forgive me.
"And as long as she has not filed for a divorce, there is still hope."
He had lived well when the money was coming in, but had no savings to fall back on when he came out of jail.
So he has to work as a car-washer at a petrol station in the Western part of Singapore, earning about $900 a month.
Ray has started attending services at the church where his wife and sons go to.
He said: "Aside from the chance to see them, I'm also praying for the day when our faith will bring us back together."
And guess what - he hasn't watched a single match during this World Cup.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
