Fan fever runs hot for betting and micro betting
With all the excitement of the new NFL and college football season, Better Business Bureau is alerting sports fans about sports betting scams.
“The popularity of sports betting has exploded, and scammers developed more tricks to score a touchdown with your hard-earned cash,” noted Naperville resident Steve J. Bernas, president, and CEO of the Better Business Bureau.
“A new, hot-targeted type of betting, called micro betting, is taking hold,” added Bernas. “Micro betting is wagering on the outcome of very specific, individual short-term plays during the game, such as who will get the ball or how many yards will be gained. You are not just betting on which team will win.”
Sports enthusiasts can do micro betting with football, baseball and other sports. For example, you can bet if the next pitch will be a hit or a ball in baseball. Will the hitter strike out? What’s the speed of the ball?
This increase in betting opportunities raises the stakes for potential scams.
Illinois has legalized online and in-person sports betting. Nearly 20 percent of adults in the U.S. bet on sports at least once a month, according to Morning Consult, which reported 31 percent of sports betters responding to their survey are aged 35-44; 28 percent are aged 21-34.
Bernas continued, “What the scammers do is create online lookalike legal sports betting operations.” BBB Scam Tracker is seeing reports from people who accidentally placed…
