bowmans sportsbook

In 1985 American Football Pools was founded by Gary Bowman in Manchester, England. In England sports betting has been legal and regulated since the 1960's. Indeed there is a bookmaker on almost every street corner and to place a wager, whether large or small, is part of the fabric of everyday life. American Football Pools, equipped with a British Government license to accept bets from anywhere in the world, was the world's first offshore book. Now called Bowman International, the company has maintained its place in the world of global gaming with a reputation for integrity, reliability and of course legality. High quality service is all well and good but what if you can't get through? The offshore betting revolution has been built on technology and Bowman International has been at the forefront. Over the past decade the company has invested millions into it's ultra-modern computer and satellite telecommunication networks not to mention it's workforce. Bowman International has developed it's own training program covering all aspects of gaming and financial transactions - All prospective employees must complete this course before being considered for employment. So with highly trained staff combined with state-of-the-art telecommunication networks what else could Bowman International do to maintain their position as the world's number one offshore book? Expand of course. Bowman International built a major call-center on the island of Mauritius situated in the Indian Ocean, east of South Africa. The Bowman International Treasury Department is situated in the Isle of Man, UK. "Mauritius is perfect for us and our customers," says Gary Bowman. "The country thrives on enterprise and has a very high standard of education. With our satellite based telecommunication system we could have expanded anywhere but Mauritius had all we could want. Now we have over 150 operators to receive bets, deal with all transactions, management and customer service, all situated in the beautiful Republic of Mauritius. It works very well but then it should, we invested an awful lot of time, money and effort into it." The website and international gaming licence are 100% owned and operated by Bowman International Sports Ltd, located at Informatics Park, La Tour Koenig, Mauritius. Bowman International Ltd is a sister company and operates the group treasury function from its offices at Cumbrae House, Market Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, British Isles.
Just getting interested in offshore sportsbetting and offshore sportsbooks? Wondering where it all began? Grab a cold drink, sit back, and learn a little piece of history.

Of course, sportsbetting has been around a gazillion years. Heck, they used to bet on the outcome of events a the Coliseum in Rome in the days when they used to fight the lions!

Whenever you have a demand, in this case, for betting, someone steps in to fill that demand. In this case, the bookie. For years, most wagering on sporting events was done via the local bookie. In many instances, depending on location, these operations were controlled by organized crime and with that, a host of other problems. Such as getting paid when you win!

In the 1970's, sportsbetting took off in Las Vegas. Vegas became THE place to wager on sports. At first, independent sports books were the rage. But gradually, the major hotel and casino corporations took over and eventually created the Vegas Sportsbook as we know it today. Huge sportsbooks, with giant screens all over the walls broadcasting games from across the country. An odds board flashing the latest lines on all the games and so on.

Vegas was king until the late 1990's, when the offshore sports book started it's rise to the top.

Offshore sportsbetting, didn't really start offshore at all. Well, unless you consider England to be an offshore location.

Offshore sportsbooks and offshore sportsbetting did not start with the internet. Back in 1985, a gentleman named Gary Bowman opened a business in the UK named American Football Pools. The concept was simple. Sell parlay cards to the American sportsbetting marketplace. The catch was, the business was located in England, where sportsbetting was perfectly legal.

The idea, of course, took off and was a huge success. So much so, that Gary Bowman saw the need to expand the business. To eventually, make it just like Vegas, and allow customers to wager on sports, not just parlays, but straight bets, teasers and so on, from the comfort of their own homes. American Football Pools would eventually become Bowman International.

Not long after that, roughly 1987 or 1988, a bookmaker from the United States with a large clientele, decided to open a call center in the Dominican Republic. His idea, was to accept bets offshore in the Dominican, out of reach of the US authorities. They took out ads in a few sports publications to build their business even further. His mistake, however, was that part of that business was still conducted in the US. Customers were paid off with the use of runners and agents at local bars and clubs. A big no no. Of course going on 60 minutes and being called the biggest bookmaker in the United States didn't help much either.