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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2000)
b WediMEsdAy, Feature Former Clackamas student makes a living off sports betting The Gambler D ecem H er 6, 2000 TM e CL ac I<AMAS PRiNT Nelson retires after 27 years MATTSHEMPERT • Nelson had good things to say about his 27 years spent at Clackamas, although he regrets re Gary Nelson, head of the music tiring just as the music department department, will retire this winter, anticipates new facilities. The de after 27 years of teaching at partment has long been sharing Clackamas. Randall Hall with the PE Depart “Junior colleges, or community ment. colleges, are the best possible “The facilities are not vety good, places to teach, and but that’s go Clackamas is the ing to change best one to teach now because at," Nelson said. of the passing “The thing we’re of the Bond. probably the proud That’s one of est of is that the the things I’m students who came a little disap here wanting to do pointed in, is something with mu that 1 won’t be sic left here able to Gary Nelson, music instructor taking aS ac do it.” tive a part; Nelson has been at Clackamas though I do want to take a part in since the beginning. the design and construction of the “I feel a real kinship with building,” Nelson said. Clackamas. The very first concert As far as his plans after retire that the music department did for ment, Nelson plans to stay active this school was in 1967, and I was in the community and in life. a ringer that was brought in by my “Well, I’ve got a lot of traveling then music chairman Leroy Ander that 1 haven’t done, mostly south son,” he said. “I happened to be ern hemisphere things where the studying with him when I was go seasons were reversed, and if I ing to Lewis and Clark, and he went during the summer here when needed a few extra players to fill in. I was able to go, it would be winter So I’ve had an association with the there. I’ve got other places that I college since the first thing they want to revisit. I want to do some ever did.” music publishing, and I’ll also prob Through the course of his musi ably start an excavating cal career, Nelson has played with firm...private excavator, heavy innumerable groups and for some equipment.” very prestigious people. His com In the course of his life, Nelson puter has page after page of the has traveled all around the globe, names of the people and groups and his love of travel began at an he’s played with and played for, early age. including many musicals, ballets, “My sister and her family were in Natalie Cole, Sonny and Cher, Mel the diplomatic corps.. .along the way Torme and even the president. they were in Guatemala, Washington “I think probably one of the most D.C.., Taipei, Madrid, Moscow, fun things I’ve done was the last Beijing,” said Nelson. time Chicago was here...we got to “So, that was what got me started be part of the action,” Nelson said. traveling, my sister and her family. And He went on to explain that as one I’ve gone to Europe, I don’t know, a of the local musicians hired to play couple dozen times, Nepal, and Tibet, with the touring company, he was and India. treated like he’d been with the "Travel," Nelson summed up, show for years. "changes the way you look at th ings." Staff Writer • help with expenses. “I answered an ad in the paper," Contributing Writer he recalled. "It said 'People needed Jack readies for the day much to sell sports information for a com mission. Experience preferred but like any business professional. His shirt is pressed, his breath minty will train the right person.’ My train ing lasted one day. I went in on a fresh and his eyes wide. He enters the nondescript office containing Tuesday and was cold-calling just a few desks. On his desk before - people on Wednesday. “We pressure them like crazy, say him is one telephone, a box full of that we’ve been in the business for index cards and a notebook hous ing a list of contacts. At the desk years, anything. Some guys use a next to him, a Caucasian script. We drum our fingers on the man with a New York ac cent, is alternating lies desk, to make like we have comput into the handset of his ers. We’ll pull phone with liberal swigs back from the of Budweiser. phone in the It’s 8:30 in the morning. middle of a con Jack used to attend versation and yell for our imaginary CCC. He’s 24 and last took a class secretary to bring us coffee. It’s like in 1995. Jack (not his real name) looks like a guy who might sit next that movie Boiler Room, just with sports instead of stocks. to you in the library or in a class “All the people whose names are room. He’s not a former pro athlete on the cards are all people who’ve or coach. He’s just a normal guy. been burned by some other handi What Jack is however, is a sports capping service. I’d say that out of fan. Much like any of us, Jack looks a hundred people I call, 80 don’t an forward to watching a game. How swer. Of the 20 ever, his enthusiasm goes far be who do, 10 tell you yond loyalty towards the home to F— off and team. hang up. Out of Jack advises gamblers for money. Here’s how it works: A gambler the 10 that you ac wants to bet on a game. He may tually get to talk to and pitch to, I’d want to place the bet in an office say that 95% of pool, state-run lottery, on-line casino them want a free or illegal bookie. But before he game. makes that bet, he seeks the advice “We take their of an “expert.” The gambler then credit card number calls an 800 number to consult a and tell them that a handicapping service, purely for verification com advice. The voice at the other end pany will be calling them back. Then of the phone talks fast and knows we give their phone number to some exactly what to say. one else in the office who goes in For example, the voice may tell the another room and pretends to be gambler that the Blazers will beat the from this fictional company. They Mavericks on Thursday by nine ask them in some phony voice if points. But it doesn’t stop there. they accept the charges. They al He then tells the gambler that he can ways do. tell him the winners of the rest of the “We use numbers that are blocked month’s games for a $ 1700 charge. to caller ID devices. We have, in The gambler reluctantly begins our building, three phone lines in to reach for his credit card. Little the names of different companies. does he know that the next person That way we can pitch to the same who calls the service for “sure-fire people over and over again.” winners” will be told to bet the Mav So how much does Jack’s com ericks. At least one will win. pany charge for giving out winning Jack got involved with the bet teams? ting service after a move to Las Ve “It depends. We find out how gas to start a new Internet based much they ’re betting. The more they company. He looked for a job to bet, the more we charge. RYAN BRINKLEY There’s not much science in volved in deciding on the company’s picks. “Our radio ad says that we have a staff of world class experts. The truth is, there’s only four of us and the other three guys I work with are all degenerate gamblers, who never win. “There’s one guy who picks the games we give out. But he bets like Vegas wants people to bet, taking the favorites. Lately, we’ve been winning only about twenty percent of the time. One weekend, on col lege football, pro football and pro basketball, we went 3(wins) and 17 (losses).” In the light of their inability to pick winners, how do these companies survive? “Well, I don’t see us lasting past Christmas. We aren’t organized well. The big, heavily funded handicap ping services can survive because they advertise a lot and are con stantly bringing in new clients. We don’t have the money for that. In fact, the three guys who are running our company are all skimming off the top behind each others’ backs. “You hear all kinds of stories. Some of our cli ents bet five or ten thousand dollars on a game and the pick we gave them lost. One guy called in and said that his wife left him because of his gambling. But they always call back. They need to because they’re all usually in debt.” When asked who his clients bet with, Jack said, “I’d say the majority bet with illegal bookies.” Jack intends to get another job or perhaps just bet on his own. “When I go against what the man ager gives out, which we’re not sup posed to do, I win about 60 per cent of the time. If I leave the company, I’ll try to take my clients with me.” According to Jack, there’s defi nitely a market for handicapping ser vices. “If somebody doesn’t know any thing about sports, I can see how a handicapping service can make money. But you call one of these guys you better know who you’re dealing with. Some of our cli ents bet five or ten thousand dollars on a game. . ,$k«p Ooliti For.. Cird Carnes I Comics I Action Figures I Role Playing I Sports Cards [Anime Ongoing league play! Magic Tournaments Every'weekl Clackamas C.C. 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