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Where was action sports located?
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I can answer.
The dutch side of St. Martin.
DEVIL -
I'm pretty sure it's spelled St. Maarten and it's where WWTS used to be along with some other books.
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Do either one of you know why WWTS and the others moved?Comment
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I do not. I do however, have a friend who told me that some of the owners of some of those books maintain a home there and maybe they or someone else could shed some light on why they left there.
Usually there's some overwhelming political or financial reason for a book to change residences.
Are you just curious or is there a book there you want to post with. The only one I knew of was Action or should I say "no action" sports.
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ON ST MAARTEN, THE BOOK WAS CALLED
"LIGHTNING CASINO AND SPORTS BOOK".
(NOW, I BELIEVE, WWTS ON ANTIQUA.Comment
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Billy, the owner of WWTS, started at the Lightning casino. A true entrepeneur, he quickly saw and exploited the early offshore sportsbook opportunity by starting WWTS in Antigua. The Lightning casino still has a sportsbook.Comment
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Reno, Old Man, et al.
Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I thought it was Jay Cohen who had the early stake in Lightning. He and I were both there during the Grand Opening of the Sportsbook back in September 1993. I remember this well, because it was my honeymoon, and I believe I probably spent more time with JC than I did with my wife.
Reno, were Jay & Billy partners at one time? I thought it was JC who moved to Antigua to startup WSEX. Please correct me if my facts are not accurate, as I don't know the developments regarding the Lightning Casino after 1993. All I can recall is that I spent most of my honeymoon there in Sept.'93, and JC wrote up all of my tickets (by hand, I might add).Comment
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BetteMidler, I don't know anything about WSEX's history pertaining to the Lightning. And I don't know if Jay and Billy ever worked together. It would be interesting to have someone from WSEX or WWTS enlighten us about early Antiguan sportsbook history.Comment
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Regarding Bsky's question, it should be noted that Lightning sportsbook is located on St. Maarten (Dutch side). It looks like whomever the owner/operators were (Billy and/or JC) packed up and moved to Antigua. Bsky's question is WHY? What type of favorable environment did Antigua offer that St. Maarten could not? (Telecommunications, banking, licensing, etc.).
It would certainly be interesting to learn how it was that Antigua developed as such a promising offshore haven for SBs. While St. Maarten certainly offered the early opportunities, the entrepreneurs that left for Antigua must have done so for good reasons.
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Yeah, Billy and Roger both prefer St. Maarten to Antigua. People discouraged me from even going to Antigua. Everyone I talked to said that St. Maarten/St. Martin was a much nicer island than Antigua.Comment
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St. Maarten is definitely a great place to chill out, pig out, and put a good buzz on. The three things I remember from my honeymoon there were the restaurants, the duty free liquor stores, and watching Monday night football with JC & Co. at the Lightning (Grand Opening, Sept. '93). What a great way to kick off the beginning of married life!!
I always wondered what was the subsequent history of the Lightning, as it appears to have had several incarnations under various ownership groups. Regarding my honeymoon weekend with JC, that was the last I had heard of him until his trial this year. Regarding my wife, I still hear from her now and then. St. Maarten definitely changed my life for the better!
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It's my understanding that licences do not exit on St. Maartan. Action Sports was licenced (or protected) by some guy with a lot of clout on the island. Billy may have left for that reason. Taxes could have been much higher there than Antigua.
DEVILComment
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JEFF SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS....
DIDNT RICH(RICH'S SUPERBOOK)HAVE A PARTNER IN
A SPORTSBOOK IN A CASINO ON ST MAARTEN????Comment
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To the best of my recollection, John from Universal Sports and Rich were going to open land based sportsbook/casino, but the deal fell thru........Comment
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