Some Redskins Fans Have More Than Pride on the Line

Schwartz said the offshore books took in $8 billion in bets, perhaps half from the United States. "It seems like Americans are getting more and more comfortable with [sports] betting," Schwartz said, "and gambling in general." Only Utah and Hawaii do not have some form of legalized gambling, although only Nevada has legalized sports gambling.

For those who don't have ready access to Las Vegas, Reno or Tahoe, the old neighborhood bookmaker is still alive and flourishing, police say. Last month, Fairfax County police searched safe deposit boxes of a suspected bookie and recovered nearly $350,000 in cash, court records show.

The 49-year-old D.C. man allegedly told an undercover officer that "being a bookie was the only thing he did for a living" and that he learned the trade from his father, according to a court affidavit. He supposedly gave the officer tips on how to start in the business and then drove off in a green Jaguar. Gambling and money-laundering charges are pending.

Montgomery County police recently broke up an operation that handled as much as $500,000 in bets during a football weekend, Detective Michael Herbert said. In October, Alvin J. Kotz, 70, of Potomac was sentenced to three years for gambling and money laundering, records show.

"A lot of people see it as a victimless crime," Herbert said. "We see the other side of it." He said husbands spend the family paycheck, and in a current case, a gambler embezzled several hundred thousand dollars from a company to pay his debts.

Herbert and "Ace," a former bookie from the Midwest, said times are slower for bookies during the playoffs because there are fewer games. Ace, who now makes his sports wisdom freely available through an Internet forum called "The Prescription," said people increased their bets during the playoffs but not enough to make up for the lack of games.

For those who don't know bookies, there is always the Internet. The government has not prosecuted individual bettors, but it has gone after Web site operators. In a 2001 case in New York, an American based in Antigua returned for trial and was convicted and imprisoned. Evidence at his trial showed his Web site had taken in nearly $5 million in bets in 15 months.

Smith noted that BetonSports is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange and is in a place where sports betting is legal. Last year, BetonSports took in $1.1 billion from almost 10 million bets, according to its annual report.

"Bob the Barber," who works in Fairfax City, said he uses bookies and offshore Web sites. "I think more people are betting offshore," Bob said, "because bookmakers used to be big crooks. If you had a big win on the Super Bowl, they'd take off, and you didn't get paid."

Bob, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, generally bets about $300 a game but ups it to $500 for the playoffs. He's taking the Redskins tomorrow. "I can't believe they're getting 9 points," he said, arguing that Seattle has not beaten a quality team and already lost to the Redskins once this season. [The point spread moved late yesterday to 9 1/2 points.]

The point spread is set by oddsmakers and adjusted in response to what gamblers are betting on a game. If a bettor chooses the favorite, the team has to win by more than the spread to collect any money. A bettor who picks the underdog can win even if the team loses -- as long as it loses by less than the spread

Last week, in full public view, Ace laid out his analyses and bets for the week and then won an incredible six wagers without a loss, raking in more than $11,500. This week, he is putting $1,000 on the Seahawks.

Seattle had a week off, "and historically, [teams that have a week off] win 80 percent of the time, while point spreads only matter in 16 percent." He also pointed to Seattle's superior offense and its fewer penalties and turnovers as reasons for giving the 9 1/2 points. But at the top eight offshore books, Ace noted, more bettors have been taking Washington and the points, 59 percent to 41 percent.

The Indianapolis Colts remain the favorite to win the Super Bowl with every online book, most of them making the Colts about even to go all the way, followed by Seattle and New England.

The Redskins are the longest shot of the remaining eight teams in every sports book. Bodog.com has the Redskins at 19-1, BetonSports.com at 26-1 and Sportsbook.com at 33-1.