Students wager savings on World Cup<\/p>\n
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The 2002 soccer World Cup fever is also being experienced by
\nstudents. Not only do they enjoy watching the matches on TV, but
\nthey also enjoy betting on their favorite teams.<\/p>\n
Jurwa, not his real name, is a first grader at a high school
\nin Tangerang, who said he had lost Rp 2.1 million (US$240) on
\nbets in only two weeks.<\/p>\n
\"I lost all my savings because all my favorite teams lost,\" he
\ngroaned on Saturday, adding that he was forced to pay hundreds of
\nthousands rupiahs to a bookie. He even sold his cellular phone to
\ncover his expenses.<\/p>\n
Jurwa's friend Steve, also not his real name, was slightly
\nluckier as stopped betting the moment he lost Rp 800,000.<\/p>\n
\"I stopped betting when I ran out of my allowance money,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Both students said it was fun to place bets, particularly due
\nto the ease with which is to make the bets.<\/p>\n
\"We only have to pick up the phone and call the bookie at the
\nlatest 30 minutes before the match begins,\" Steve said.<\/p>\n
Should they win or lose, they must meet face to face with the
\nbookie, within 48 hours after the game, to pay up or get paid.<\/p>\n
The students usually bet on a game at Rp 50,000. They can
\ndouble or increase the bet.<\/p>\n
The bookmaker makes a profit by requiring a five to 30 percent
\ncharge of the total bet.<\/p>\n
Unlike Jurwa and Steve, Koko, not his real name, opted to
\norganize the bets for his friends. He handed out forms on
\npossible results to be filled in by students willing to bet.<\/p>\n
\"Each participant had to pay Rp 10,000 per sheet after filling
\nin the form,\" he said, adding that he had 120 students in the
\npool.<\/p>\n
The winner will get the Rp 1.2 million cash prize. As the pool
\norganizer, Koko will get a 20 percent commission.<\/p>\n
Koko did not consider his contest as bad thing as the number
\nof bets was quite small per person so it would not make loser
\nflat broke.<\/p>\n
\"We're not talking about big money here and the fun is still
\nthere,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The three students admitted that they hid the activities from
\nparents, fearing that the parents would stop giving them their
\nallowance.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-wager-savings-on-world-cup-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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