Online betting: Bovada's good reputation for service

I've never been a big fan of online betting. For sports, I'd rather bet with a bookie or, when in Nevada, wager at a sportsbook and watch the games on giant TV screens.

In California, sports betting isn't legal, so many people turn to online gambling sites. The legality of betting via offshore sportsbooks remains in question, but for now online wagering is popular and generally unobstructed by federal authorities.

I chose Bovada.lv because I'd long followed it to get odds on games and futures, and it has a good reputation for customer service. A reviewer of online gaming sites, MyTopSportsBooks.com, says Bovada - which used to be called Bodog - has the "best customer service in the industry" and the "best mobile betting."

Most enticing, Bovada offers a 50 percent signup bonus, up to $250. Here's how it works: Say you bet $200 on the 49ers at even money. If you win you get $500 ($200 in winnings, $100 in bonus plus your original wager).

So a few weeks ago I took the plunge and authorized a $250 deposit on my credit card. But I hit a snag: The charge was denied as "irregular." Visa sent a text alert warning me of possible fraud. I texted back to note the charge was legit, but I still had to call Visa to authorize the charge. (While this was a problem a couple of years ago, it's reportedly not as widespread an issue today.)

Then I started betting. The odds are standard: Typically you have to bet $110 to win $100, and the site is relatively easy to use. Bovada also offers proposition bets on everything from NBA scoring leaders to Academy Award winners, but the site keeps a larger proportion of money bet on props, typically 25 percent. (That's true in Nevada casinos as well - given the odds, props, including futures, should be small wagers made for fun.)

I put my entire $250 on Indianapolis, giving three points, to beat San Diego on Oct. 14, but the Colts lost, so I didn't get to see how quickly Bovada would pay. I've had problems in the past getting my cash out of another online betting site, but reports are that Bovada pays promptly. A reviewer on MyTopSportsBooks said, "When I've requested a payout ... they come quick."

Other leading online betting sites include BetOnline.com, TopBet.com and GTbets.com.

It can be easy to get carried away betting online because you're not handling money. But if you bet responsibly, it can add a thrill to watching games, wherever you are.

Michael Shapiro is a freelance writer and author of "A Sense of Place." E-mail: 96hours@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shapirowrites

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Pa. considers criminalizing online bullying

When Pennsylvania House lawmakers return to Harrisburg for the fall session, a proposal on cyber bullying awaits.

The plan to criminalize online communication that disparages or threatens children passed unanimously out of a House committee last spring.

While laws alone won't eliminate online harassment, said bill sponsor Rep. Ron Marsico, the Legislature is not overstepping its bounds in efforts to criminalize it.

"The consequences can be ... very devastating to a child. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized cyber bullying as an emergency public health problem," said Marsico, R-Dauphin.

At a recent hearing, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association voiced support for the plan, but said it should be changed to ensure that anyone prosecuted under it must be shown to have a malicious intent.

The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union opposes the legislation, saying it isn't constitutional to censor free speech online just because it is mean-spirited and directed at a child.

State law addresses only general harassment and harassing text messages that are sexually explicit.

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Photography spurs online business growth in India

Summary: Rise of digital photography and opportunities around such content have led to an increase in associated online services in India. The cost and efficiency advantage beats traditional photo studios and labs hands down.

Interest in photography drives associated online business in India. (Credit: Abhishek Baxi)

The rise of digital photography and opportunities around related content has led to an increase in both amateur and professional photographers in India.

While there are several online businesses in the country catering to amateur photographers, the largely unorganized service segment of professional photography is now changing the way they do business--online.

Today, professional photographers run their own Web site, market themselves on social media, provide both electronic and printed products to clients, as well as spend a lot of time doing post-production work on images. While the opportunities have widened, so has the scope of ancillary work.

One example is Canvera. Founded in 2007, the online photography company provides mass customized printed products and recently launched (in beta) Vivyo, an e-commerce offering for professional photographers. I met Peeyush Rai, the co-founder and CTO of Canvera, at the Consumer Electronic Imaging Fair 2013 in New Delhi and he explained how a photographer can set up his Web site in as little as 15 minutes, without having to worry about the technical aspects of Web site designing, managing images, and ensuring privacy and security of client photos. Essentially, Vivyo acts as a platform to showcase and market a photographer's portfolio, and offer photos and printed products on sale.

For consumers like Harpreet Singh, a technology journalist at ToolsJournal.com and photography enthusiast, ordering prints online is painless, quick, and saves a whole lot of energy. "Going to an offline store involves driving to one, waiting for your turn, and the results can never be consistent," Harpreet said. "Another thing I absolutely love is customization. You get to choose the paper, quality, size and everything [else]. You could do this with offline stores as well but the process is really painful, trust me."

Several services like iTasveer, ZoomIn, and Snapfish not only offer photo prints but also custom-printed products like shirts and coffee mugs. The cost and efficiency advantage beats the traditional photo studios and labs hands down.

Topics: E-Commerce, India, Tech Industry

Abhishek Baxi is an independent digital consultant and a freelance technology columnist based in India. He writes on consumer technology and trends for several leading print and online publications.

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AmEx launches virtual wallet for online buyers in India

According to Google India, around 8 million Indians shopped online in 2012 and the U.S. Internet giant in December partnered several Indian shopping sites for "Cyber Monday".

In the year 2011 to 2012, consumer interest in online shopping in India grew 128 percent compared to only 40 percent the previous year. According to Forrester, the e-commerce market here is set to grow the fastest within the Asia-Pacific region between 2012 and 16.

While the growth of e-commerce in the country is an encouraging story, it is not without hiccups. Indian consumers prefer cash-on-delivery due to security concerns about using credit cards online. Another awkward roadblock is the high number of transactions that get dropped off due to users not physically having their cards on-hand. Several merchants store credit card details to ease future payments, but the use is restricted to individual merchants.

And this is a hole American Express (AmEx) India's new product is aiming to plug. ezeClick provides AmEx card members an easy and fast method to complete their online purchase, by allowing them to prefill customer data such as card number, expiry date, four-digit card identification number, and postal code which will be stored in the ezeClick virtual wallet for future use.

Offered free to all AmEx card members, the service allows customers not to have to refer to their plastic card for future online transactions. The transaction process is fast, safe and secure. Certified by Verisign, the service uses SSL to encrypt personal information. eZeClick also sends a one-time password (OTP) for every transaction to the registered mobile or e-mail ID in accordance with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations. Not just the customers, the service also addresses fears merchants have about any potential fraud as card data is not entered and stored on their servers.

When I spoke to Sanjay Rishi, president of AmEx India, he explained the benefits for partner merchants: "The average online transaction size of AmEx card members is more than three times the size of other online transactions. The power of their superior spend, coupled with faster checkouts and higher engagement, means more business for merchants."

The next-generation virtual wallet simplifies the checkout process and claims to drive more online shopping. Since no card details need to be entered at the time of transaction, the eZeClick service helps merchants reduce the number of transaction declines, prevents accidental dropoffs, and reduces the chances of cart abandonment. Interestingly, it also enables frequent and higher value transactions on impulse.

According to Vibha Bajaj, head of public affairs and communications at AmEx India, the ezeClick offering is already live across some 40 leading online merchants in India, covering travel, retail, utilities, apparels, and entertainment like eBay, MakeMytrip, BookMyShow, Infibeam, Vodafone, Idea, Tata Sky, and Spicejet, among others. "More, including Flipkart, are coming very soon," Vibha assured.  

Disclosure: Abhishek Baxi had been a digital consultant to American Express India in some of the company's previous online campaigns.

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India's online firms eye aggressive growth via Facebook

Summary: Brand marketers in India are building deeper relationships with their customers and driving word of mouth at scale. Facebook, in recent past, has been continually evolving as a medium, and so are the opportunities for businesses.

Over the last couple of years, Facebook has expectedly transitioned from being the largest and most engaged community in the world to a platform connecting people and businesses as well. Brand marketers are building deeper relationships with their customers and driving word of mouth at scale.

For many online businesses in India, Facebook is the next big, and sometimes the only, opportunity to grow their operations. While some brands focus on spreading awareness and showcasing their products and services, others prefer holding discussions about the ecosystem they do business in. The creative content and engagement around it are built with social goals which have been aligned with business objectives.

Founded in 2007, Myntra.com is an Indian online portal in the fashion and lifestyle space and ranked among the top three e-commerce companies in the country. The site uses its Facebook page as a marketing channel to acquire new customers and increase engagement with existing customers. It uses Facebook Ads to target the exact demographic of potential active buyers on Myntra, increase the number of fans on its Facebook Page, and reach friends of fans by using sponsored stories.

In last six months, there has been a 120 percent increase in transactions originating from Facebook and 75 percent increase in total Web site traffic from Facebook. Ashutosh Lawania, co-founder and head of sales and marketing at Myntra, attributes 25 percent of revenues directly to Facebook. "The Facebook platform now plays a very important role in our customer acquisition and brand building strategy," he explained. "Since ROI (returns on investment) from our Facebook spend is quite healthy, we intend to further scale up our marketing efforts using this channel."

Chumbak, a young startup that offers travel and souvenir products, banks heavily on building a community of brand enthusiasts. "There is nothing else out there that gives you the ability to reach out to your target audience the way Facebook does. Whether it's a product launch or a contest or even customer queries, it's honestly the best marketing tool a startup like Chumbak can have," explains Vivek Prabhakar, the Founder and CEO of Chumbak.

Chumbak uses Facebook as its sole marketing channel. The channel is used not just to drive awareness of product lines and announce new product launches but also to crowdsource ideas for new products. The company also uses Facebook Ads to drive new connections to the Page, increase traffic to its product catalogue, and promote special offers and discounts.

In recent times, Chumbak has seen 25 percent of online revenue coming from Facebook, with a very high degree of repeat purchases among Page fans. Also, the Indian startup claims of getting five-fold ROI on total advertising spend with Facebook.

The social networking giant has been continually evolving as a medium, and so are the opportunities for businesses. The onus now is on the marketers to create customer engagements and, of course, on Facebook to offer services and tools on the platform for more creative executions.

Topics: Social Enterprise, E-Commerce, IT Priorities, India

Abhishek Baxi is an independent digital consultant and a freelance technology columnist based in India. He writes on consumer technology and trends for several leading print and online publications.

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