Joe Sullivan's Column As I See 'Em: Gambling, minus the risk, can be NH's savior, really

MANY OF my friends enjoy wagering on sporting events. They relish trips to New Hampshire's three simulcast racing venues -- Seabrook on the Seacoast, The Lodge at Belmont, the Rock in Salem.

They buy Super Bowl squares, enter NFL survivor pools, fill out NCAA March Madness brackets, put teams into home-run derby contests, purchase body lengths of 50-50 tickets at youth sporting events.

I know they will embrace this week's proposal without question. It's the rest of you, the non-gamblers, I need to sway.

Most importantly, don't fret about losing money. The beauty of this proposal is that that can't happen. Players may not win any money, but they cannot lose any money.

In the process of this no-lose form of gambling, they will be exercising good citizenship by taking an active role in trying to help our state government fund its budget.

Here's the deal.

Part one: Our Legislature recently passed a 10 percent tax on gambling winnings on a score of more than $600. It applies to everyone who gambles here in our state and to all New Hampshire residents no matter where they gamble.

Part two: On April 1, 2009, ESPN began a million-dollar contest called Streak for the Cash, which ends on Dec. 31, 2009. Players, who have to be at least 18 years old, register at ESPN.com, go to the Streak for the Cash section, and choose from a myriad of sports betting propositions each day. The object of the contest is to make shrewd picks and build a long winning streak.

In early December, the players with the top seven streaks will be invited to Bristol, Conn., the home of ESPN, to take part in a pick-off to determine who wins the million-dollar top prize.

If that prize goes to a New Hampshire player, it means a boodle of cash will find its way to our state treasury.

The six runners-up receive 10 grand each, and there is also a monthly winner who receives $2,500. Our state needs every nickel.

I hope that Gov. John Lynch will lead the way by entering the competition immediately. Followed by our state representatives. And senators.

Every state worker should step up, log in, try to help out.

For the good of their state, New Hampshire citizens must become consumed with this contest.

And it's easy and fun.

Players can make from one to five selections a day (though one betting proposition must be completed before the next one can be made) but there's no rule that says they have to bet every day.

A day off? A week off? A month off?

Fine.

Saturday, July Fourth, I decided to practice what I was about to preach. I missed the 9:30 a.m. tennis proposition (Venus or Serena in the Wimbledon Women's Championship), skipped the 10 a.m. Swedish soccer proposition (Trelleborgs FF win or draw versus Hammarby win) and went to the 10:50 a.m. golf offering (Fred Couples vs. Rocco Mediate for lowest front-nine score in the AT&T National).

I opted for Rocco and lost but stayed with the same event, and at 1 p.m. took Anthony Kim over Jim Furyk for the lower third-round score.

I hit and had a streak started.

At 7 p.m. I went to soccer and chose DC United (tie or win) over Columbus (win) and hit again. My streak sat at two.

Emboldened by my soccer success, I stayed in the same sport and league and chose the New England Revolution (win or draw) over the Los Angeles Galaxy (win) in an 11 p.m. start.

When I went to bed, the Revs were losing, 1-0.

When I woke up, my winning streak was kaput.

My competitive spirit was not.

The Sunday morning props offered golf (Mike Weir vs. Joe Ogilvie for lowest front nine in the AT&T National) and tennis (how many sets -- three or more than three) would be played in the Roger Federer-Andy Roddick Wimbledon men's final.

I went to England and picked more than three.

My New Hampshire and New England bias surfaced in two selections later that day. I chose the St. Louis Cardinals and starting pitcher Chris Carpenter of Bedford over the Cincinnati Reds in a 1:10 p.m. game and then the Connecticut Sun over the Detroit Shock in a 6:30 p.m. WNBA contest.

The Wimbledon final went five sets, Carpenter and the Cards cruised, and Connecticut won in overtime.

Three straight wins sent me to the computer to see how far I was from a trip to Bristol for the finals.

Incredibly, I was just 22 correct picks away from becoming No. 1.

Currently, the top gun has a streak of 24. Four people are tied for second with 22. A 21 and a 20 round out the top seven.

Within six days, I should be by all of them.

I will not be deterred. My state needs me.

It needs all of us.

Log on now.

Joe Sullivan's "Column as I See 'em" appears every other Tuesday in the New Hampshire Union Leader. His e-mail address is jsullivan@unionleader.com.