Fifteen years ago yesterday, the world’s very first online bet was placed. And that bet happened at Intertops sportsbook, still a leading online sports betting hub.
In a news release, Intertops representatives look back on those fifteen years.
“On January 17, 1996 employees at the company’s original Salzburg, Austria office cheered when a Finn named Jukka Honkavaara placed a $50 stake on the outcome of a Tottenham Hotspur and Hereford United football match. Honkavaara collected $52 on that bet, made a $2 profit, and earned his place in igaming history.
“When he participated in Intertops’ celebration of the tenth anniversary of his history-making wager, Honkavaara said “The days of sports betting and bookies having a ‘shady’ reputation are long gone, and the kind of online service that Intertops brought in the sports betting arena brought credibility to the business so that a simple family man like myself can use the service online, from the comfort of my home, without any unnecessary risk.”
Published in both English and German—as it was since it was first launched those 15 years ago—Intertops is one of the few online sportsbook open to American punters, where “there was and is a huge appetite for sports betting and no high street betting shops to take them.”
That’s not the only first Intertops boasts: “In 2001, the Intertops developed the first mobile betting application, enabling customers to bet with mobile phones anywhere, anytime.”
Affiliates can promote Intertops via the Intertops affiliate program.