Question of the Day - 31 August 2010

The LVASports paid message boards were created after several years of frustration born of attempts to host free forums that were aimed at serious gamblers. As has become increasingly evident in many areas of cyberspace, chat and message boards are susceptible to being taken over by cyber-bullies with only their own agendas to forward, usually at the expense of others on the boards. We found this to be the case when we opened FezziksPlace.com several years ago, and later the first incarnation of LVASports.com -- both free boards. Regardless of how diligently we monitored and policed, we simply couldn't stem the flow of bad information, blatant self-promotion, and just plain nastiness. Finally, we came up with the idea of using money as leverage and we created LVASportsboards.com as a paid forum ($24.95 per month or $199 for a year).

The policy on these boards is that if you're evicted for breaking any of the rules (see below), your fee will not be refunded. On the free boards, we'd ban someone for inappropriate behavior and they'd simply get another username and start up all over again. With the pay format, however, it takes another $24.95 to get back on, and offenders lose the fee again if they act up as before. Result? The troublemakers don't come back. This approach has led to the most intelligent and productive message-board environment we've ever been involved with. As to the level of gambling content, we think it's the best. For starters, the two hosts are sports-betting phenoms Fezzik and Alf Musketa.

Fezzik did the unimaginable last year in winning the LV Hilton's SuperContest back-to-back--a feat that has never before been achieved by anyone. He also beat 15 other invited sports-betting experts to win the Leroy's Money Talks contest, and has ruled the football contests for the past several years. There is likely no bigger celebrity in the world of sports betting.

Alf is considered one of the world's top handicappers, specializing in all the things that Fezzik doesn't -- golf, basketball, hockey, Fantasy Football, soccer, and off-sports, like darts.

Additionally, several of the world's top gambling experts were given complimentary membership in exchange for their participation. Hence, the quality of the information is consistently high. And while we don't promote the message boards as a picks-selling site, dozens of picks are put up every week by Fezzik, Alf, and the other experts.

Regarding the mix of discussion, it's predominantly sports betting; however, poker, blackjack, horse racing, and other gambling games and subjects are routinely discussed. You can view several past "Featured Threads" at LVASports.com.

LVASports.com is the free website connected to this effort. Here you can find a free lines feed, a sports and poker news feed, original articles on sports betting, weekly football contest and party updates, and an amazing searchable sports database that you won't find anyplace else. You don't have to pay a fee to get a lot of good services and information at LVASports.com, but the message boards are still where the serious players go.

Finally, today's question led to a significant decision regarding Question of the Day. For the first time ever, we're devoting one day of the week to a specific subject. Beginning this Friday, we'll feature "Fezzik Fridays" in QoD. We'll run this format throughout the football season, so start sending in your questions on any aspect of sports wagering.

Rules of the Board

• Members must abide by the rules and policies detailed here. If you agree to the terms, check the "I agree" checkbox and click the "Register" button below. Doing so indicates that you agree to all terms, including the penalty and refund policies. If you would like to cancel the registration, click here to return to the forums index.

• Although the administrators and moderators of LVASports will attempt to keep all objectionable messages off this forum, it is impossible for us to review all posts in real time. All messages express the views of the author, and neither the owner of LVASports, nor Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. (developers of vBulletin) will be held responsible for the content of any message.

Moderators

The designated moderators have sole jurisdiction over decisions regarding conduct and resulting penalties. The moderators will be appointed by the board owner.

Penalties

• We reserve the right to ban anyone from LVASportsboards.com, based solely on our assessment of inappropriate conduct. If the banned party has paid the $24.95 monthly membership fee, that fee shall be retained, regardless of how much time remains in the month. If the banned party has paid the $199 yearly membership fee, a pro-rated refund will be issued equal to the unused portion of the membership minus a handling charge equal to the single-month fee of $24.95. A warning will often be given prior to implementing a ban, but we are under no obligation to do so.

• The moderators will remove posts or threads they deem in violation of the "Rules of Conduct."

Refunds

• All requested refunds will be granted on a pro-rated basis. There shall be a three-day grace period at the start of each monthly billing period during which a complete refund will be granted if requested.

Rules of Conduct

• Violation of the following may be deemed inappropriate conduct, subject to the actions specified in "Penalties." Determining what constitutes a violation is the sole province of the moderators.

• Personal attacks and otherwise malicious or harmfully intended posts are not allowed. You may argue points and even challenge expertise, but if the moderators deem that you've taken the argument to an inappropriate personal or business level, action will be taken.

• Excessive swearing and otherwise objectionable language is not allowed.

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• Members are not required to disclose information about their identities publicly on the board. Divulging information about another member's identity is not allowed.

• Excessive advertising of services on the board is not allowed.

• Please endeavor to stay on topic. This board is about gambling. We will certainly allow discussions of gambling outside of sports betting, e.g., poker and blackjack, as well as gambling-related subjects, such as math and probability, insurance, and the stock market. General discussions of Las Vegas and other gambling-centric jurisdictions are also acceptable. Off-topic subjects (accept when related to gambling), including politics, will be deleted from the board.