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Article 12
US Marketing, Survivor and Social Betting Systems
by Ian Sherrington
February 2026
Series – The Online Gambling Industry
During my office cleanup prior to moving, I discovered some very interesting old folders which, upon closer inspection, document the US Intertops Marketing Strategy of the early 2000s.
Intertops was at that time riding the wave of being the first and largest online sportsbook and casino. Marketing was key and Intertops embarked on an aggressive US marketing strategy in partnership with a reputable marketing agency.
The strategy involved offering odds and taking wagers on events that no one had thought of before. Events such as Groundhog Day and the new reality TV Series Survivor (plus many others), generated huge publicity that helped propel Intertops.com to become a household name in the US – for a brief period of time.
After reviewing the documents and reminding myself what Survivor is all about, I got thinking about the structure of this then new reality TV show and how it maps very closely to modern betting systems. Survivor’s key attributes include elements such as hidden information, alliances, tribal councils and a jury which can be related to sports data, liquidity, settlement and reputation in the sports betting world.
So please read on as I reminisce about the early days of online sportsbook and casino marketing and just how I draw those tenuous parallels between reality TV and modern betting markets.
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Series Introduction
The Online Gambling Industry
A Series of Articles
Ian Sherrington, July 2024
In 1996, a small sportsbook in Austria accepted the world’s first online sports bet: a $50 gamble that Tottenham Hotspur would beat Hereford United in a third round FA Cup replay.
Since then, the rise of the online gaming industry has been meteoric. From humble beginnings, in seedy apartments and dimly lit basements, visionaries and programmers created computer systems that would form the foundations of a remarkable industry.
This transformation has extended gambling opportunities in unprecedented ways. As each new system or service came online, it gained popularity and momentum, leading to rapid growth.
Today, the industry is worth a fortune, with a turnover calculated in the trillions of dollars. It pays significant taxes, contributes to worthy causes, offers investment opportunities, and provides employment to many.
This first article in the series “The Online Gambling Industry” outlines the origins of the industry; looking at the key innovations that contributed to the beginnings of the online gambling industry.
We will explore how these early developments set the stage for the thriving online gambling landscape we see today.
The following articles in this series will delve deeper into the evolution of the industry, revealing the pioneers and their ground-breaking contributions. Join us, as we uncover the fascinating history of online gambling!
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
I’m Ian Sherrington and thank you for your interest in this fascinating topic. As a programmer, I played a key role in the early days of the Online Gambling Industry. On January 17th, 1996 the first online sports bet was accepted by the new Intertops website which I had conceived and created. Intertops has been online and accepting bets ever since.
I’ve stayed in the industry and continue to innovate and contribute in various ways, not just technically. During my time I’ve witnessed the evolution of the industry first-hand.
I always wanted to write about the industry and how it came to be and uncover the innovations and the innovators, many of whom I have met, and their invaluable contributions.
Now I have the chance to do it so now I’m investigating .. Who did what, when and.. why?
Huge thanks to Paul and all for your patient editing!
Let the Series begin!
Ian Sherrington, July 2024
