In an age where obtuse language is the last refuge of frauds and scoundrels, there is one term that raises our blood pressure like a shot of Red Bull, it is the phrase “win-win.”

It is frequently used by those pillars of society, telemarketers and politicians to manipulate their audience of the moment. A pox on those whose inherent duplicity is subterfuge for ensnaring trusting souls in win-lose situations.

But just because it is an overused cliché by opportunists, the concept of a win-win outcome should not be summarily rejected. In fact, we are about to regale you with the saga of a football contest concept that is being launched as the first annual Bowl Game Challenge (www.playbuzz.com). Indeed, it is designed and intended to be a win-win situation for both sponsors and players.

The creation of an Arkansas web entrepreneur and football fanatic, James Martin, the contests are unique not so much for format as for applications. The inaugural contest is a prototype of future competitions which will be offered by offshore sportsbooks featuring entry fees and monetary prizes for entrants.

The first Bowl Game Challenge is free to enter and invites players to pick the winners of 27 college bowl games. It commences with the Champs Sports Bowl on December 21 which pits Georgia Tech against Syracuse, and climaxes with the BCS Championship game on January 4 between the University of Southern California and Oklahoma.

Full details, including signup info for the Bowl Game Challenge are available at www.playbuzz.com. The contest is both fun and rewarding, with cash prizes to three winners.

If the winner of Bowl Game Challenge is agreeable, he or she would be featured in a subsequent Sportsbook Scene column. Certainly the winner’s ‘capping strategies and sports betting insight would be of value to our readers.

As Martin sees it, the contests are a win-win situation for offshore books looking to run appealing contests in order to attract new business, as well as customers who are seeking fresh wagering opportunities.

Because cash prizes will be awarded, the contests must be offered via offshore books rather than by websites located in the U.S. However, Martin noted that websites seeking traffic could offer the contests at no charge to players with prizes of merchandise.

Given our background in sports wagering and our contacts within the offshore sportsbook industry, we teamed up with Martin to help him find outlets for the contests. We both agreed that the contest should not be made available to all offshore books, because the industry still has to contend with the issue of shops going belly up as well as the outright scams that lurk in cyberspace. Building a brand name is difficult if it is associated with anything less than a first-class partner.

So we pitched several highly respected shops, all of whom evinced interest but none of whom actually pulled the trigger. That is understandable since offshore operators are focused on their core business during the frenzied football season.

But recently we spoke with Gary Johnstone, a principal in Betonline.com, an offshore book that entered the online gaming industry in 2004. Johnstone, whose strong background in the offshore industry made him an excellent choice to head up Betonline.com, says the first football season has been “very successful for both us and our players.” He quickly saw the advantages of Betonline.com sponsoring the initial contest and agreed to provide the cash prizes.

“This business is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Johnstone, noting that Betonline.com “is being built the old fashioned way, one satisfied customer at a time.” He has eschewed imprudent marketing strategies and is concentrating on developing his core gaming product. To do this, he is taking care of a client base that has “enjoyed steady growth in both numbers and betting volume.” Most importantly, Johnstone pointed with pride to Betonline.com’s ability to retain a high percentage of customers in spite of a brutally competitive offshore gaming marketplace.

He perceives the Bowl Game Challenge as a strong marketing tool and looks forward to introducing his shop to a plethora of casual/recreational bettors, the target audience of most sportsbooks.

Ultimately, Martin is prepared to offer the contests through a select number of offshore shops who will charge an entry fee, most of which will be returned by the prize structure. Contests at multiple price points will be available, and the entire spectrum of bettors will be serviced.

The next market that Martin has designs on is fantasy sports. “Just wait until our programmers get their teeth into fantasy contests,” he said. “We can create performance-oriented competitions between players that will be a lot of fun but will also require a fair amount of skill,” he added.

The quintessential attraction of competing in the devilishly clever contests that Martin creates is the challenge of going against other enthusiasts and the reward of cash prizes, as well as ego gratification for players in seeing their name listed ahead of the competition.

For full details, more info and to participate in the Bowl Game Challenge, go to www.playbuzz.com.

It’s that time of year -- when future bets on the Super Bowl are more attractive because the time lag to collect is relatively short, and bettors have fewer variables and unknowns to contend with.

We have been contemplating a bet on the AFC at -3 vs. the NFC, but might have pondered too long. Not all offshore books are currently posting this wager, and some have moved the number to AFC -4.

It’s possible several shops in Vegas have the number we are looking for. If so, we plan to get down ASAP since the line assumes that Philadelphia will be the NFC Super Bowl rep.

To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.” Sure, this looks like the Eagles’ year. And after three straight monumental disappointments in the NFC finals, conventional wisdom says this year Andy Reid figures out a way to get past the conference title game and into the S.B.

Even if Philly does make it to Jacksonville for the game on February 6, we wouldn’t feel at a disadvantage having New England, Pittsburgh or the Colts at -3. Moreover, we’re not convinced the Eagles can get all the way through the playoffs, even with home field advantage.

More than any other contender, this team relies on its starting QB, who is irreplaceable, but still scrambles often enough to be at risk for an injury that could keep him sidelined for several games. Granted, the NFC resembles the old Big Eight conference which was known as Snow White and the seven dwarfs when the Nebraska Corn Huskers dominated.

In a league driven by parity, who’s to say that Atlanta couldn’t have a spectacular performance from Michael Vick and win the NFC, or that one of the other pretenders still in the playoff hunt could catch Philly on an off day.

If you think the best teams in the AFC are capable of beating anyone in the NFC except Philadelphia, you might ponder the sturdiness of Donovan McNabb and his ability to stay injury-free for eight more games.

The -3 or even -4 on the AFC might be the most attractive S.B. line available for those who wish to bet the AFC, so we will be making our belated wager this weekend. Ideally we’ll get a matchup of New England vs. one of the NFC stiffs. But even if the big game includes the Eagles, we still might have the best of it.

Big Brother in Washington is doing everything it can to stifle the gaming industry’s attempts to grow the business. Traditionally, since the offshore sports betting industry began its drive toward mainstream respectability back in the mid ‘90s, the Department of Justice has tried numerous ploys to erase this commendable effort of free enterprise.

Most recently, in 2003 the DOJ initiated an effort to sharply curtail advertising by online gaming companies to customers in the U.S. In its usual heavy-handed approach, the agency targeted various media outlets with an official letter, informing them that it considered interactive gaming to be an illegal activity.

The DOJ reinforced its intimidation by suggesting that accepting advertising for such services is the equivalent to aiding and abetting illegal activity. Shortly thereafter, subpoenas were issued to media companies that had done business with offshore gaming operations.

The cumulative impact of this campaign by the DOJ is known to have had a chilling effect on companies so contacted. It truly violates the spirit of free enterprise, freedom of speech and is a wrong-headed attack on legitimate entrepreneurs.

While many of the big media companies succumbed to the dubious tactics of the DOJ, many smaller entities continued business as usual. But there is no question that the burgeoning online gaming industry took a hit.

Finally, a relatively small but feisty organization, Casino City, a Louisiana-based company that services the public via an Internet portal and several publishing ventures, stepped up and challenged the mighty DOJ.

At this point a little disclosure is in order. We should note that we have availed ourselves of Casino City resources. It broadcast a handicapping show we originated over its Internet facilities for several years, and also archived our radio show on the Internet. The relationship was mutually beneficial and they are fine people with whom to do business.

Now, in a David-and-Goliath scenario, Casino City is trying to reestablish freedom of speech as envisioned under the Constitution. Casino City has cut to the chase and challenged the DOJ’s tactics as being inconsistent with the U.S. Freedom of Speech Amendment.

According to legal sources, the outcome of this case will have landmark implications on the extent to which the government may control the way online advertisers can promote their services.

Ideally, the judicial process in which this case is tried will be notable for achieving a fair, credible decision, applicable to the best interests of all Americans. Let us hope it is not tainted with the stench of agenda-driven fundamentalists who represent the religious radical right.

The relentless growth and inspiring success of offshore/online gaming is a glowing testament to the concept of free will: “If you build it, they will come.” If there is one group the U.S. government should be wary of, it is sports bettors, whose attitude harkens back to the Revolutionary War warning, “Don’t tread on me!”

Please send comments, questions, etc. to buzzdaly@aol.com.