Former national cricket team players Albert Steede and Cleon Scotland are re-entering the world of sport as partners in a betting shop business that has been undergoing a virtual and cyberspace makeover during the past few weeks.

Everything is now in place and, as 2007 begins, so does a new future for GameTime, formerly the International Fixed Odds betting shop, on the corner of Victoria Street and Cedar Avenue.

When Alan Lindo?s former partners decided to pull out he put the business up for sale and attracted 17 interested applicants . Of those only Mr. Steede and Mr. Scotland were Bermudian. They also happened to have noteworthy sporting backgrounds and be known personally to Mr. Lindo.

With so many boxes being ticked in his mind it wasn?t a hard decision to agree terms with the two former cricketers. And Mr. Lindo has decided to stay on as advisor and part-time partner in the business he helped set up. His experience and knowledge will provide a boost for the newcomers as they look to move the sports betting business forward.

As 2006 wound down there was no rest for the trio as they set about giving the shop a complete makeover with new carpet and furnishings. And GameTime has its own impressive internet site giving all the latest event information to punters to make their choices before popping into the shop to place bets.

As a Saltus Grammar School IT technician, Mr. Scotland has used his computer background to create the web-site gametime.bm which gives one-page access to all the day?s action. So how did he get involved in running a betting shop?

?We saw the advert in the paper saying that the business was for sale. It interested me because I love sport, I have all my life. Albert and I are close friends and he called up. Alan was interested and he knew us both, so we had a meeting,? he said.

The agreement by Mr. Lindo to give training to the new business operators was another positive that attracted the two former cricketers. As deputy head of Saltus ? a position he retains ? Mr. Steede will bring to the operation his background as a maths teacher, a crucial skill for the sports betting business. When his school job allows he will give time to the business.

Like Mr. Scotland he saw the opportunity of getting involved in a business heavily associated with sport, something he loves, as a perfect fit.

One thing Mr. Lindo wishes to dispel is the misconception in the minds of some that sports betting equates to the shady world of gambling.

He points out that a sports betting operation has no say in the outcome of bets placed, whether they be on soccer teams, NFL sides, horse racing or alike. Customers use their own personal judgement and become winners or losers as a result of the real live events in the world of sport, unlike say a one-arm bandit operation where the ?house? decides what win/lose rate to set on machines.

He adds: ?Sports betting does not have the stigma of casino-style betting. In all my years I have only seen a handful of people who could be said to need help for an addiction. A sports betting shop today has a welcoming, inviting atmosphere.?

One thing Mr. Lindo would like to see change is the 20 percent Government betting tax. He said: ?There is more money leaving Bermuda than staying in Bermuda in betting because 20 percent is a high rate. The larger betters are going onto the internet.?