Those who know me well will tell you that I can be quite edgy before a rugby game especially when I have a decent size spread bet running which is generally always the case. 

That edginess quickly turns to annoyance and then desperation when for any reason I struggle to get my bet on. This can be as a result of a slow internet connection or in some cases poorly trained call centre staff but this past weekend it was a case of the bookmaker in questions’ website not accepting any of my trades despite my having a more than adequate balance. 

With their mother body situated in Ireland they have what is essentially a white label agreement here in South Africa and while they are licensed locally I have often been frustrated with unmatched bets on Saturday morning games when I would imagine most of their traders are not yet at work. 

As kick off approached and the message “unfortunately your bet has not been accepted” kept flashing up I started to panic (sad but true). Clicking on the “Contact Us” tab I phoned the toll free line reserved for South African clients but over a 10 minute period I could not get through once with a busy signal that sounded disturbingly like the line had been discontinued.  

I was just about to give up when I noticed another phone number with a lot of digits in it. Grabbing my cell I punched them in only to be told I was not authorized to make international calls. Instinct took over and within seconds I was listening to a deep Irish accent over my land line. A few minutes later the bet was on and I had proven once again that there are few things that will stop me having a punt.  

The game itself was a disaster for me and my bet which revolved around New Zealand giving France a hiding (they lost 22-27) was always in trouble and my balance took a fair old knock in the end. 

What really worries me though is the knock I am going to take from my wife when she sees the next phone bill as I have just never found the right moment to tell her about that call to Ireland to place a bet – perhaps if it had won it would have been easier.  

This article first appeared in the Citizen CitiGaming section on Thursday 18 June 2009 

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and presents a sports betting radio show every Saturday morning at 07h30 on 1485AM Radio Today or Channel 169 of the DSTV Audio Bouquet.  

You can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/brentgraham or get on his mailing list by dropping him a line at brent@goodforthegame.co.za 

Goodforthegame will be posting betting previews on every Confederations Cup match as well as the Lions Tour.