"Welcome, Sugar": The Wild West of Sports Betting in the 90s, Unveiled
Online Game Pioneers - Introduction: Paris Smith and Their Early Contributions in the Digital Gaming World (Part 1)
A gruff stranger scowls at me, his eyes barely lifting from his disorganized desk. "Whattaya want?", he snarls.I summon up the courage. "I'm here to talk to Bill Scott about a job."
He chuckles, "Well,come in then, darlin'. I'm the Billy."
Paris Smith, once the CEO of Pinnacle, is famed as one of the most influential figures in online gaming, steering the industry through transformative decades. In this two-part series, Paris recounts to SiGMA News the gritty, rebellious, and visionary early days of the iGaming world - and the crazy crew of dreamers and doers she was part of.
Jots, Scribbles, Butts, and Beer Cans
It's 1995. A former basketball scholarship student, Paris Smith, embarks on Antigua with a tourism degree. Looking like she's from North Dakota's countryside in a country favoring locals hiring, finding employment in the seasonal sector isn’t easy.
Fate interferes, during a beach stroll with her dog.
"My dog was drowning in the sea, and a stranger rescued him and pulled him out. We chatted, post-rescue. He told me he owned a sportsbook and knew an American in Antigua, a guy named Bill Scott, hiring call center reps for World Wide Tele Sports."
The next day, Paris lands the interview.
"The building was easy to find - filled with cigarette butts, a table of opened beers, recorders, phones, a TV, and some ancient computers."
Her meeting with Bill Scott lasts ten minutes - and the 'formal' training, perhaps half of that.
"Bill tells me, 'Alright, when someone calls, you say 'Sports pin?'. Type in the PIN number and give the bet summary.' I question, 'What’s a summary?'. He answers, 'Straight bets, parlays, sweethearts or reverses, just type STR for straight, SW for sweethearts, input the value …'."
Before she can finish her question, the phone rings. Paris answers, "Sports pin?".
Click.
Another call: "Sports pin?".
Click.
"I soon realize that women weren't the go-to for answering sports betting calls", she muses. "They'd just hang up on me."
Until finally, someone asks, "Is this WWTS?"
Paris laughs, "So that's it, the first call I answered was from Billy Walters, one of the most renowned professional sports bettors in the world."
If that wasn't a sign from the universe, I don't know what is.
More Analog. More Impossible.
A few weeks pass, and business runs smoothly - the calm before the storm.
"Billy had placed an ad in Jim Feist's magazine for $750, and suddenly, the phones never stopped ringing."
WWTS wasn't prepared for the volume. They register around 1,500 new players with that ad - which might seem minuscule today, but everything was done by hand back then. No CRM, no automated integration systems.
"It turned into a mess - writing down names, addresses, and phone numbers on scraps of paper, quickly explaining how to send money to bet."
"At the time, the only payment options were Western Union Quick Collect, administrative checks, or bank transfers. No Pix or digital wallets. It was pandemonium."
But Paris remains calm - and willing to dive into the center of the chaos.
"That's how we started. Solving problems as they came up. And they went from 'how to receive this money?' to 'wait, how are we going to turn this into a real business, Billy?'"
WWTS flourishes in the blink of an eye - growing from a handful of employees to 185 - while maintaining a stellar reputation for customer service in the industry. All the attendants are women - friendly, smart, working long shifts to know regular customers like they're bar pals.
"And hey, Johnny, have you gone to see your bad knee to the doc yet? Your team's playing tomorrow, yeah? Let me know if you want to send funds for the weekend."
Paris laughs, "That was our upsell in 1995."
The trust wasn't built through traditional marketing - it was genuine. "People weren't just voices on the phone - they were real relationships. And that made a world of difference."
WWTS peaks
Paris' role evolves within the WWTS. She doesn't receive formal promotions - she simply becomes irreplaceable. She remains loyal to Billy and stays there for 11 years, not because she has to but because she believes in what they're building.
"I was devoted to Billy. I didn't want to abandon the ship just because another company came along."
But they eventually do - especially the Pinnacle. A sharp house that's gaining fame fast, and bettors take notice.
"At that time, there was no regulation, and the banks complicated everything. So we made transfers from one house to another. And it got to a point where 60% of WWTS's withdrawals went directly to Pinnacle."
Paris starts moving from table to table, requesting clients who are going to Pinnacle to switch their accounts directly to her.
"Johnny, what are you doing? Why are you sending money to Pinnacle?"
The response is always a variation of, "Ah, I don't know, all my friends bet there. They have an edge, their rate is lower."
Word of mouth was strong. Pinnacle's growth came from bettors recommending to other bettors where the best odds were. And Pinnacle's army only grew.
"It wasn't until August 2006, about two years after Billy sold the WWTS, that I felt ready to jump ship and join Pinnacle," she explains. "The timing seemed right. It was time to start something new."
Then, Paris moves to Curaçao - and a new kind of chaos.
Caution: Stick around for Part Two of our series OGs of iGaming, launching next Friday. Paris Smith shares more nostalgic stories from the 90s and reveals his vision for the future of the sector he helped shape.
Mark your calendars for SiGMA Asia, from June 1st to 4th, 2025. The world's largest iGaming community will gather in Manila, with 20,000 attendees, 3,800 operators, and over 350 speakers. Don't miss the unique energy in Manila!
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- Paris Smith, formerly the CEO of Pinnacle, was one of the most influential figures in the online gaming industry, guiding it through transformative decades.
- In a two-part series, Paris recounts to SiGMA News the early days of the iGaming world, a gritty, rebellious, and visionary period filled with dreamers and doers, including her own experiences.
- The sportsbook where Paris began her career, World Wide Tele Sports (WWTS), was primarily staffed by women, who handled sports betting calls and maintained a stellar reputation for customer service.
- As WWTS grew, it faced challenges with payment options, relying on Western Union, checks, or bank transfers, and managing the influx of new players without the aid of modern technology or CRM systems.
- Despite the chaotic conditions, Paris remained dedicated to refining the system and helping the business grow, eventually transitioning to Pinnacle after 11 years at WWTS, attracted by their growing reputation in the sports betting industry.
