Review of The Insiders Guide Instant Win Tickets (Pulltabs)

Title:

The Insiders Guide Instant Win Tickets (Pulltabs)

Author:

Don D. Basina

Publisher:

1st Books Library

Date:

2001

ISBN:

0-7596-6009-3

Pages:

88

Price:

$14.95

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@lvrevealed.com

March 17, 2003

Have you ever wondered how to make more money than you already are selling pulltabs? Are you sure? Well, Don Basina has written a book on this topic, if you're interested. What? You don't know what a pulltab is? Well, it's like a disposable cardboard slot machine, one card per pull of the handle. Hmmm, you still don't quite get it? Well, maybe this will help: It's sort of like a lottery scratch-off ticket, except you pull and rip paper rather than scratch off that silvery stuff that gets stuck under your fingernails. Now do you want to learn more about how to sell these things? Well, if you do, you know where to look.

For those who still don't quite know, pulltabs are a form of gambling which combines the house edge of keno with the skill of slot machines and the thrill of lottery scratchers. Hey, in some jurisdictions "fun" forms of gambling aren't legal, so folks do what they can. For some reason, pulltabs seem to be far more popular in the Midwest than in other parts of the country, probably mostly due to regulations restricting other forms of gambling. In any case, like most forms of gambling, if you provide it, there are people who will partake. Therefore, selling these things can be quite lucrative, I'm sure.

While short, Basina's book contains a number of tips on how to sell these things more effectively. A great deal of the advice is common sense. For example, Basina devotes part of the book on techniques a salesperson can use to try to persuade someone to buy (or buy more) pulltabs. While many of these things seem simple, as we all know, a staggeringly large percentage of the population could use some common sense, so it probably doesn't hurt for the author to get basic, especially since the topic just isn't that involved. At the same time, there are a few good procedural tips here, especially discussing the processing of winning game tickets. Anyone who doesn't have careful controls in place already might want to check out Basina's suggestions.

On the other hand, this book could have really used a pass by a professional copy editor. Heck, even the title doesn't scan right. Despite being brief and printed with large type, it's slower going through this book than it should be considering that the material just isn't that complex. Almost as an afterthought, the author includes a chapter containing advice for players. Frankly, this information is horrible. It won't help a player win playing pulltabs, and this chapter can be safely ignored. This is unfortunate, because under the right circumstances, it may be possible to be, I find it hard to believe I'm saying this, an advantage pulltab player.

If one knows how many tickets are in a lot, how many of each payout tier will be paid in that lot (this information is usually printed on each ticket), how many tickets have been sold, how many winners have been claimed, and how quickly winners are usually claimed, it may be possible to project the "running" house edge, and under some circumstances, this may become positive for the player. Of course, usually I would expect a pulltab establishment to be loathe to provide this information for the obvious reasons. If it is available, however, it may be possible to use it to advantage.

So, basically, The Insider's Guide Instant Win Tickets (Pulltabs) is a long pamphlet that isn't particularly well written on the topic of how to sell pulltabs. On top of that, much of what is provided between its covers is pretty basic. For those people who could use some simple suggestions on how to sell pulltabs and how to manage pulltab sales, this book just might be, ahem, the ticket. Everyone else can safely pass.

Capsule:

Don Basina's The Insider's Guide Instant Win Tickets (Pulltabs) is an extended pamphlet containing some basic information on how to sell and manage the sale of pulltabs. It's not particularly well written, and it is by no means a deep book, but the author clearly knows the business. If someone is looking for a basic guide at how this business operates, it may be worthwhile to check this book out. Everyone else can probably find something else to occupy their time.