Having already visited Venezuela, Brazil and Chile, I decided that my next far-flung trip would take me to Peru.
It was a country which I had never previously explored but I couldn’t wait to enjoy yet another adventure. I was planning to try some of the local delicacies such as Cuy, explore the Condors and of course, climb Machu Picchu.
I like to be different and I don’t just like following the well-worn path of fellow tourists, I like to immerse myself in the community and experience local life and I also have the tendency to form friendships with natives whilst also sampling some local ales with them.
After a 20-hour flight which required a change at London Heathrow, I finally arrived in Lima and immediately began to familiarise myself with my new surroundings. As I’m now retired, I was in no rush and has very few time constraints so I was planning a lengthy stay in Peru. I was here for at least three weeks.
With planned trips to Cusco and Arequipa, I couldn’t wait to see more of this beautiful country but first…I desperately needed a beer.
As I made my way towards the local hostelries, I couldn’t help but notice a number of betting shops and naturally, I was drawn towards them. BetCris was a name that I had heard before and although I was still overwhelmingly parched, I decided to take a detour and head into one of their shops to find out more. The Casino Atlantic City shop In Mirflores was inviting and brightly lit and despite it only being around 1pm in the afternoon, it was noticeably busy. I had walked past a number of smaller shops en-route but this particular establishment was spacious, modern and hugely exciting. The hustle and bustle of a Peruvian betting shop wasn’t much different to what I was used to experiencing in Europe and there was a litany of screens showing various sporting events ranging from ATP Tour tennis through to the Argentinian Superliga with the Boca Juniors match attracting a fair amount of interest from the in-shop punters.
Luckily I had learnt a number of languages at college and as well as being fluent in French, my Spanish, although a little rusty, was at a decent standard and I attempted to make some conversation with the locals. One of the shop regulars, Nolberto was happy to chat to me and was intrigued about life in Europe. ‘Nobby’ told him me that he spends at least five days a week in this place and he loves having bets across a number of different sports. He extended the hand of friendship by fetching me a bottle of Pilsen Callao and we soon began to reminisce about some of our most successful wagers.
I was intrigued to hear about the range of different sports and markets that BetCris has to offer and I even placed a wager on the upcoming NBA match between the Raptors and the 76ers which was tipping off later this afternoon. I also discovered that Nolberto was a keen follower of the sport and we happily discussed the fascinating tussle at the top of the Eastern Conference. We could have chatted all day.
Nolberto explained that this particular BetCris shop was his favourite in Lima. He’d tried their other establishments but he found himself returning to this particular store. He also told me that he does have an online account with the company but he loves to socialise with his fellow bettors and as a 66-year old widower, it’s an excuse to get out of the house and fraternise with like-minded punters. However, he does have a number of close friends who only use BetCris for their wagering and they are regularly rewarded with bonuses and free bets.
After placing my NBA bet, I briefly conversed with the shop manager, who explained that BetCris are soon to be launching in Europe. After launching in 1985, they’ve taken the South American market by storm and will soon be expanding their product further. The manager, Miguel was a keen bettor himself and wanted to further question me about my love of NASCAR but alas, he had to return to serving customers and answering the queries of those who were trying to place their wagers on the afternoon’s racing.
Using the free Wi-Fi, I decided to log on to betcris.com and explore the different markets available. While I was doing this, Nolberto appeared with another bottle of Pilsen Callao and we spoke about some more upcoming sporting events. We discovered that we were both excited for the return of the MLB season and as we browsed the internet, we came across lots of prop bets and enticing money line options for the opening set of games. It was an enjoyable couple of hours and we were soon four-beers down before we knew it!
As an expert in online wagering, I was able to educate my new comrade on how to find value and where to find the best markets on betcris.com and we definitely bonded over our shared love of placing big bets.
As the sun started to set, I had to bid Nolberto a fond farewell but I did promise my new Peruvian pal that I would keep in touch and that I’d also sign up for a BetCris account upon my return. I didn’t need asking twice. I had to find my hotel and get my head down before my early-morning bus ride to Cusco. Once I’d reached my quarters for the night, I became distracted by the hotel bar where I was delighted to find that I was able to catch the final quarter of the NBA. I was soon celebrating as I watched my bet land in the final few moments. It would mean that I’d have to return to a BetCris store in order to collect his winnings but I was already planning a return trip to my new favourite betting shop, so that definitely would not be a problem.
