online sports betting news

A friend of mine joked the other day that Betfair won’t be happy until they’ve completed world domination. That was probably a bit of an exaggeration but it may be advisable to put James Bond on standby just in case if rumours are true about the betting exchange gearing up towards a potential stock market listing in the spring. A report by news agency Reuters this week suggested a renowed City adviser (Rothschild) has already been lined up to ensure a smooth flotation of the company, though Betfair’s managing director Mark Davies (who wasn’t, to be fair, sat in a swivel chair stroking a white cat at the time) has strenuously denied this. What is significant, however, is the fact that he refused to rule out an initial public offer in the near future should market conditions be deemed suitable. This, of course, isn’t the first time Betfair has been linked with the stock market. Back in 2005, when the company was reportedly only worth a mere £700millon, investment bankers were positively salivating over the prospect of a flotation. At the last count, Betfair’s asset were valued at around £1.5billion and, with an average of more than12,000 bets per hour being struck on the exchange on a normal day, that figure will continue to grow. Betfair, incidentally, have recently been at the forefront of a plan for bookmakers to make a voluntary contribution to Sport England, who support various sports in the United Kingdom at grass-roots level. Bookmakers, of course, contribute to both horse and greyhound racing via a levy but there is no system in place for layers to put money back into other sports they take bets on. Proposals, however, have stalled with the Association of British Bookmakers standing firm against the government’s stance that bookmakers have a moral duty to support other sports, claiming established layers haven’t been consulted before a decision was made. It will be interesting how much strength of will the government has on this issue with an election looming!

We have compiled a brief list of this weekends more eye-catching matches. This will include some of the biggest teams from around Europe and some key clashes from some of Europe’s biggest leagues. We will highlight if we have found any possible TV Coverage for a specific game but, if not, you could always try using websites such as; IraqGoals & Atdhe. They have a wide array of games on show throughout the course of the weekend, although, the quality will obviously not be the same as if you were watching it on your very own TV.

Liverpool Vs Manchester United: Sky Sports 1 (14:00 GMT)

West Ham United Vs Arsenal: Sky Sports 1 (16:15 GMT)

Marseille Vs Paris Saint Germain: (20:00 GMT)

Hertha Berlin Vs Wolfsburg: (14:30 GMT)

VFL Bochum Vs Werder Bremen: bWin Video (16:30 GMT)

Schalke Vs Hamburg: bWin Video (16:30 GMT)

AS Roma Vs Livorno: Betfair Live Video (14:00 GMT)

Siena Vs Juventus: Betfair Live Video (14:00 GMT)

Chievo Verona Vs AC Milan: Betfair Live Video (19:45 GMT)

Barcelona Vs Real Zaragoza: Sky Sports 1 (20:00 GNT)

AZ Alkmaar Vs Ajax (Dutch): (13:30 GMT)

Fenerbahce Vs Galatasaray (Turkey): (18:00 GMT)

Must Watch:- Liverpool V Manchester United

It didn’t take us too long to decide that a clash between arguably the countries two most bitterest rivals, yet most successful in the county, as our highlight for Sunday. Although this isn’t quite a derby fixture it might as well be for the fans as a loss hurts just as much as a defeat by Everton for Liverpool or a loss to Man City for United.

All the pressure will be on the hosts, Liverpool, due to their disastrous run-in which has seen them lose four games on the trot in all competitions, their worst run for over 30 years. However, a win over the Red Devils would put their recent ’setbacks’ pretty much to bed as it would hand the Liverpool fans all the bragging rights in what has to be the most eagerly anticipated Premiership fixture of the season, for every season for that matter.

Manchester United won’t get a better opportunity to get one over on a side that completed the league double over them last season, with the 4-1 spanking at Old Trafford a game that will live long in the memory for the all the wrong reasons as far as the United camp is concerned. Sir Alex Ferguson will set his side out to return the favour in a clash shown live on Sky Sports and we simply cannot wait for this game to kick off in what should be an electric atmosphere at Anfield. The arrival of a former cult hero in Michael Owen will make for one very hostile atmosphere and this is a natch which shouldn’t be missed for a second, from the pre-match build up all the way to the after match analysis.

Latest Match Odds:

Liverpool – 3.0 Bet365

Draw – 3.3 Boylesports

Manchester United – 2.5 BetFred

The Eurovision Song Contest has come an awful long way since the first time the continent’s budding lyricists first competed at Lugano in Switzerland in 1956. The UK has had its fair share of success, of course, from Sandie Shaw and Lulu in the Sixties through Brotherhood Of Man in the Seventies to Bucks Fizz in 1981. Katrina And The Waves were the country’s last winning act in 1997, however, and the omens aren’t good for this year’s entry, Jade Ewen. Despite the fact that her song, It’s My Time, has been co-written by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber the Londoner who, unlike many of her recent predeccessors, can actually sing will again not only be competing against the other acts but also Britain’s questionable standing in European politics, though it’s hoped the 21-year-old actor/singer can avoid the humiliation suffered by the likes of Jemini, Javine, Scooch and Andy Abraham in recent years. Naturally, her 23-1 quote on betfair doesn’t make much appeal. Belgium’s entry has been attracting plenty of media interest, however. Described as a poor man’s Buddy Holly tribute band, Copycat have the kind of simplistic novelty value that Eurovision viewers seem to like and they might be a decent bet at 19-1 on betfair to make the top four, despite having to survive a semi-final. Norway are currently the hot favourites to win in Moscow with many convinced the elfin-like Belarus-born Alexander Ryback will be in dreamland with his song Fairytale but at 15-8 (betfred and sportingbet) you ain’t going to get rich, though you might with a saver on Malta. It’s probably fair to say that some countries take Eurovision far more seriously than others and the tiny Mediterranean island can certainly be classed among the former. No Maltese entry has ever won the contest but it’s finished runner-up twice in recent years and the accomplished Chiara, just touched off when a well-backed favourite in Kiev in 2005, is back for another tilt at the big time with What If We. It’s a decent tune and, if the international juries have any musical taste, it should be in the running so betfair’s 31-1 should give you plenty to shout about in the voting which is, let’s face it, a lot more entertaining than the contest itself!

US gambling laws still forbid the use of betting exchanges but Betfair have assured themselves a head start on competitors should legislation be relaxed in the future with the $50million purchase of the Television Games Network. TVG, who had an extimated turnover of almost $500million in bets in 2007, hold a significant advantage over main rivals XpressBet, Youbet.com and Twin-Spires.com in the account-wagering market in that they also own a cable television franchise so are able to beam live racing into homes where armchair punters can bet directly into US racecourse tote pools. Betfair insist they have no prior knowledge that the new administration in Washington is looking favourably on a change in the law but the fact that executives at the betting exchange giants regard the capture of TVG as being on a par with the recent acquisition of Timeform suggests they expect the 16 states in which TVG operates to provide a valuable source of income in the years ahead.

There was a report published recently that almost one in ten adults in Britain now take form in some form of remote gambling on a fairly regular basis. Good news for bookmakers then – well not necessarily so! You see less than a quarter of that total were betting on sports (most were buying lottery tickets), while fewer than one per cent of the survey group admitted to having a bet on the exchanges which suggests the relaxation of advertising rules as regards to gambling hasn’t plunged the UK into a spiral of decadence just yet. If you did fancy a bet on the internet, one option was removed last week when Betdirect’s name finally disappeared off the radar. From February 4th, all Betdirect account customers were being redirected to sister company Stan James‘ website after the two firms had been trading side-by-side for 15 months. 

A Few Oddities.

How annoying can it get? Your team takes the lead and then throws it away. Maybe to lose or just to draw. Nevertheless it does happen quite often these days.
I find that it’s more likely to happen to an AWAY TEAM than a HOME TEAM.( However don’t let this put you off backing a home team). One team that springs to mind is Middlesborough. They seem to make a habit of it. So far this season, they’ve scored first in 10 games, but only won 5 of them. Man City are no better. Their record is identical.
In most major leagues, there is a small  number of who fit into this same category.

Obviously to take advantage of this happening you would need to be using a Betting Exchange (like Betfair) which has the game running "in play".

Once a goal is scored, the odds offered on both teams will change. Often dramatically. (I am amazed, at times, at the over re-action by punters when a goal is scored). Almost inevitably the team that has scored will now have odds below evens.
With the usual attention paid to recent and historical form, I feel sure that there is money to be made in this area.

The stats for teams who fail to score first can be used in a completely different manner. Let’s look at teams who have an indifferent record when it comes to taking a lead. With most teams, this will happen when they are playing away. Would you fancy a team in the bottom half of the league, away to a team in the top four, scoring first, when they only have a 25% record for scoring first. Surely a fine chance to punt on the, NEXT GOAL, being scored by the home team.
There are a few teams in each of the major European leagues who have records which cry out for you to back against them.
In Spain, OSASUNA have scored first in only 6% of their games. Italy’s Chievo, 18%. these are outstandingly bad records. However I would think any side with 30% or less, as first goal scorer, would  be a good bet, to concede first, especially when away from home.                               

Is it exclusive to the Premiership, or does the New Manager Syndrome work in any other leagues?              
‘Spurs brought in Harry Redknapp and almost instantly their fortunes took a big turn for the better. Sunderland parted company with Roy Keane and their two games since Ricky Sbragia took over, have yielded 8 goals and 6 points. Now we’ve seen Sam Allerdyce replace Paul Ince and immediately they reduce their negative goal difference by 3 goals. Not forgetting Newcastle United. Since they brought in Joe Kinnear, they’ve lost only 1 of their last 9 games.  "What is it that brings about such an upheaval in all known form?   Being a cynic of the highest order, I would think that any side being short of points should just get themselves a new manager. If only it was that easy tho’

I am assuming that you have a working knowledge of Betting Exchanges. If not, get in touch with us and I’ll put you in the picture. At  present Betdaq only charge 2% commision. You need to request this concession, via e-mail. This will run until the years end, at least. Better than Betfair’s 5%.

 
TRADING ON THE BETTING EXCHANGES

I would imagine that the favourite choice for most punters would be Home Win. And why not? Stats will show that it’s the most likely outcome of the three. Find a home team that  is on offer at 2.00 or more and you feel confident will score the first goal. Assuming your choice is a good one and you find your pick in the lead, you now have to make a decision. Stay with your choice or trade and give yourself a GREEN book. (This is a situation where you cannot lose money, no matter what the result). Your choice will depend on many things. Mainly, when the goal is scored. The earlier in the game when it happens, the more thought should be given to "trading out".
An alternative to trying to find a home to that you think will win, is to find one that has a good record of scoring an early goal. Then trade out when this happens.
 
A very popular "Trade" is Laying and the Backing the draw. Whilst very popular, it is fast losing it’s "edge".  
Very simply, you LAY the draw before the game starts, then when a goal is scored you BACK the draw. Sounds nice and simple. But is it?
Firstly you need a price of between 3.0 and 4.0 and then the favourite to score first, to get some kind of movement in the Back Odds. Even this is not guaranteed to happen to the extent usually required.
If the outsider scores first, the odds movement will usually be negligible, especially early in the game.
Then there is the big "bug-bear". A 0 – 0 draw. This is usually expected in around 8 – 10 % of games. Just paper-trial this method and see how often you can lose your bank. Some punters swear by this method but they must have their own criteria for finding qualifying games. Of course they’re not going to tell anyone this. Well they would lose that little edge that they have made for themselves.

Another popular Trade is under 2.5 goals. The idea being Back under 2.5 before the game starts, then  wait for the game to run for a short while and when you have an acceptable shift in price, trade out. The "bug-bear" here being one or more early goals. So be prepared for some nail-biting.

Many punters tend to find their own pet trading method. If you’re content to make a small but regular profit try "dutching" win and draw prices of the team of your choice, in what appears to be a close game. Then when your favoured team scores, LAY it. Meagre pickings I know but you have a green book. Also if it ends in a draw, you have two successful trades. The reverse of this is to LAY the unfancied side and when your fancied team scores Back the unfancied team. Again small pickings. You do however, always need a "GET OUT"  strategy for that very rare occasion when things go wrong.

BETTING EXCHANGES.
 
I could spend many hours describing Betting Exchanges and their many many good points and their very few bad ones. I will explain things to the best of my ability but should there be something I miss or which needs further explanation, do let me know.
 
Using the Betting Exchanges to place you bets, is by comparison to Betting Shops, the new kid on the block.
The concept is a little older than many people realise. BetEx was the first exchange about 8 years before Betfair. Betfair however, is the company that really started to get the bandwagon rolling. The brainchild of Andrew Black, aided and abetted by Edward Wray, Betfair started trading in 2000. The revolution had begun. Of course it didn’t take the detractors long to get their voices heard. "Unfair competition" , "it’ll never work", "they should be taxed the same as us". The voice of the hard-done by bookies. (Me included, at the time). All to no avail.

It did work, of course, and threw open a door to better pickings than offered by the bookmakers. (well 99% of the time, anyway). Betting with the exchanges will almost always give you a better crack of the whip, odds-wise. Not always the 20% that Betfair claim in their ads, but the difference will be there.
The beauty is that you’re pitting your wits and choices, against a fellow backer. Also if the price you think your selection should show at isn’t there, then you can request for it to be "offered". Provided you’re not asking for the moon, you’ll more than likely be matched.

There are around half a dozen exchanges, Betfair, Betdaq and WBX the three most favoured. If you take your betting seriously you should have accounts with at least  two of them. Having an account with an exchange will give you the ability to "chop and change" your strategies and, hopefully give you that "edge".

The biggest boost from the exchanges, is of course, the chance to back at the enhanced odds. Closely followed by being able to bet "in-play" on football matches.( Or in-running if you’re a gee-gee backer).                                  
There are of course other "goodies" to be had.  Back your team to win,  or if you have that  little doubt about them, back your opponents not to win, (i.e. LAY THEM), instead.  This is just the start. 
You can expect to see twenty, or sometimes more, markets on an "in-play" football match. There’s something there for everyone. Match odds, correct scores, half-time/full-time results, over/unders, ( a goal count bet) number of corners, etc etc. You name it, there’ll probably be a market to meet your needs. 

Of course, with football being a world-wide game, you’ll find coverage worldwide too. How exotic to be able to have a double on say, Flamenco of Brazil and Real Madrid. They’re there for the backing.

Ultimately, you’ll find yourself  with three choices. Back, lay or trade. The purists throw up their hands in horror when you mention trading, but there is good money to be made trading, especially if you can give yourself a "Green Book".  ( More about this later). The main thing to do when you decide to trade, is to find your strategy.  There are many bandied about but most have lost their "edge". Due too being aired too widely. Hence too small profit that was there has been eroded. "Too many cooks" springs to mind.                                                 
If you’re content with a small, but often, profit, then trading might just be your thing.  Many people who make a living from their betting are quite happy to make between 5 and 7 1/2%. I know it doesn’t sound a lot but do you know anybody who does even this well?
So finding a strategy to suit your needs is the first goal.                        

    What follows here is a short comparison with Betdaq and Betfair betting exchanges, based on my experiences.  I first started out with Betfair some years ago, then later I joined the Betdaq site.

   For small punters like myself there isn’t a great deal of difference between the two, I bet in US Dollars and the minimum on Betfair is US$4 per bet. This is a rule that Betfair sticks rigidly to, whereas Betdaq has a similar minimum but they don’t seem to reject bets of a lesser amount.  This Betdaq lenience allows me to bet on multiples if the fancy takes me, without racking up large $ bets. Also Betdaq has a much better facility for selecting multiples.

Overall my recommendation for fellow punters would be to have accounts on both sites, as sometimes the odds on offer can vary between them, allowing the reader to pick and choose.

Read more on Betfair or Betdaq in our Bookie reviews section.

Betfair is running a fantastic promotion for this Sunday’s Premiership football match Manchester United Vs Chelsea!

You could be over the moon if the first goal is from Roon

He ended an England goal drought of almost a year when he netted in the 4-1 win over Croatia last week. Now can Wayne Rooney net his first of the season for Manchester United? If he does – and it is the opener in Sunday’s massive clash at Chelsea, you could be in line for a refund.

If Rooney scores the first goal in the match between Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday 21^st September, Betfair will refund all losing Scorecast bets (up to a maximum of £100) for that match.

And to emphasise the ‘fair’ in Betfair, if Rooney is not on the pitch when the first goal is scored, Betfair will also refund all losing Scorecast bets (up to a maximum of £100) for that match.