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I must admit, I’m still basking a little in the glory of picking out Jenson Button and Brawn GP for success in last year’s Formula One Championship. Alas, I can’t promise you 9-1 and 8-1 winners in the Drivers’ and Constructors’ title races this season but I still think there’s a bit of value to be had in the ante-post markets ahead of this week’s opening GP in Bahrain. For once, there’s been plenty to capture the imagination during the close season, not least Michael Schumacher’s return to the cockpit. The German rightly demands iconic status having won more Grand Prix and F1 World Championships than any other driver in history. One does have to question, however, how much hunger he still has after three years spent testing motorbikes and acting as an advisior for Ferrari. Considering his close relationship with the Italian giants it is also strange that he’s making his comeback with Mercedes. The fact that the innovative Ross Brawn is now chief designer at Mercedes will have heavily influenced Schumacher’s decision to return but I fear the physical strain of a long GP season may be too much for the 41-year-old and would willingly lay boylesports, extrabet and sportingbet’s 13-2 about him making a fairytale comeback to the Drivers’ Championship. Then, of course, there’s the battle of the Britons at McLaren. If Lewis Hamilton is feeling any signs of insecurity about having the current world champion join him at Woking, he certainly isn’t showing it. For the second year in a row, McLaren will have the number one driver in their ranks but, no matter how much practice he’s undergone, it’s going to take a few hours race time for Jenson Button to get the feel of his new car and that’s where Hamilton may hold the edge over his compatriot. The 2008 champion finished last season with a flourish and can carry that momentum forward to this campaign so bwin’s 9-2 is sure to attract support as oppose to Button’s widely available 14-1 quote for back-to-back titles. As always, of course, Ferrari will be competitive. Fernando Alonso is the ante-post favourite (a best 11-4) to bring home the title in his first season in the famous red car but it remains to be seen how the confidence of Felipe Massa (9-1 with bet365, skybet and sportingbet) has been affected by his horrific crash last year and Ferrari are worth opposing in the Constructors’ Championship (2-1 with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes) on that score. How about a punt on Red Bull in that market? There have been early signs this year that Renault have finally developed an engine to match Ferrari and McLaren and new regulations, which have effectively slowed down the cars, may well play into their hands this season. Australian Mark Webber (20-1 on betfair) broke his duck in F1 in Germany last year and is sure to make his presence felt again this time around but their number one driver looks to be rising star Sebastian Vettel, who pushed Button all the way last year and must surely go close again in 2010 with a stronger start. My money will be on the young German at 5-1 with boylesports. His team are priced at 10-3 with the same firm to win the Constructors’ Championship.

Kathryn Bigelow was divorced from James Cameron in 1991. They continued to work together, however, Bigelow directing Strange Days in 1995 to Cameron’s script and, according to Hollywood sources, remain good friends. Cameron, director of Titanic and the Alien franchise, may have to swallow a little pride however if, as expected, his sci-fi epic Avatar is pipped at the post by Bigelow’s powerful Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker for the Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. The Hurt Locker’s budget pales into insignificance alongside the $300million splashed out on Avatar, but Bigelow’s film about US bomb disposal teams has hit all the right notes with critics whereas Cameron’s spectacular animated yarn has been more popular with cinema-goers, who nowadays seem to prefer adventure to gritty drama. The Hurt Locker (evens with bwin) wiped the floor with its likely chief rival at the Baftas, which are usually a decent guide to how the voting will go in Hollywood, but Avatar remains popular with punters who think the’blue’ movie will come out on top this week and it’s now no bigger than 5-4 (bet365 and betfred) to scoop the Best Film award. Whatever her fate in this section, however, Bigelow will surely win the Best Director award for which she is best 1-4 (victor chandler, Paddy Power, bwin). Colin Firth earned rave reviews for his performance in A Single Man but can be backed at 18-1 on betfair to be handed the Best Actor award with most pundits predicting Jeff Bridges already has that category sewn up with his portrayal of a fading country and western singer in Crazy Heart (Bridges‘ best price is 1-6), while the Brits may also be left out in the cold in the Best Actress category. Both Dame Helen Mirren (66-1 with Coral) and relative newcomer Carey Mulligan (12-1 with bwin) have been nominated but face Hollywood big guns Sandra Bullock (4-6 with betfred, blue square and 888sport) and Meryl Streep (a general 2-1). I must admit, I thought Streep, who last won an Oscar in the early 80s, was brilliantly funny as chef Julia Childs in Julie And Julia, almost funny enough to make me forgive her for Mamma Mia, and she’d be my choice ahead of Mulligan, who still has a big future in the movie business if her early work is an indicator.

Back in 2006, there were strong rumours that Ladbrokes were about to buy out 888 Holdings. Then chief executive Chris Bell was even reported to have flown out to Israel to thrash out a deal with 888’s founders Avi and Aharon Shaked. Uncertainty in the market and a steep asking price were rumoured to be the reason that nothing materialised on that occasion but now, it appears, a tie-up is very much back on the cards. 888 Holdings chief executive Gigi Levy, a former high-flier with software and systems providers Amdocs, is keen to expand his company’s portfolio and there is speculation that as much as £60million could be made available if a mutually-profitable deal can be thrashed out. Ladbrokes, of course, recently became the latest British bookmaker to move their sportsbook operation to Gibraltar in a bid to reduce the impact of the horse racing levy. But shareholders still had to stump up an estimated £275million last year in a new rights issue to help shrink the company’s considerable debts and a merger is viewed by some of the country’s leading business analysts as the only way Ladbrokes can contemplate long-term stability without significantly reducing their overheads. Another possible deal on the horizon in 2010 is a merger between PartyGaming and Bwin. Again, this is a rumour that’s being revived from 2006 but there is a deal of substance to this one. PartyGaming are big players in the world of online poker and casino and the purchase of bingo specialists Cashcade means they can now move forward in that area too. But the remain relative small fry in the field of sports betting in comparison to some. A share in Austria-based Bwin would give them a considerably larger stake in the sports betting market and could be the fore-runner of more mergers this year as online layers attempt to stabilise the market. Bwin, incidentally, recently bought out Italian gaming site Gioco Digitale for around £80million and are others reportedly interested in acquiring a share in 888 Holdings with the possibility of a bid for Sportingbet also on the cards.

The new Super League season is upon us and that must mean that summer is just around the corner! But before you dig out the sleeveless tops from the back of your wardrobe and iron those floral bermuda shorts that don’t look good anywhere but on the beach at Ayia Napa, how about setting about funding your holiday by lumping on the Leeds Rhinos with bwin to finish top of the regular season. The Austrian-based bookmakers, who are offering a matched bet up to £30 for new customers, are relatively new kids on the UK block and, as such, may be trying to establish themselves in the market by putting up one or two giveaways in the weeks ahead. That certainly seems to be the case with offering 11-10 against the Rhinos finishing top of the pile again (most of their rivals are going odds-on!) and this price should be snapped up before it inevitably disappears. Leeds arguably still have a little way to go before emulating Wigan’s exploits in the 1990s but there is no disputing their current dominance of the domestic scene. Last October, they completed a hat-trick of Grand Final wins and coach Brian McClennan is confident that a fourth will follow in 2010, despite the loss of Lee Smith to rugby union. Kiwi Greg Eastwood will enhance the Rhinos‘ options, while Aussie centre Brett Delaney with prove an able replacement for Smith. In addition, former Kangaroos captain Danny Buderus is fit again and, with big things expected of youngsters like Kallum Watkins this term, it’s difficult to see where the champions have a weakness. They are 13-10 with sportingbet for another Grand Final win. St Helens, beaten finalists in last year’s Grand Final and top of the regular season in five of the last seven seasons, should again be among their closest challengers. But the loss of Sean Long and Lee Gilmour could take a while to recover from and some of the Saints‘ promising youngsters are going to have to come of age pretty rapidly. Given those facts the 7-2 offered by skybet, sportingbet and Stan James to top the regular season isn’t that attractive. Warrington won the Challenge Cup last year but are perennial under-achievers when it comes to the league so the general 12-1 makes little appeal but the team they beat at Wembley, Huddersfield Giants, might be worth a little each-way interest at a general 14-1 as they look to have recruited wisely over the winter. They shouldn’t be as big as Wigan (Ladbrokes) who may remain maddeningly inconsistent for a while longer until new coach Michael Maguire settles into the role.

For fans of European football, Bwin delivers live action from the German Bundesliga, straight to your computer via their live streaming service. The German Bundesliga often doesn’t get the same hype as the Spanish, English and Italian counterparts, but in many circles, it is regarded as being the toughest league in Europe. The league hosts some enormous sporting arenas, with intense atmospheres and top quality football. Whether you are a seasoned fan of top flight German football, or whether you are a newcomer, having had your interest piqued by appearances in the Champions League by Bayern Munich and defending Champions Wolfsburg, you can follow the action with Bwin.

Online Bookmaker Bwin offer live streaming services of the German Bundesliga, and the streams are free as long as you have some funds in your Bwin account. Bwin provide a great online sports betting service, as well as providing plenty of bonuses and rewards for their customers. Their sports book is great, very extensive and the process of betting is very clear and straight forward. As you can watch the Bundesliga live, and get all the benefits of Live In-Play betting while you are at it, let’s take a look at some forthcoming Bwin Bundesliga Betting.

While Champions Wolfsburg are languishing down in mid table, there is quite a close race at the top of the Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen lead the way from Schalke 04, with Bayern Munich, HSV and Dortmund in hot pursuit. This weekend sees two important games near the top of the league, with sixth placed Werder Bremen taking on third placed Bayern, and fourth placed HSV hosting fifth placed Dortmund. Everything is close in the top five, that this could a pivotal weekend in how the league will pan out. Dortmund do have the services of Lucas Barrios to call upon, who is the league’s joint top scorer with Schalke’s Kevin Kuranyi. Wolfsburg’s deadly Dzeko, who is apparently being head hunted by Chelsea, if his agent is to be believed, is having another highly productive season, but it is Stefan Kiebling of Bayer Leverkusen who is three goals out in front of the pack.

Werder Bremen to win: 3.25
Draw: 3.25
Bayern Munch to win: 2.15

The last time these two met back in August 09, it produced a 1-1 draw. Indeed, looking at Bwin’s excellent stats service, three out of the last four matches played in the Bundesliga between the sides have ended in a draw. That may influence your betting a bit, and Bayern have a 56% Over 2.5 Goals record this season.

Borussia Dortmund to win: 2.50
Draw: 3.20
Hamburger SV to win: 2.70

Dortmund will be looking for a littler revenge, as they were hammered 4-1 by HSV last August. Dortmund were languishing down in 15th place after a very poor start to the season, but have since gone on a very steep climb in form, and are now challenging from fifth position. Hamburger SV on the other hand, started all guns a-blazing, leading the league for a few weeks, but than dropped back to hover around 4th and 5th position. This is exactly the kind of super useful information that Bwin’s great individual game statistics can provide you.

Bundelisga Outright Winner – (by current league position). Points in brackets – all teams having played 18 games.
1st Bayer Leverkusen (38 pts) – 7/2
2nd Schalke (37 pts) – 6/1
3rd Bayern Munich (36 pts) – 7/10
4th Hamburg (34 pts) – 6/1
5th Borussia Dortmund (33 pts) – 25/1
6th Werder Bremen (28 pts) – 35/1

So head on over to Bwin and you can enjoy some thrilling Bundesliga action this coming weekend. There is still time to join up and get some funds into your account, once that is done, you will be able to enjoy the free streams, as well as having a flutter on the Live In Play betting. AS well as getting superb advantages with the b’inside program, in which you collect points to redeem on things like free lottery entries, free bets and exclusive merchandise, you can also earn yourself a 100% first deposit bonus. This will be up to £25 worth of a matched deposit when you open a new account. Just follow the exclusive link from here and you will be able to enjoy this wonderful extra benefit. Check out the full terms and conditions on their site, and get involved with the big German crowds, and the big German football action with Bwin.

Bwin offer a sleek website as a portal to the world of online betting. The black colour base on the website, helps give their image a strong, professional appearance. Their home page gives you the options to jump straight to your preferred section, so if you want to skip past the sports book and go straight to the poker or casino areas, then you can. Of course, the sports book itself is where online bookmakers really want to attract punters to, and Bwin do a great job of making sure that everyone’s taste and needs are catered to.

Going straight to Bwin’s sports book, you are presented with a very well laid out page, with the main sports listed on the left, and updated scores and live in-play information on the right. Slap bang in the middle of this columns is the main body of your betting experience with Bwin. All of the current major announcements are made here in the highlights section, and allows you to pounce on attractive looking betting action. One interesting section is their Bet of the Day, where you can see the percentage of what money is going on a particular bet. For example, the Boxing Day Premier League match between Chelsea and Birmingham, shows that 94% of all bets have gone on a win for Chelsea. From this page, you can also jump on last minute bets, and the other top bets of the day.

If you have confidence in the popular Top 5 bets with Bwin, then you can take advantage of their Bestseller Multi, and just one click of a button will bring up their top 5 bets, as they will be added immediately to your betting slip. You can adjust and deselect any that you are not interested in, or change the amount of stake that you are putting forth. This is quick and easy way to try and earn yourself some winnings, being guided by what other punters are going for. The sports book is wide-ranging, with nearly 40 main sports listed on Bwin, and the total amount of bets currently available at top of the directory, shows you just how much choice you have.

One exceptional thing which Bwin does provide, is great statistical and form information to back up the individual bets. With a click on the stats bar for the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils, up comes a list of previous results for each team, and within each result, you can go and look at it in even more detail. When you do enter into a sporting market, you will have the opportunity to filter your search even more by type of bet. For example, with the Ice Hockey section, there are 3Way bets, Period bets, Totals and 1st to Happen and many more choices alongside the outright winner markets. Filtering Ice Hockey down to Outright Winner, a bet was found for Canada to win the U20 World Championships at 2.05, which is an excellent bet.

If you are awaiting the next horse racing fixture card to come up, you can always entertain yourself with their virtual racing. Along with the virtual horse racing, Bwin has an extensive games section at which you can also try your luck at. From Backgammon to fortune games, from card games, virtual sports and an arcade and slots, there is something for everyone. Account holders also have the opportunity to try out Bwin’s skill games for free, just so you hone your skill before jumping in. Bwin also stream live sporting events, which are available to account holders with desposited funds.

Bwin’s B’inside is a rewards program, is another string to their bow, and here you can earn and spend points. Once you have decided to participate in their membership programme, you can earn points when you make regular wagers, play poker or take part in their excellent casino. All you need to do when you have accumulated points, is head over to their market and spend them on lotteries, poker tournament entries or even real money packages. You can also get your hands on exclusive Bwin merchandise. Just follow our exclusive link to join up with Bwin, and you will be able to enjoy a professional and secure online betting experience.

Step into Bwin’s world of online bookmaking and you will be greeted with a service and website that looks and feels great. Confidence in a bookmaker is everything of course when gambling, and Bwin take strides to look after their punters. With incredible help services to guide you through the process of making the most of your betting experience, Bwin has thrown the kitchen sink at making their site accessible, sleek and enjoyable to use.

Their b’inside service offers members a chance to build up reward points, which can be redeemed in different ways. They have two forms of points, Market Points, which can be used as cost against lottiries, entry into tournaments, or Real Money Packages. As you accumulate points, you also build up your status with b’inside which will lead you onto to even more rewards. B’inside also have a store where you can use your market points against exclusive products. Points are earned by simply placing bets, playing poker or other games on their site. The more you do, the more you gain.

Bwin host over 30,000 bets every day and over 90 sports are covered by their extensive sports book. Jumping into their poker tables, you should always find a table ready with participants, which will allow you to bring that bit of Vegas into your home. The home page explodes with special offers in different sections of their site, and the main headline banner will take you to the sports betting section. With deep level bets on popular markets such as soccer, cricket and rugby, all the major sports and a whole host of minor ones are very well represented.

To top it all, Bwin offer the incentive of a free matched bet for new customers, up to the value of £30. Follow us to Bwin for this exclusive offer, an deposit a minimum of £10, and Bwin will, within 10 days, double your initial deposit up to £30. It is a nice bonus for signing up with a professional, online bookmaker. Whether it is skill games, poker, casino games, or taking advantage of the many bets in their sports book, keep up to date with Bwin and build up your own rewards.

A 100% betting bonus is available for people registering for the first time at Bwin, the online Bookmaker which offers extensive coverage on worldwide sporting markets. The thrilling world of gambling can be enjoyed with the site, and what can make it even more enjoyable is the fact that you can enjoy placing wagers with free betting money. Bwin offer you the chance to get your initial deposit in a new account matched.

When you sign up for a new account with Bwin, the first deposit that you make to your account, will be matched by the online bookmaker, up to the maximum of EUR 30 (which is the equivalent of about £25). The initial deposit has to be at least EUR 10, and it needs to be made within 10 days from the day of opening your new account.

There are plenty of ways to deposit money with Bwin, and as long as that first deposit meets the qualifying minimum, your account will be credited within a day of it having been made. New customers have until just before midnight on December 31st, 2009 to make the most of this generous online offer. Visit Bwin and check out the terms and conditions to take advantage of all that Bwin has to offer.

If you are looking for more good reasons to open an account with Bwin, then you will have access to over 30,000 different betting opportunities to chose from every day, and the site is easily navigatable and looks great on-screen. Along with their live betting in play and also the chance to catch video streams of action, you are well looked after with Bwin. Throw in a comprehensive casino, games, and the chance to build up market and status points with the Bookie, which can be redeemed for products at the Bwin store.

bwin will be rolling out a new live betting (in-play) interface on 30th January, enlisting innovative technologies to give customers an even more intense live experience. The launch is scheduled to coincide with the start of the second half of the German Bundesliga.

bwin, the world’s leading provider of online gaming entertainment, is once again rising to the occasion and trailblazing new standards with its improved technology for live bets, propelling its customers into a new entertainment era of live betting. “With its new offering, bwin is demonstrating its lead, pushing the limits of what is technologically feasible. We specifically harnessed the power of the Web 2.0 generation in order to offer our customers a live betting experience they have never seen before, says Co-CEO Manfred Bodner about the innovation.

Thanks to the enhanced video quality in a larger format and the versatile betting interface at bwin, customers will enjoy a more intense live betting experience than ever before. Users will be able to arrange their favourite events just as they like. They can bring ongoing bets and the relevant game stats to the front and hide them again whenever they wish to concentrate on the game. What’s more, users will get to move Multi (parlay) bets right into the middle of the screen or enlarge and reduce the chat window as needed. Quick access for customers and the intuitive betting procedure will remain unchanged. bwin offers up to 150 different live events in over 40 sports daily.

VIP tickets for FC Bayern Munich
Along with the product launch, bwin will be raffling off VIP tickets for an FC Bayern Munich match and an exclusive stadium tour of the Allianz Arena among all bwin customers who wager more than EUR 3 on a match of the first German Bundesliga.

Outside of Germany, bwin holds the live streaming rights worldwide for all German Bundesliga games. Since 2008, bwin has been premium partner to FC Bayern Munich. “What we share with bwin is the absolute will to win and our aim to be the Number 1. Like no other provider of live bets, bwin has successfully tied up the nature of football with the thrill of betting, offering customers an experience that has never been seen before, says club manager Uli Hoeness. Besides collaborating with the German record champions, bwin also promotes football on an international scale, acting as sponsor of leading clubs such as AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Since 2 days we at www.online-betting.me.uk can offer you an exclusive €30 first deposit bonus for bwin. You can find the details on our bwin bonus page or read more about bwin in our bwin review.

bwin launched its Bulgarian website on October 2nd, rounding out its
portfolio to 22 languages.

The localization of the bwin website extends beyond merely the language: it also includes a localized betting offer, local payment partners, and editorial content customised for the Bulgarian market. “We are delighted to have coloured one of the last blank areas of the European Union in the bwin colours. Bulgarian customers have already been able to enjoy
our products, only so far everything was in a foreign language for them. Now that the full customisation for Bulgaria is completed, we are looking forward to appealing to a broader audience in this promising market,” says Kevin O’Neal, Press Officer at bwin.