online sports betting news

SportingBet are kicking off their Cheltenham festival horse racing betting, with a special refund promotion. The online bookmaker, who launch their Cheltenham Micro-site on Friday in anticipation of another great festival, will refund stakes if your horse falls during any race of the Cheltenham Festival. All of the racing action starts with the Supreme Novice hurdles on Tuesday, March 16th with all of the betting leaning towards unbeaten red hot favourite Dunguib. The Irish entrant is already a short price at 10/11 with SportingBet, with the main contender being Get Me Out Of Here, who is back at 11/2.

The SportingBet Cheltenham Micro-Site promises plenty of horse racing betting promotions for the Cheltenham festival, which of course culminates in the Gold Cup showdown on Friday between Denman (4/1) and Kauto Star (6/4). Along with great features, you will of course be able to get the best of the SportingBet horse racing prices, as well No Runner No Bet feature on all of the races. One of the biggest racing dates on the calendar, head on over to SportingBet to follow all of the action. SportingBet already provide great coverage on horse racing, including a radio service and a wonderful stats section.

Isn’t it funny how, sometimes, you develop an affinity with a venue or an event without really knowing why. Take this week’s WGC – CA Championship in Doral, Florida. The scenery in Miami is pleasant enough and the tournament has always attracted the world’s best players since its inception in 1999. But I can’t for the life of me think why I look forward to it so much every year! Maybe I once backed the winner at big odds. If I did, a repeat would be very welcome this week as I try to top up my punting fund for Cheltenham. I’m going to throw a few names at you now because all of the following are high on my shortlist on the Blue Monster course this week. Phil Mickelson (a general 9-1) is the defending champion and a regular top 10 finisher at the Doral Resort. He will play alongside Rory McIlroy (a general 25-1) in the opening two rounds and will make his presence felt again, The Ulsterman is the same price at Englishman Ian Poulter, winner of the WGC Match Play Championship in Arizona last month and now ranked fifth in the world, just behind Lee Westwood (also 25-1 with sportingbet and extrabet) this week and just ahead of another Englishman Paul Casey (18-1 with bet365 and extrabet). Australian Geoff Ogilvy, already a winner on the US Tour this year and the champion here in 2008, is another 25-1 chance that makes plenty of appeal and one also has to respect Jim Furyk, also a general 25-1 shot. Furyk, third here 12 months ago tied for second behind Ogilvy in 2008 and clearly feels at home on the course. The 39-year-old has only contested three tournaments so far this year but has made the top 25 in two of those and can be expected to up his game from now on. I’ll be making him my main wager but will also be having a few quid on Kenny Perry (widely availabe at 66-1) who’s another that goes well in Miami, and last week’s Honda Classic winner Camillo Villegas. The young Colombian, a general 18-1 chance, is the pin-up of the US Tour but is now beginning to show he’s a pretty hot player as well and he was only just beaten by Tiger Woods when a rookie here in 2006. A fourth tournament success can’t be far away.

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.

Carling Cup Betting often leans towards the underdog having their day in the sun at Wembley. Aston Villa start Sunday’s Carling Cup final as underdogs to Manchester United, and SportingBet are covering the event with a couple of great cash back promotions. Have a little extra coverage to back up your bets is great, and online Bookmaker SportingBet are stepping to the fore once against with two stake refund offers, one for lost First Goalscorer bets, and one for Correct Score bets.

The First Goalscorer refund will apply if Man Utd goal machine Wayne Rooney finds the back as last goalscorer, then all losing first goalscorer bets will be refunded. With the form Rooney is in, and pretty much being United’s sole source of goals, and with their penchant for popping up for late winners, this is a great promotion to jump on.

The Correct Score market refund will apply if Villa’s James Milner scores the last goal of the match. If the England World Cup hopeful buries the final goal and it messes up your correct score prediction, then SportingBet have you covered, as they will refund all lost stakes on the correct score market.

Will favourites United hang on the Carling Cup they won against Spurs last season? Can Villa top a great season for them, by creating an upset at Wembley. There is plenty of coverage on Sunday’s big match at SportingBet, and new account holders can get a £25 welcome bonus. Head on over to this excellent online bookmaker for your sports betting and check out the submarkets for the Wembley final, along with these fixed odds outright winner odds (for 90 minutes):

Manchester United to win: 3/4
Draw: 12/5
Aston Villa to win: 16/5

Nacarat’s demolition of a 20-strong field in last year’s Racing Post Chase at Kempton will live long in the memory and Tom George appears to have specifically prepared his charge for a repeat bid 12 months later. I’ll accept that the grey is closely matched with top weight Madison Du Berlais (9-1 with Victor Chandler) on their run together behind Kauto Star in the King George over the same course and distance in December but David Pipe’s gelding disappointed at Cheltenham next time and it remains to be seen if first-time blinkers instead of his usual cheekpieces will re-ignite his enthusiasm. Nacarat, on the other hand, has plenty going for him here not least the fact that Tony McCoy, on board for two of his three wins over fences in this country, is back in the saddle. This is a race in which the classier chasers towards the head of the handicap have dominated in recent years so Nacarat, set to carry 11st8lb, is firmly in the preferred weight range and may still be a bit of value at Paddy Power’s 4-1. There has also been support this week for Emma Lavelle’s Kilcrea Castle (into a general 6-1), who was third to The Sawyer over 2m6f at Ascot last month. But I can’t see any reason why he should overturn that form with runner-up Miss Mitch, despite having a slight turnaround in the weights. The Alners’ mare has never won over 3m under rules but she gives every indication the extra distance won’t worry her and looks a cast-iron each-way alternative at 7-1 with sportingbet. With Paul Nicholls‘ Fistral Beach (6-1 with William Hill) set to race from out of the handicap proper, the pick of the lightweights may be Oedipe. He was only 10th in this last year but was much more like his old self when fourth on his belated reappearance at Sandown earlier this month and is now dangerously well handicapped on the form he showed when landing a valuable handicap at Aintree in April 2008. Providing he doesn’t get too far behind in the early stages, a small each-way saver at a general 14-1 could reap some reward.

The weights for the John Smith’s Grand National in April were published this week and, as always, they’ve invoked optimism and disappointment in equal measure. Trainers who have been pleasantly surprised by the weight their charges have been allotted are usually, understandably, coy about revealing their feelings but those who feel the handicapper have served them an injustice are never slow in letting those involved know about it! One such is Mouse Morris, who has all but already ruled out former Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition (quoted at 20-1 by Blue Square and 888sport) telling the Racing Post he was, "more than a bit baffled and very disappointed" having been given 11st1lb. Former winners Mon Mome (33-1 with Stan James), Comply Or Die (a general 25-1) and Silver Birch (a general 50-1) remain on track for the big race, however, as do Tricky Trickster and Niche Market, first and second in Newbury’s Aon Chase. The former heads the early ante-post market at a general 12-1, while the latter can be backed at a general 16-1 along with Dessie Hughes‘ Irish raiders Vic Venturi and Black Apalachi, first and second in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and both already winners over the Grand National fences. Coral will give you odds of 2-1 that an Irish horse wins the race again in 2010 and another interesting runner from the Emerald Isle could be Willie Mullins’ Arbor Supreme. Successful in long-distance chases at Punchestown and Fairyhouse in 2008 and usually at his best in the spring, the eight-year-old has been lightly campaigned this season and  is by no means overburdened with 10st8lbs. He can be backed at 40-1 with sportingbet, Coral and William Hill. Big Fella Thanks (20-1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill) looks to be the number one hope of the powerful Paul Nicholls yard but I like the early look of Character Building at 33-1 with Victor Chandler, Ladbrokes and William Hill. John Quinn’s grey, winner of last season’s Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, proved his stamina when runner-up in the 4m National Hunt Chase when only a seven-year-old and looks to have been campaigned with an Aintree bid in mind this term.

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.

What is patently obvious, looking at the stats of this week’s Totesport Trophy at Newbury, is that anything trained by either Nicky Henderson or Gary Moore deserves the utmost respect. Henderson saddles four in this year’s renewal of the UK’s most valuable handicap hurdle with stable jockey Barry Geraghty partnering Spirit River, an impressive winner on his latest outing at Cheltenham in December. Spirit River (a general 7-1) has only had five career starts to date so is probably open to more improvement than most and it’s easy to see why he currently heads the market. Stablemate Fairyland (22-1 with sportingbet) is also an interesting runner, however, in that she’s a recent C&D winner (beat Frontier Dancer here last time) and stays further than this 2m, a valuable asset to possess in a race which is always run at a tremendous pace. But I think the Moore yard has tremendous prospects of landing a third consecutive Totesport Trophy via Harry Tricker. The six-year-old displayed a tremendous turn of foot to beat an in-form Zabeel Palace at Sandown in November before splitting Champion Hurdle prospect Khyber Kim and subsequent Grade 2 winner Medermit in the prestigious Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham shortly after. The handicapper saw fit to raise Harry Tricker (8-1 with Ladbrokes, Betfred and on betfair) 12lbs for that but regular jockey Andrew Glassonbury reduces that burden by 3lb and this appears to have been his target for a while. Given luck in running, Harry Tricker’s speed could be the deciding factor in this. Other contenders to watch out for include the novice Manyriverstocross (11-1 with Stan James and Coral) whom Alan King rates highly. He was a decent stayer on the flat and has carried that form into his hurdling career though he weakened quickly over a longer distance here last time, and Mamlook (a general 9-1 chance). The latter won a shade cosily at Ascot last month after travelling strongly throughout but he isn’t that big and there’s a chance he may get bullied in this big field over a trip that is probably on the sharp side for him nowadays and punters have been preferring stablemate Ronaldo Des Mottes (10-1 on Coral and sportingbet) so far. Takeroc (11-1 with Coral) has proved popular with punters since it was announced he was to be partnered by Ruby Walsh but he hasn’t shown enough over hurdles for me to warrant his price and neither has Tony McCoy’s mount Get Me Out Of Here, 8-1 with bet365 and Stan James, who may be unbeaten but has never met opposition of this calibre before. Songe (a general 40-1) has reportedly been rejuvenated by a soft palate operation and is well treated on his best form. If the ground turned really heavy he would be of real interest and certainly makes more appeal as an each-way investment than some at much shorter odds.

SportingBet are back with their pretty awesome monthly stake race. After successfully running all last year, the competition, which rewards punters with free bets amongst other things, is back to enjoy! Not only are there free bets up for grabs from this great online bookmaker, there are also some great prizes to get your hands on. The best in technology gadgets from TV’s to laptops and handy-cams can be won with SportingBet, along with tickets to go and see Premier League matches. This is a wonderful way to get extra rewards from hopefully your successful betting with SportingBet.

Entry into the draws could not be any simpler. Whenever you put a pound on a selection from SportingBet’s great sports book, you would normally earn a point towards the draw. However, the ante has been upped by the bookmaker, and punters can earn extra bonus points for every single pound which is put on a multiple bet which is a double or above! It all works on a sliding scale, so, for a single £1 bet, you earn yourself one point. For a double, you’ll earn yourself two points, for a treble three points and so on. The top 150 people who have accumulated the most points, will be rewarded at the end of the month.

So, even if you have missed out on the first couple of days of February, you can easily catch up and make up some ground on the leaders, by playing multiples. SportingBet are one of the leaders when it comes to offering bonuses on their sports book markets and in other areas of their excellent online bookmaking service. It will also be a great time to take full advantage of their most generous welcome offer of a free £50 matched deposit. Yes, just sign up for a new account, and make at least a minimum of a £10 deposit, and SportingBet will match that total up to a value of £50.

Explore the SportingBet website for yourself and you will find plenty of ways to be rewarded, and ways to add a little extra incentive of some of your bets. There are good Live In-Play services to enjoy, as well an extensive sports book. With plenty of horse racing to look forward to, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the not too distant future, as well as the kick off of the 2010 Six Nations on the weekend, getting on board with SportingBet as early as you can during the month of February, will help your chances of getting on the winner’s board in their February Stakes Race. Free bets and potentially tickets to the Premier League await you!

Check out online bookmakers SportingBet for some great bonuses on the weekend’s football action. With the big game of the weekend taking place on Sunday at the Emirates between Arsenal v Manchester United, this is a great chance to back up your bets with some great offers from one of the leading online bookmakers. Games between Arsenal and Manchester United are usually feisty affairs, with a long history of rivalry between the two teams, and there’s usually a war of words between the two managers Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson. This is the added spice which can lead to strong tackling and desperate challenges.

Fortunately SportingBet offer “Red Card Refunds”, which means that if there is a red card flashed by the Ref, then all losing bets on any 90 minute market will be refunded. SportingBet’s Red Card Refund applies to all Premier League matches over the weekend. This is a wonderful bit of added security for those big rivalry matches.

If you are a fan of the Accumulator Bet, then SportingBet’s Accumulator Refund could be your best friend. This offers some consolation for those Accumulators of yours which fall agonisingly short. If your accumulator on the weekend’s football (the accumulator must have a minimum of 5 legs) loses by just one leg of the bet, then SportingBet will soften the blow by refunding your stake. This is a great deal to take advantage of, as sometimes the unexpected does happen to ruin what looks like a dead cert Accumulator.

Visit SportingBet’s excellent online sports betting service, and you will find plenty of bonuses and promotions to keep you happy in your betting. All of this is made all the much better by the fact that SportingBet offer a superbly generous free £50 welcome offer. Just deposit a minimum of £10 in your new account, and SportingBet will match that initial deposit, up to the value of £50.