Sport is made for betting

More and more evidence is coming to light in the wake of the NotW scandal. GamblerFalls' blog points out that Shahid Afridi warned team management of the characters involved getting too close to the team. And naturally, what did team management do? Put their heads in the sand and ignore it.... The evidence is pretty damning now. I'd be really pissed off if I was boss of a ground about to host a T20 or an ODI in the next couple of weeks. Ticket sales are going to be screwed unless they are already sold. All that effort going into securing an international match, hoping for it to fill the coffers and keep the business ticking over - all gone now.

If the Pakistan spot-fixing allegations prove to be true, then there should be massive implications for the game worldwide. Players will no doubt argue it was supposed to be innocent and not affecting the result of the match, which as alluded to here is complete rubbish. The ICC have a full-txime anti-corruption unit who take particular interest in matches involving India or Pakistan, simply because of their closeness to the underground betting markets. Part of the programme is lecturing every player about the dangers of gambling and being involved with shady parties - not just match-fixing but any form of betting on a match, including spot-fixing. The spot-fixing events in the Lord's Test are alleged to have been a precursor to bigger fixes, most likely a thrown game in the ODIs. The no-balls were used to show the 'fixer' had the players in his pocket and they were able to be bought. This is where it will get political, as can only happen with the ICC. The traditional...

News breaking tonight of another betting scandal involving the Pakistan cricket team and the News of the World, an English tabloid newspaper. A middle-man is alleged to have arranged no-balls at specific times in the England first innings in the current Test match at Lord's, in return for substantial amounts of money. The no-balls in question bowled by Mohammed Amir were not even close, at least a foot over, which is curious, the one for Mohammed Asif wasn't so blatant. But is it as clear-cut as it seems? For me, it sounds too perfect. Pakistan are easy targets - they don't have a great reputation for integrity, and linking it to illegal bookmakers on the sub-continent is the perfect modus operandi as they have no licence or audit trail. People say that millions get bet on this stuff, despite all sorts of previous allegations about these markets, but there's nowhere to prove it is true or not. Was the evidence shown to anyone before the event, or did it only emerge co...

A lot of this is bookies boosting their own PR but obviously there is some substance behind it. Any time someone knows the answer before the official announcements are made (Academy Awards, Big Brother etc), then there is always a risk of insider trading. Montgomerie 'on guard' to ensure no Ryder Cup betting coup Gambling fears prompts Europe captain to be wary of telling wildcard contenders decision ahead of announcement. As if Colin Montgomerie hasn't enough to think about in this run-up to making his three picks, the Ryder Cup captain must also be wary of a betting scam staged by "unscrupulous insiders". A source inside the European Tour yesterday revealed the Scot will be "on his guard" to ensure his selections do not leak out before his team announcement here on Sunday night. Montgomerie has said he plans to speak to all the wild-card contenders before the official unveiling, meaning many would inevitably learn of his decision while ...

In a move which blatantly only serves to protect the incumbent land-based operators rather than act as social policy, the Gauteng Gambling Board has banned all online gambling (defined as casino operations) throughout South Africa. Note the name of the spokeperson quoted below.... Online gambling banned in South Africa It is now illegal to gamble using digital products in South Africa, the Gauteng Gambling Board said after a Friday court ruling. The judgement on the jurisdiction of online gambling transactions in the country was handed down by the North Gauteng High Court on August 20. This means that online gambling operators in South Africa and players will be in contravention of the law, and according to Business Day , could face a fine of R10-million or 10 years in jail, or both. According to the Gauteng Gambling Board's head of legal services, Lucky Lukhwareni, online casinos are now liable for prosecution. How could anyone take a person named Lu...

More moans in today's Racing Post from people complaining about a stack of non-runners this week, naturally blaming the 48hr declarations rule for Flat racing. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact it pissed down rain overnight or throughout those days! 48hrs gives punters and bookmakers time to do the form properly, rather than just a mad rush on race morning. The Racing Post published historical letters of complaint from when the rule went from 48 to 24hrs a few decades ago - people complained then too! Also in today's Racing Post, on the same page in fact was a piece about how some trainers have been abusing self-certification (being able to declare a horse unfit themselves rather than paying for a vet) and how the BHA is trying to crack down on it. This is a significant factor which clouds any data about 48hr decs and the number of non-runners. In my opinion, the biggest problem with 48hr decs is that it doesn't go far enough. It's like having a player draft...

You always have to wonder where the liquidity for the other exchanges comes from, there's such a big gap between Betfair and the others. Here's a prime example today that the chasing pack just link it all to Betfair via bots and bowler (beard) accounts. Women's US Open market, as shown on Oddschecker. Someone has taken the bigger prices on Li Na, crunching her down to 3.55, showing no depth in the market behind the 55-70 odds taken. Amazingly, Betdaq and WBX can only offer such a ridiculous price as well..... what a coincidence!

Lydia Hislop sinks the boots further into the beleaguered Nic Coward of the BHA in this excellent piece from The Guardian. Plaudits for the paper too, for either having very astute commenters, or maintaining a very high standard of comments they accept - they all make perfect sense! Cheers to Mark Davies for pointing this story out.

then be prepared for a new onslaught of Betfair advertising.... Betfair set to launch new ads According to online wagering firm Betfair's marketing team the latest advertising campaign is the largest the company has ever launched. Due to hit the airwaves in late August the advertising spots will run across the United Kingdom and Europe with the intent being to increase the customer base of three million that Betfair claims. A social media online advance will also be part of the globally comprehensive advert package. Created by Albion the campaign is directed at consumers who are encouraged to 'cut out the middle man'. Jason Goodman, Albion London's chief executive officer, commented, "The betting industry is extremely competitive but Betfair's peer-to-peer exchange model makes the brand unique. It's this factor that Albion wanted to bring to life. Goodman went on to say, "In encouraging punters to 'cut out the middleman', this campaign us...

As is the nature of blogging, a lot of folks give up fairly quickly because they get bored, go broke betting or go insane having to rely on useless ISPs like BT. Hopefully those who have given up have only done so because of boredom rather than distressing circumstances. So I've gone through my blogroll, added a few new ones and cleaned out many of the stagnant ones. A message to those I have kept on - keep on posting, or you'll get dropped off as well! :)

Time and time again in Ireland, horses are allowed to start after breaking the gates and running a lap of the course (and then being so worked up that they have zero chance of winning the race). Their other massive blunder is starting the race when a horse is playing up in the gates. In the 6:50 tonight at Roscommon, The Silver Crown was unruly in the barriers, and was obvious for all to see. Barrier attendants went to the horse, the jockey was off the horse and needed time to get back onto the horse and into the irons. The moron who is paid to start the race pressed the button to open the gates before the jockey had even got his feet back in the irons. He was no more than 10m away from the horse in question, no excuse for not seeing it, and punters have been robbed blind as the horse is declared a starter despite having been denied a fair start. The horse jumped slowly and then the jockey jumped off after three strides because his feet weren't in the irons, a very dangerous situat...

When a spread betting firm makes a big deal about setting up a fixed-odds sportsbook arm, then wants to get rid of it, chances are it's not making any money. IG Group to sell Extrabet Financial spread betting business IG Group has recruited accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers to find a buyer for its sports betting arm Extrabet, media reports at the weekend have suggested. Extrabet accounts for an estimated 2% of IG Group’s overall revenues, however the business values the division at around £20m, the Sunday Times reported. Analysts have previously questioned whether the business, which suffered a fall in revenue of more than 30% last year, is worth much. IG Group and PwC both declined to comment. I'd have to agree with the last comment. Extrabet's client list is common with the spread side of the business, and one has to wonder how many genuine fixed-odds punters there are, rather than occasional dabblers. Extrabet's sports prices are all powered by the powerfu...

From the HeraldSun... GET YOUR KICKS IMAGINE you have a spare $100,000 and you are sitting at home on a Saturday night, bored with the world. So to add a little spice you decide to give the $100,000 a bit of a run around. That's exactly what a Sportingbet Australia punter did when Port Adelaide kicked the opening goal of the final quarter against West Coast to go four goals up in a low-scoring affair. Taking odds of $1.01, he risked $100,000 to win $1000, all good if Port continued to dominate the match. But with a minute to go the Eagles had levelled the scores and were in attack until a David Rodan point got the Power home.

The most arrogant state in Australia, New South Wales and in particular its Department of Racing and Gaming, has long had a policy of screw the rest, we will do whatever we like. Protectionist legislation in breach of the Federal Constitution, banning competition or technology from racecourses etc... Back in the 70s and 80s, these policies might have worked, but in the technological age, they are being shown up as using a Commodore 64 when everyone else is using iPhones and iPads. NSW players under the whip and still looking for clear running There it was, in the last paragraph of Tabcorp's full-year results flyer sent out on Thursday. Overall, the figures don't look good for the NSW racing industry. The push for a deregulated betting market must surely be stepped up. The paragraph in the Tabcorp release mentions the impending arrival of ''cartoon racing'', which is about to hit NSW TAB outlets, but that wasn't the eye-catching remark. No, this one i...

Just a short post to keep the site updated, so people don't think I've fallen off the face of the Earth... I love Next Manager markets on Betfair, the fluctuations are all based on hearsay and rumours, so the moves can be quite volatile, which is also due to limited liquidity available too. Let's look at some of the logic behind the key men in the market: Sven-Goran Eriksson: High 13, Low 2.0, current 3.0 One of the biggest media tarts there is, throws his hat in the ring every time a job comes up which might pay plenty. Did a decent job at Man City, but since then has been more of a comedy act. Still, it would be funny to give more ammunition to the funny people behind Special1TV. Bob Bradley: High 15, Low 4.0, Current 6.6 He's American, the owner's American, so therefore he must want him for the job... Can't see it personally, would be a huge step up from anything he has done in the past, and I could only see it devaluing the club - which the owner w...

He's still loaded after his prolonged success in recent years, but that's gotta hurt! Padraig Harrington loses millions in failed business with Dermot Desmond Padraig Harrington and his Billionaire Irish businessman Dermot Desmond have lost more than £15m in a technology firm, documents filed last week have revealed. Mr Desmond, whose wealth is estimated at €1.4bn (£1.1bn), is regarded as one of the shrewdest investors in the business. The businessman and the golfer, who finished second in the Irish Open in Killarney, yesterday, took the huge hit in a technology firm called Carthow Limited (formerly U4EA Technologies) in which his brother Columb Harrington was a director. It collapsed with debts of nearly £40m. Gibraltar-based businessman Mr Desmond lost £11,918,811 in the venture through his private investment firm IIU. Harrington, who is having a mixed sporting year, lost £3,361,716. The technology company is now in administration and, according to figures filed ...

Sometimes a decent break from the sport is good for everyone.... we're not likely to ever see it though....

It's a waiting game with this race - will the forecast thunderstorms arrive before, during or after the race? If they don't arrive, this will be one mighty boring race as it has as few overtaking moves as Monaco and Valencia. A little bit of rain-inspired chaos always spices up a race... Read my preview here .

International racing fans might not have heard of the Darwin Cup, but it is a racing event to be cherished. Darwin, at the top of the Australian continent, has a rather unique culture (some might just say it's 20yrs behind) but that's part of the charm. At this time of year, there won't have been a drop of rain for three months and it will have been 32C every day in that period, give or take two degrees. Rather than a traditional turf track, the racecourse is an oil-based sand surface which suits local conditions perfectly - it handles the heat and also the heavy rains of the wet season. When I arrived in Darwin to work for a bookmaker, there were two days of rains which led to heavy flooding in Katherine, a couple of hours south of Darwin. The racetrack had no problem handling the torrential downpours - they were still running 1:23 for 1400m! 20,000 people squeeze into Fannie Bay Racecourse for the Darwin Cup, which is traditionally held on the first Monday in August. 2...