Sport is made for betting

Daniel Koellerer, widely regarded as the biggest @£%& in professional tennis, has received his just desserts today with a life ban from professional tennis and a fine of $100k. The Tennis Integrity Unit works under a shroud of secrecy so there are no official details of which matches were bent (although you could probably from a substantial list from Koellerer's schedule). From the press release : Mr Koellerer was found guilty of three charges under Article D of the 2010 Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, namely: • Contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an Event; • Soliciting or facilitating a Player not to use his or her best efforts in an Event; and; • Soliciting, offering or providing money, benefit or Consideration to any other covered person with the intention of negatively influencing a Player’s best efforts in any Event So the Tennis Integrity Unit has found a spine, that's great news for the game. Although, let's be honest, Dan...

Betfair's share price is up 35p this morning, including a recovery from a 20p drop after a climb of 40p in the first two hours of trading, after it fell to a new low of 752p last week. Here's one for you - how would you price up "First to leave their post - David Yu or Sepp Blatter?" The Czech lottery company Sazka has been declared bankrupt by the Prague Municipal Court . Surely there is something seriously wrong here - perhaps they should have spoken to FIFA about to keep a corrupt organisation in operation?? Centrebet shareholders are expected to support the Sportingbet buyout bid afte the Kafataris family and the board put their weight behind it. Spain’s new gaming law has been officially published in the country’s State Gazette and will be enforced subject to European Commission approval. In case you've missed it, the US Department of Justice is going after more than just the biggest US-facing poker rooms , with some sportsbooks in its sights as wel...

I didn't watch the Indy 500 live nor see the market so far all I know there could have been £50k+ matched on the market, but since it's on a par with the Daytona 500, chances are it only traded £5k. Rookie J.R Hildebrand is a long way clear, comes into the last turn just needing to get around it safely to win the race, the biggest open wheel race in America, in front of 250,000+ fans. Watch for yourself .... An absolute 1.01 gubbed!

As mentioned here several weeks ago , the amount of betting editorial and odds plugging during live broadcasts of Australian sport is over the top. Public sentiment was turning against it and it was inevitable that something would have to be done. Now the Australian Federal Govt has gotten involved, essentially telling broadcasters and sports bodies to sort it out within the next 12 months, or we will do it for you.. Live broadcasts of betting odds to be phased out by June, Stephen Conroy says "INSIDIOUS" live broadcasts of betting odds will be phased out to prevent gambling becoming embedded in football, cricket and other sports, the state and the federal government agreed today. But the Federal Government's bid to introduce mandatory wager limits on poker machines was rejected by the states and a constitutional battle is now likely. A meeting of state and federal ministers in Canberra agreed that the promotion of live odds during the broadcast of sport events...

Workforce makes his seasonal debut tonight in the Group III Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, over 1m 2f, or 2000m for those of us who aren't stuck in the 50s. This is a horse who last year claimed the self-proclaimed 'biggest race in the world', the Derby, and the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe. In theory he should be the world's best horse, yet his trainer is moaning about having to carry 7lb more than a bunch of G3/Listed horses tonight.... Workforce will really need comeback - Stoute WORKFORCE will "really need" his comeback run at Sandown on Thursday night, trainer Sir Michael Stoute has warned. Stoute admitted to concerns over last year's Derby and Arc winner, who will be having his first run since October... FFS, a horse with his G1 wins under his belt should be able to carry at least a stone (6.5kg for those not stuck in the dark ages) more than his rivals and still win. And as for the distance being short of his best, class should get...

OK, so Kim Clijsters was in control of the match and a set and 5-2 up, but she did come into this match under a major injury cloud and is scratchy on clay. Huge effort from Arantxa Rus, finally starting to realise some of that potential she showed as a top junior several years ago. Trying to 'buy money' by backing at 1.01 can only end in tears.....

Biggest 1.01 of the French Open so far goes to Nicolas Almagro, who should have put away Lukas Kubot in straight sets, but alas, he did not.... And yesterday, we had another one, OK for pennies at 1.01, but plenty fairly close to it, with Christina McHale holding two match points vs Sara Errani, on serve at 5-1 in the final set. Oops... Rafa Nadal had a bit of scare today - 1.01 for over £1m, then out to 1.43 when 2-1 down, then pulling up his socks and winning comfortably in the final set.

Gee, never would have seen this coming - the Irish government wants to introduce a 2% tax on all wagers with firms licensed in Ireland. Very few of their competitors will have to pay it, so why should they for their online and telephone operations? So off to Gibraltar they will probably go.... Paddy Power considers moving operations abroad Paddy Power will consider moving its internet and phone betting operations abroad if the government goes ahead with plans for a 2 per cent tax on all bets, according to the company’s chief executive. Patrick Kennedy said that a new tax regime would unfairly disadvantage Paddy Power, which employs around 800 people in its internet and phone operations in Tallaght in Dublin. Most of its online competitors did not have a significant presence in Ireland and took a ‘‘catch-me-if-you-can approach’’ to regulation, so they would be difficult to tax, he said. ‘‘If we face a substantial tax, my board would - and should - turn around and say: at what s...

Not a glowing article about them in the Guardian today, just backing up the anecdotal stories heard elsewhere. The problem for them is that many of those staff listed as leaving are the 'good eggs', frustrated as hell by the impenetrable cliques and bone-headed decision making going on elsewhere. The firm has lost nearly half its paper value since it floated - surely it's time for blood at the top? Going looks hard for Betfair as managers quit and shares fall Wave of middle-management departures rocks betting exchange already reeling from shares selloff Betfair, the embattled betting exchange, has been rocked by a fresh crisis following a wave of middle-management departures. The defections come as the company digests the results of a private poll of staff revealing that employees believe their company lacks direction. This year's departures include: Mathias Entenmann, chief product and services officer; Charlie Palmer, head of mobile; and Robin Osmond, chief e...

And they're off at Roland Garros. Here are my previews from PuntingAce Scott Ferguson's French Open Previews Good luck!

There's been more than enough proof over the years that this South Australian senator is just a headline seeker when it comes to his views against gambling. I admired his stance against pokies (slots/fruit machines in other parts of the world) which are in plague proportions in most of Australia, but his credibility, if he had any left, is seriously undermined when he gets involved in an argument like this. MP calls for ban on rate-rise betting Betting on the Reserve Bank's interest rates decision should be banned because it ''invites trouble'' and opens the door to corruption, Independent Nick Xenophon says. The Age yesterday reported that a stand-off between the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and online betting agency Centrebet, over betting on interest rate rises, had ended. ''Millions of Australians are affected by interest rate movements. It is not a game for families; for many families it can be the difference between pay...

The King of In-Play betting, Bet365, has announced it will apply for an Australian betting licence, in the Northern Territory, where most of the Aussie firms operate. While it is a highly credible licence - the restrictions placed on firms (security bonds, anti-money laundering regulations, government consultation required on rule changes etc) are significantly tighter than the regulatory regime they are used to, not to mention the bans on in-play betting online, casino and poker products. Bet365 applies for Australian licence Bet365 is “in the process” of applying for an Australian licence, its founder and joint chief executive has told eGaming Review, and could see operations begin as soon as the end of this year if successful. Denise Coates, joint chief executive of bet365 said: “I can confirm that we are in the process of applying for a licence in the Northern Territory of Australia. “Once we have submitted the application and the regulatory authorities have had the chance ...

This news is a few days old now but with Blogger down for a couple of days last week, I couldn't post it... Betsson acquires Betsafe in €60m deal B etsson has acquired fellow Nordic operator Betsafe in a deal valuing the company at up to €60m (£52.2m). “This deal will fuel our growth,” said Betsson chief executive Pontus Lindwall (pictured). “We strengthen our position in the Nordic region as well as our organisation when merging two profitable companies, each of which has proven its ability to gain market share in a highly competitive market environment.” Betsson will pay an initial €32.5m in cash and shares for the privately owned operator, with a further €27.5m payable conditional on “the development of the acquisition and the integration thereof during 2011,” said the Stockholm-listed company in a statement this morning. The full additional purchase price becoming payable would equate to a multiple of approximately 5-6 times Betsafe's EBIT for 2011. Interesting m...

The above video won't mean much to anyone unless you're Australian and of my era, but it's a brilliant song and the title, No Secrets, links well to this story. American trainers wouldn't dream of running a horse without Lasix or other permitted medications. Certain trainers named Dutrow will keep moving states until they find one which will allow them to stick whatever they like into a horse. Bad image for the industry, bad for punters that all the problems of horses are being masked, bad for the next guy who comes along and wants to buy the horse only to find out it is held together with sticky tape. In the UK, every punter-friendly suggestion - sectional times, open reporting of treatment of horses etc seems to be rebuffed with the 'too expensive to implement' answer. And as a consequence, punter confidence in the product suffers. Here's what going on in Australia as an example: Racehorse trainers must report surgery TRAINERS will have to repor...

Last month, German politicians voted to regulate online gambling with a farcical, uncompetitive regime which would only send punters abroad in search of half-decent odds. At least 15 of the 16 states voted for it, one - Schleswig-Holstein - rocked the boat by going their own way.... Breaking News: EC approves Schleswig-Holstein law The European Commission has ruled Schleswig-Holstein’s draft gambling law as compliant with EU law, giving Germany’s northernmost state the green light to pass a bill this summer and the licensing process to begin as early as this autumn, eGaming Review has learned. . . bwin.party's Shepherd added: "We are encouraged by the outcome of the EU notification process for Schleswig-Holstein’s proposed law for online gaming. With just two minor points to be addressed, we view the EU’s findings as a clear signal to the other 15 Federal States that Schleswig-Holstein is moving in the right direction.” Betfair said that in contrast to the draft St...

News this morning that another company is set to launch a bid for Centrebet, the first Australian bookmaker to bet online back in 1997. It has been mentioned here before that the Kafataris family are keen to cash in, but previous interests from European firms have hit a brick wall - perhaps because of issues with Australian government bans on online poker and casinos. Sportingbet have already conquered those restrictions by having a highly successful Australian operation (after they purchased the previously Vanuatu-based No.1 Betting shop) run independently from the main UK base. Sportingbet CEO Andy McIver has long dismissed poker as a 'fad' so it was hardly a sacrifice on that front. Centrebet run casino and poker operations for anyone based outside of Australia. Sportingbet in talks to buy Australian peer Centrebet May 11 (Reuters) - British online gaming firm Sportingbet is in advanced talks to buy Australia's Centrebet International Ltd for about A$175 million ($1...

We've been blessed in recent weeks with some absolute superstars of racing: Black Caviar destroying sprint fields in Australia Frankel running rivals off their feat in the 2000 Guineas So You Think starting his European campaign by demolishing some average Irish horses And there was the Kentucky Derby which was a spectacle, but in terms of it being a great race, I doubt it. It's likely to be one of the weakest Derby fields in years, but we shall see how the form pans out over the coming months. This weekend, Brisbane gets to witness the Black Caviar show in the Group 1 BTC Cup (WFA) over 1200m. If you're in the UK, set the Sky+ for about 6am. More details on times available when acceptances come out tomorrow. The gallant Hay List will take her on again, and she'll whoosh past just like she did at Randwick. It's all been so exciting I've had to invest in a racehorse again, part of the exciting Twitterhorse syndicate with a 2yo colt called Trending. A...

Every country breeds people who aren't the most educationally gifted. We need these people in society to do various jobs that others aren't keen on, whether that's a trade or collecting our bins or picking up glasses in nightclubs. But in Australia, we like to vote them into government. NSW backs crackdown on negative betting THE minister responsible for gambling in NSW, George Souris, has thrown his support behind a crackdown on ''negative exotic betting'' over the internet, which the state government believes is threatening the integrity of professional sport. Responding to comments by the new Minister for Sport, Graham Annesley, in his inaugural speech in the NSW Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Souris said he was determined to pursue a solution at a meeting of state and federal ministers later this month. Mr Souris said the government wanted to ''promote, with the Commonwealth, a need for a national agreement with all the states so … compliance ...

Good piece from today's Daily Telegraph, detailing the grubby career of a Singaporean who wasn't interested in fair football matches.... Wilson Raj Perumal: the convicted match-fixer who ran international empire yards from Wembley To those who met him in Wembley, Rajamohan Chelliah seemed like any other respectable foreign businessman with a healthy interest in football. Described as “humble”, “polite” and “smartly dressed”, the 45 year-old did nothing to alert the suspicion of his landlord, his neighbours or many of his friends during his seven-month stay in London. But the quiet Singaporean was in fact Wilson Raj Perumal, a convicted match-fixer on the run from the police, who was busily masterminding an international empire from his one-bedroom flat in the shadow of Wembley Stadium. One thing is fairly clear from the article, but conveniently not mentioned - the easiest matches to manipulate are the small-fry ones where players aren't earning much and are pre...