Sport is made for betting

Australian football has become the benchmark for sporting bodies policing betting by players. Integrity agreements with betting firms allow them to monitor betting activity, particularly when it comes to names on their special list. Of course, it is never going to stop it completely if the players have half a brain (read further to see how clueless some of them are), but it gives the league great power to detect and investigate suspicious betting activity. Heath Shaw suspended for eight weeks for betting on Collingwood game SHAMED Collingwood premiership stars Heath Shaw and Nick Maxwell have expressed regret over a betting scandal that has rocked the AFL ladder leader. The pair copped heavy punishments for breaking the AFL's strict anti-gambling rules after an investigation found they shared inside information with friends and family. .. .. The betting scam involved the information that Maxwell was to play in the forward line against Adelaide and not in his usual backli...

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...

Australia's biggest betting company, the once government-owned and still heavily protected by said powers, Tabcorp, are pushing out the tripe to rub Betfair and corporate bookmaker's noses in it after the Racing NSW v Betfair court ruling yesterday. How about this piece of tripe from Sydney's biggest daily paper, masquerading as Tabcorp's weekly newsletter, the Daily Telegraph. Racing bet case bonanza for NRL The NRL could receive a $17 million a year windfall - or $1 million-plus per club -following a landmark court ruling on Wednesday in favour of Racing NSW. Racing NSW had their right upheld in the Federal Court to charge all betting agencies and corporate bookmakers 1.5 per cent of their turnover as the price for allowing them to bet on their product. The decision has given the NSW racing industry an instant $120 million payday from money already collected but so far held in a trust account. It will also earn the body $50 million a year in future revenues. ...

Saturday's AFL Grand Final was a marvellous conclusion to the 2010 season. Collingwood and St Kilda fought out a tremendous battle which went right down to the wire, so close in fact that it ended up in a draw, Collingwood 9.14 (68) to St Kilda 10.8 (68). Once a year followers probably expected the match to go into extra time to decide a result on the day, but they were wrong. Australia's native sport is unique in that a drawn Grand Final goes to a full replay the following week. The last time it happened was 1977, before most other sports found ways to break the deadlock. The FA Cup Final for example went to replays as recently as 1993, but the round-ball game is far more prone to stalemates. American sports always go to extra-time so there's no surprise there. The rugby codes now go to extra time, but not sure how long that has been the case. Only three times in 115 years has the AFL (or VFL) Grand Final ended in a draw and required a replay. Some have argued it's a...

Too many tidbits, not enough time for full-length articles... The mystery in the Betfair/Danny Nikolic/Neville Clements inquiry in Australian racing gets deepers with professional punter Neville Clements being warned off all Australian racecourses indefinitely , no doubt as a refusal to share phone records which will incriminate him. There is plenty more to come in this story. Let's hope if a conviction is warranted, then it is reached, unlike the farcical scenes of the Fallon case in the UK a few years back. It's March, so Italian football is looking dodgy again. On the weekend we had the Chievo-Cagliari boat race which went as planned, but last night a Serie B match was taken off the board by all and sundry but then didn't go as planned. All the money was for a draw between Vicenza and Crotone, but the away team won 2-0, even with 10 men! Did the authorities tell them they were being watched very closely, or was it the case of a few punters trying to spoof the market and ...

Hallelujah, the king of spin Terry Wallace is leaving Richmond Football Club (AFL) having wasted 4.5 years of the club's time and money, not to mention the emotional rollercoaster of die-hard fans like me. Sure, it's not all the coach's fault, but he's the one permanently putting the PR spin on how everything is improving, it's all looking much better and our players are committed, yada yada yada, while glossing over severe skills and attitude deficiencies which have seen the mighty Tigers really struggle this season. Betfair won't be allowed to run a book on the Next Permanent Richmond Coach market unfortunately, as part of their deal with the AFL. The new appointment won't be done overnight, they have three months to go with a caretaker in place for the rest of this season. Not sure if any of the NT bookies will offer it, the AFL likes to control which markets they can offer and block any which may have insider dealings. Who will be next for the poisoned c...

About bloody time! Complete farce that this law was brought in in the first place (simply to appease the anti-gambling crusaders while the evil pokies and casinos continued to wreak havoc on families), now a body with some credibility, rather than just the betting firms themselves is joining the call for change. AFL calls for in-play ban to be repealed Such restrictions don't exist in any other country and have sent quite a few punters to live in other countries so they can ply their trade. Betting in-play actually allows people to trade smarter, locking in profits or taking a loss when things start going against them, rather than being stuck with a position they can't change during an event. AFL and cricket are two of the best sports going for in-play betting.

Sports betting in Australia has changed enormously over the years. It was only 20 years ago when you could first bet on Aussie Rules (AFL) legally, now it's huge. Pioneering bookies reflect as punting on footy turns 20 "We've gone from those first four bookies in Melbourne to now 35 online betting shops around Australia betting on AFL," he said. "You can throw in another 40 overseas betting shops as well." That equates to huge money. "Back in 1993 footy betting turnover through legal channels was $3 million. This year I'm sure it will top $1 billion. Big business, and best of all for expats like myself, there are three games per week live on Setanta in the UK.

The AFL (Australain Football League) has been attacked for taking money from betting firms in recent years without maintaining integrity over the sport. Nothing like match-fixing, but specifically team news being unofficial until 45 minutes before the game and teams obviously not trying in the latter half of the season in order to gain better draft picks. This move from the AFL is to be applauded but it's really only a drop in the ocean. Full disclosure on injuries such as the American system would be a much bigger step forward. A randomisation of the draft picks order, seeded in favour of the worst-performing teams, but not solely on ladder position, would be another step forward.

OnThePunt.com is reporting some significant bets going on Geelong to win the 2009 AFL Premiership on the back of rumours of a player being suspended on a drug test (three strikes and you're out is the policy). No names mentioned as yet, but it can only be a big name from their main rival, reigning premiers Hawthorn. I'd have a guess at who the player is but I don't want to deal with lawyers and a libel case. No major moves on Betfair yet, but OTP is usually on the money with these things so chances are this story has legs...

More obscure sports advice. Well, it's obscure in the UK, but it certainly isn't in southern Australia. Here's the Betfair betting guide on Aussie Rules footy. If you fancy waking up at 5am for the climax of the AFL season, it's worth trading. Firstly - Aussies can't bet online during a match. So they have to phone up to place a bet, meaning liquidity is quite thin. This means you can put up a market at 107% and be front of the queue rather than 101% like in most other sports. The game can have massive swings, it's not uncommon for teams to go on four or five goal runs, and then concede similar. The wind can play a part, but teams change ends at the end of each quarter to keep it fair. It's a great sport for in-play betting, possibly the best because of the high scoring and potential for big swings. My tip, Geelong by about 30pts. I won't be trading it because I'll be at the pub from 4.30am celebrating 'our national day' with fellow Aussies i...