This weekend we can the full range of sporting events on and off of the television. Sports betting punters will be spoilt for choice with not only the usual set football; but the Third Test between Pakistan and England in Dubai, the RBS Six Nations game between Scotland and England, and The Qatar Masters for the golf fans. There are so many markets and sports to bet online this weekend that I have already started to review the various sites in order not to miss out on any special promotions! Read more…

We have all seen the gradual growth of SkyBet in the UK to be one of the most trusted and well known brands for online betting. SkyBet is owned by British Sky Broadcasting Limited – BSkyB and is licensed in Alderney. The site only uses the best of breed with regards to software and products and has close partnerships with established companies like OpenBet, Betgenius, BettorLogic and Boolabus.

Naturally, SkyBet offers some unique promotions to stay ahead of the rest. New players to the site just need to register, and £10 worth of free bets are immediately credited to the player’s account. I can’t stress how great it is to be able to have a couple bets as a new player, knowing that there is no risk involved and every chance of increasing my account balance! Read more…

The William Hill betting site does not only offer the best with regards to range of sporting markets and competitive prices; there are lots of other products that are designed to keep their customers happy and content. For all those keen football fans, Hills has one of the best Fantasy League products online. Players can form their own Private Leagues and control every aspect of it.

The prizes to be won are well worth the effort. Prizes range from a top of the range home entertainment system, featuring everything a player needs after they have done their betting online and ready to immerse themselves in the sporting event; to Apple iPads and iPods. In addition to this, there are free bets to won up to a value £200. And it does not stop there, as there are monthly free bet prizes awarded for Manager of the Month and Most Improved Manger of the Month. Read more…

After an exciting weekend of football, online betting prices have now confirmed it is indeed a two horse race for the Premier League Title. Although, no one can never really be certain, as there are still a few tricky games for Manchester City against Manchester United and Arsenal (at the Emirates); it does look like City will have to lose it, as opposed to any other team winning it.

I know for sure that the Man United faithful will still be confident that there is still a long way to go; and fingers crossed, the title will remain at Old Trafford. Sports betting wise, Tottenham and Chelsea will have to be satisfied with a Champions League spot; which is not the end of the world, when reviewing Man City’s performance to date. Read more…

Fulham have Newcastle United at Craven Cottage at 3pm this afternoon. Both teams have players missing; in the case of Fulham, Dembele and Orlando Sa are injured and Newcastle will be without Tiote, Demba Ba and Cisse due to the Africa Cup of Nations. I would  say that sports betting punters would view the game to be quite open.

The home team has a solid record at home, as they have won three of their last four home league games – two of which were against Liverpool and Arsenal. Fulham have also won the last two meetings against Newcastle; and the last time The Georgies have won at The Cottage was in December 2007. Hence the reason why online betting for a Fulham win is evens at SkyBet. Read more…

The nephew of the late Ayrton Senna has signed up with Williams for the 2012 season; and replaces 40 year old Rubens Barrichello. From a sports betting point of view, it does not really change any thing with regards to who are the main contenders for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Titles; with Red Bull and McLaren still way ahead of the rest. However, it does show Williams thinking for the future.

Bruno Senna only shined at times for the Renault team; and before that his experience has been with HRT in 2010. Rubens is 40 years old, has great technical experience and proven worth; and this was brushed aside. Bruno has been chosen, as Williams is looking into the future and hoping that his potential will be realised in the next few years. Online betting markets tend to agree with this assessment.

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With the big clash between the Manchester clubs looming on the horizon, I am hoping that we will see The Red Devils make amends for their past poor performances; and give the supporters something to cheer about. Sports betting punters will be pleased to know that the bookmakers do not believe that Manchester United can win The Cup; and prices across all the major bookmakers confirm this point.

Bet365 have Chelsea as favourites at 11/2, followed by Manchester City 13/2 and Liverpool 7/1; Spurs, ManU and The Gunners are all priced at 8/1. With all the focus on the Premier League, I am hoping that Manchester City will be focusing on the league. We all know the strength and depth of the Man City squad; but I am still hopeful that The Red Devils will be able to give us back some of the money we lost betting online! Read more…

Fulham managed to defeat their London rivals, Arsenal, 2-1 with a late comeback. It was another set of vital points lost by The Gunners which leave them further away from finishing in the top four of the Premier League. Sports betting is always filled with surprises, except when it comes to Arsenal’s failings – as it is always someone else’s fault!

In the case Arsenal’s defeat at Craven Cottage, Wenger has managed to convince himself, yet again, that it was the referee’s dodgy decisions and Spurs plan to intentionally get one of Arsenal’s players sent off that caused them to lose the game. If only Arsene was able to do some online betting, he would have been able to make a fortune predicting the loss of his team! Read more…

After all the football games played during the Christmas period, we now have the transfer window to look forward to, at the start of the new year. The sports betting world will be busy with online betting markets on every club in the Premier League. I have to admit it has been exciting time for the Premier League, with the emergence of Manchester City as a dominant force; and Tottenham Hot Spurs in the running for a Top 4 finish (and even looking to win the league as per Harry’s recent comments!).

Arsenal is considering a Henry return on a short term deal. Chelsea seem to winning the race to sign Cahill; and Manchester United look to have some interest in Inigo Martinez from Real Sociedad. These are just a few of the juicy bits of information, that make the online betting markets so compelling now. Read more…

For all you Online Betting enthusiasts, next year is going to be the greatest chance to bet for ages. Why you ask – well it’s the year that the Olympics finally comes to England! Beating all other Betting News for anyone living in the UK, we will have the chance to live, sleep and breathe the very sports we love – while making it even more exciting by staking some money on our favourite Sports Betting odds.

Of course, most of the biggest Online Betting companies have already jumped on the bandwagon and begun advertising their latest offers for the Olympics – including William Hill who has even started PPC with their £25 Free Bet offer 6 months in advance. Read more…

Online betting has come a long way since the days of mainly horse racing and football. Now, every operator has to think of not only providing great customer service, payment options, promos and betting markets/products; but also has to include social networking, celebrity endorsements and SEO activities. Betfair is a prime example of an online betting site that covers all these aspects and more.

With regards to well known celebrity sporting icons, Betfair have four main figures that provide in-depth knowledge and opinion of their particular sport – Paul Nichols, Michael Vaughan, Lee Dixon, and Will Greenwood. One their main responsibilities is to post comments on current/upcoming sporting events. As a betting customer, these posts provide invaluable information on markets. Read more…

If you’ve ever felt like placing a bet on Christmas day or New Years Day or any other public holiday for that matter, and you were disappointed that your local bookies was closed, now you can do it online. Online betting is by far the most handy way or placing a bet, without all the hassle of traipsing down to the Bookies in the freezing cold or having to wait till they open.  Nowadays it makes heaps more sense to place your bets online to make sure that Santa comes early this Christmas.  Read more…

The online betting world can’t seem to catch a break, with scandal after scandal hitting the headlines across the world and causing untold damage to the reputation of sport and sportspeople everywhere.

But our cousins Down Under have taken another step towards cleaning up the image of sports betting, with Cricket Australia forming an anti-corruption watchdog to monitor its domestic competitions. The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) will oversee and maintain the integrity of Australia’s cricket comps in an effort to clamp down on sports betting corruption.

Following the sensational scandal which saw three Pakistani cricketers and a sports agent land in jail for their part in spot-fixing schemes, the Pakistani Cricket Board have also introduced an anti-corruption unit similar to the one created by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Sites like Bet365 and 888Sport already have stringent procedures in place to combat any kind of illegal activity including odds-fixing and money laundering, but the Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has reiterated the importance of online betting companies signing integrity agreements with the sports for which they offer odds. Read more…

There are few past times that can give you the same kind of feeling as big win betting. The nail biting uncertainty, combined with the rush of adrenalin as the ball hits the back of the net, or your horse crosses the finish line cannot be reproduced or stimulated by any other form of entertainment. The excitement and the fear give you the same sense of jubilation that a footballer feels in scoring a goal or a jockey feels when coming in first. Through betting you are actively able to share your sporting heroes emotions, the joy, the misery and the celebration.

So what happens when the sportsmen themselves become involved in gambling. Many footballers practice online betting through their mobile phones, some less successfully than others. Recently, Ipswich Town striker, Michael Chopra revealed he lost as much as £2m in bad bets! Now that’s the kind of money the rest of us can only dream of, but Chopra is on a monthly salary that most of us wouldn‘t see in a year. While he may have lost many bets, he won a great deal too, the problem was he let online betting get the better of him. Read more…

The sports betting scandal that rocked the cricket world has resulted in three cricketers and a sports agent being jailed for their participation.

Former Test captain Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif and agent Mazhar Majeed have been handed prison sentences of up to two years and eight months, with Majeed receiving the longest for his part in the spot fixing sports betting scam. The judge who sentenced them was most concerned about the image of cricket and sport in general, and said that the game had been damaged in the eyes of many, including young people ‘who regarded you as heroes and would have given their eye teeth to play at the levels and with the skills that you had’.

The betting industry has evolved over the past few years, with many high street shops offering online betting services, and the concern is that the relative anonymity enables punters an easier, more accessible way to scam companies. Big sites like Bet365 and 888Sport have sophisticated technology in place to detect any kind of fraudulent activity and prevent bettors from creating multiple accounts, bonus hunting or manipulating odds. Read more…

If you’re betting online or have walked down any major high street, odds are you’ve come across William Hill, one of the biggest names in sports betting.  The company is phenomenally successful, remaining at the top of its game for 77 years and consistently posting profits above market expectations.

But it has been plagued by troubles of late – among others, trying to reassure its affiliates that the tracking software is still in place. Most notably, however, are the issues with William Hill sports Online; the walkout of almost 200 staff members in Tel Aviv, the resignation of chief marketing officer Eyal Sanoff and smaller walkouts in Manila, Bulgaria and Sofia following rumours that the betting company would be moving its operations to Gibraltar.

William Hill instantly went into damage control, sending its chief executive Henry Birch and chief operating officer Jim Mullen to Tel Aviv to resolve the dispute and bring staff back into line. William Hill’s chief executive Ralph Topping also flew out to meet with his counterpart at Playtech, which owns 29 percent of William Hill Online. So far, seven senior managers have been dismissed following the disruption. Read more…

Some weeks ago when the latest betting scandal erupted over Rooney Sr’s spotty behaviour, gambling blog sites everywhere simply added it to the long list of scandals plaguing the sports world.

The nature of betting has changed over the years and the advent of online betting has revolutionised the way a bet is placed. Conventionally, bettors would wager on the overall outcome of a match or race and bookies would determine odds. But these days, spot betting and spread betting allow punters to bet on certain events within a game or take odds determined by the pool.

Arguably, corrupt individuals have had cause to revel in these developments, taking advantage of the reduced number of sportspeople they need to persuade to bowl wide or provoke a red card in return for cash. Online betting faces its own challenges in punters who sign up to obtain the free bet and leave, or people who influence pari-mutuel odds. Read more…

It’s a great time of the year for online betting, with the Premiere League in full swing and the Rugby World Cup providing some spectacular matches, sports fans are spoilt for choice over what to watch. However, if watching sports isn’t exciting enough for you, why don’t you take advantage of the dozens of betting sites offering a free bet and put your money where your mouth is.
There is nothing more exciting than winning a bet on your favourite team, not only do you savour the success of the team you support winning, you also get a load of cash to celebrate with and buy your friends a drink! In the past I’ve won a few bets and the wins definitely have outlasted my losses in my memory but perhaps not in my pocket. With the incentive of a free bet you get all the thrill of a normal bet without the worry of losing any money; win or lose you’ve got nothing to worry about. Read more…

I was never very good at maths. Like any average kid, I paid more attention to celebrities than sums; I was more interested in discussing whether ‘NSYNC could kick Backstreet Boy butt than quadratic equations. How, I demanded of my long-suffering maths teacher, could I be using maths in the real world?

Dear World Gamble blog readers, I’m sure you can appreciate the irony of my having landed in an industry heavy with – of all things – statistics. Oh yes. But I’m pleased to say that betting is the thrill that maths lessons will never be – that somehow, talking about odds and how to best place the free bet they give you is far more interesting than a calculus class. Read more…

As qualification for Euro 2012 hot’s up, a new Euro 2012 betting site has been developed providing information, odds and expert opinion on all matters related to Euro 2012.

The 2012 European Championship will be held in Poland and Ukraine, featuring a month of International football matches all covered by live TV. Punters from around Europe are set to enjoy this fantastic football tournament, and online betting sites expect more than £1 billion to be gambled during the tournament. With this in mind, punters are advised to seek a Euro 2012 free bet to ensure they get maximum value from the tournament. Read more…