Gambling Blog

As we approach the festive period we are entering a whole new ball game for the betting industry with the introduction of some crazy bets as people seem to over indulge on the festive spirit!

We have a number of seasonal bets coming into play which include the chances of a White Christmas but not just a normal book on this one with many books actually splitting the chances of a White Christmas into the major cities of the UK.  So it is now possible to bet whether it will be a White Christmas in London (very unlikely) or Newcastle, Manchester or Glasgow, etc.  When you consider that it is hard enough guessing whether we will have a White Christmas, what chance have you got forecasting town by town!

Then there are the mad bets on the Christmas number one, two and three songs – with many bookmakers actually taking the X Factor Christmas release out of the betting due to its guaranteed popularity.  We have seen such songs as Mr Blobby, Bob the Builder, Michael Andrews (who I hear you say!) and many more mad combinations hit the top spot.  There are some who are actually concerned that certain elements of the number one may be fixed, but how anyone can fix such a thing remains to be seen, with today’s cutting edge ethnology which can spot buying patterns across the country. 

While there are some great odds to be had on some of the outside bets for Christmas, be careful and treat them as fun and nothing more.  It is at this time more than any other in the year that sense goes out of the window, and mad situations can arise!

Quick tip – watch the betting patterns if you are looking for the Christmas number one, or the chances of a White Christmas as there is always someone else a little better informed than you – but just piggy back them for the ride!

Profits at Las Vegas’ casinos soared to record highs in October, the latest figures published by the Nevada State Gaming Control Board show.

Coming soon after Sin City teemed with thousands of boxing fans for the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton, as well as the announcement that a new museum dedicated to its gangster past is soon to be opened, the board revealed that profits for the month hit $1.16 billion.

Of this, $638 million came from the state’s casinos, representing a 20 per cent increase on the figures for the same month in 2006.

In addition, money won across Nevada was up by 9.6 per cent, meaning players benefited as well as the playing venues.

“These numbers are well above expectations for the month,” commented Frank Streshley, an analyst for the Gaming Control Board.

“Normally we see a lull, but strong baccarat play really helped.”

Earlier this week the hit Las Vegas show Mamma Mia! broke a new record as it welcomed its two millionth guest at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Whenever we hear rumours of betting syndicates, or potential fixes and the like, there always seems to be a suggestion of Far East influences, but why is this? Why is that area of the world so powerful in the gambling industry?

While the UK, European and US gambling markets are highly developed, taking in a vast array of sports, the depth of the markets is nothing compared to those in the Far East.  The Far East has always been a hot bed of gambling interest for centuries, with a vast array of illegal gambling businesses running side by side of the legitimate operations.  The rules and options available in the Far East are a lot more varied, where for example they will pay out on football match results where the game is not finished – the rules in the UK and other western countries do not allow this.

Many will remember a football match involving Wimbledon FC where the stadium lights were “taken out” just after half time in the knowledge that Far Eastern bookmakers would payout on the result of the uncompleted match.  The culprits were pin pointed but never found, but there were suggestions of strong Far East links.

However, in some ways the Far East gamblers are having their reputations tainted by a small few powerful groups who are alleged to be looking to influence a whole range of sports.  The truth is that the vast number of Far East gamblers all play by the book, and while they can be fanatical the vast majority play fair.  This is an area where gambling is very much in the blood, part of society and has been around for hundreds of years.

How sad that the alleged actions of such a small group should cast doubts on the industry as a whole…….

Las Vegas is set to commemorate the darker aspects of its history with the construction of a new museum on the mob and their role in the boom of the world’s gambling capital.

In contrast to the family-friendly resorts of today, the Vegas of the 1960s was better known for gangsters and vice than it was for top-class entertainment and now the city’s officials are keen to cash in on its reputation.

Sin City’s mayor, Oscar Goodman, who had a role in Martin Scorcese’s Casino, said: “Let’s be brutally honest, warts and all. This is more than legend. It’s fact.”

While the name of the forthcoming museum has yet to be chosen, its curators have confirmed that the venue will be “historically accurate” and tell the true history of organised crime in the Nevadan city.

“The plan is to give people a kind of gritty taste of what it would have been like to be not only a person involved or affiliated with organised crime, but also what it would have been like to be in law enforcement,” Ellen Knowlton told the Associated Press.

The new museum will be housed in the former post office and federal government building not far from the glamour of the Strip.

While the collapse of the recent “fixing” court case involving champion jockey Keiren Fallon was much welcomed by the sport and punters alike, there are still many unanswered questions.  There are also many in the industry who are concerned that the sport of horse racing may well be tainted forever, even though there have been very few convictions for “fixing”.

Horse racing is an industry which has many elements and many faces, which all come together to present what is perhaps one of the most fascinating sports in the world. One of the few sports where man, woman and horse come together to beat the odds, there are so many things which can go right, but even more that can go wrong!

We have all seen odds on favourites beaten by a mile, but let us face the facts, these are some of the purest bred animals in the world and unless they are on top form they will struggle.  These are not machines, these are not robots, these are prime athletes of the racing world.  The Fallon case seemed to centre on one particular race where he was about 20 lengths ahead and was ultimately beaten on the line into second place.  The prosecution tried to suggest that he had fixed the race and needed to lose to help his “racing ring”, but try as hard as they could they were unable to prove this.

While the case ultimately collapsed on the evidence of an Australian expert who was not aware of UK racing rules, there are many who suggested that the case should never have gone to court.  Has this one case done damage to the sport of kings? No, but the cumulative effect of whispers, court cases and rumours is having an impact upon the reputation of the industry. 

While the industry is looking to “clean” itself up for the future, there are still many who are highly suspicious of the horse racing world.

Poker remains the most searched-for term on the internet, it has been revealed.

Despite the antics of the likes of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan making the headlines throughout 2007, more people used the search engine Lycos to look for poker sites than for anything else for the second year in a row.

According to experts, the soaring popularity of online gaming has been partly down to the increased exposure given to celebrity tournaments as well as high-profile professional events such as the World Series of Poker.

The social-networking site MySpace was the second-most sought after site, with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton accounting for the third and fourth most searched for terms respectively.

However, recent legislation passed in the US has made such online domestic poker sites illegal, though the Poker Players’ Alliance (PPA) is currently putting pressure on the government to perform a u-turn on its gambling policies. 

Last Saturday saw the much awaited world championship boxing match between UK challenger Ricky “Hit Man” Hatton and Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather – a clash of styles, a clash of personalities and in some ways perhaps one of the biggest grudge matches for some time.  But how was the betting effected by the challengers fan base?

There are few sports in the world where common sense and straight thinking can so quickly disappear, with millions of British gamblers taking a punt on the challenger knocking out the “pretty boy”, despite Mayweather being odds on favourite to win.  Hatton’s odds came in to 7/4 in places as the UK betting industry saw unprecedented support for their man and his quest for yet another belt.

The truth is that fan bases can move markets, they can upset the balance of the betting arena and ultimately they can affect the thinking of the teams and people involved.  While Hatton received unbelievable support from his UK followers in the end he was unable to tame the man from the US, and the UK bookmakers all breathed a sigh of relief – with the industry looking at multi-million pound loses in the event of a Hatton win.  Many suggested that Hatton should not have been a 7/4 gamble, with some suggesting odds of nearer 5/1 being fair, but it was the weight of money from the UK which made a difference to the odds.

So why did this particular event receive such attention and have such an impact upon the betting odds?

This fight had a number of elements to it :-

• Hatton and Mayweather were both unbeaten.
• It a was a UK v US fight – prompting a split of loyalty for each country’s man.
• The clash of personalities was enormous, with many hoping to see the “pretty boy” come unstuck.

All of these elements worked together to give the fight an edge which has not been seen in the sport for some time.  The simple weight of money from gamblers saw “false” pricing compared to views in the cold light of day, but that did not stop the phenomenal support for the “Hit man” who did his followers proud, even in defeat.

One of the finest poker players of all time is to offer exclusive card-playing tips online, it has been announced.

With its second annual Online Championship having kicked off just two days ago, UltimateBet.com has teamed up with Phil Hellmuth to give players the chance to improve their skills as they compete for a collective prize pool of $2 million.

The 11-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner will be online between now and December 16th, both offering tips and also joining in with the Texas Hold’em tournament.

In addition, fellow poker pro Annie Duke will also be on hand offering advice during the event.

Commenting on the initiative, UltimateBet spokesperson George MacLean said: “UBOC is all about playing like a pro and winning like a champion.

“By adding lessons with these legendary poker professional to the mix, we’re elevating the $2-million series to an exciting new level.”

Just recently Mansion Poker announced that it is to allow its players to design their own internet tournaments for no extra cost.

While there is no industry or business in the world which has not had to move with the times, the betting industry and more specifically the bookmaking shops of old were some of the last bastions of the British gambling industry.  Even now there are still many who would prefer to sit or stand in a smoke filled room watching horse races with their friends (well at least prior to the UK smoking ban!).  But what was it about the olden days which so many people enjoyed?

Even though the number of gamblers in the UK has mushroomed over the last decade, due in the main to online gambling sites, there are many who still remember the “good old days” when a trip to the bookies was a full day event, and a place where woman were few and far between – perhaps seen by many as the last of the “gentlemen’s” clubs!

The banter and the camaraderie was excellent, with friend and foe pitting their wits against each other to see who came out on top.  Side bets were common and everyone seemed to know the bookmaker by their first name – it was relaxing, it was fun, but deep down it was a cauldron of competition of egos, where the winner took all!

Since the online industry took off we have seen bookmaking chains revamp their whole set-up bringing it into the new millennium.  Gone are the smoky corners to be replaced by fruit machines, automatic betting machines and even many a lady seen having a flutter.  The days old days have well and truely gone, the new environment is spotless, spacious and air conditioned. 

Are the old boys thankful of the changes? Of course not, they miss their little clubs, the meet with their friends, but business moves on and changes have been a plenty.

Thousands of casino dealers have expressed their concerns after a new report revealed that the gaming chips they work with on a daily basis could contain toxic materials.

While the world’s largest chip manufacturer Gaming Partners International has argued that its products pose no danger to players or dealers, the allegations put forward by a recent report on a Phoenix TV station refuse to go away.

In the report, bits were seen to fly off chips when they were dropped and these bits were then found to test positive for lead, with one chip being found to have lead levels of as high as 45 per cent.

The findings prompted the Washington DC-based US Public Interest Research Group to express its concern, with its president Joan Claybrook calling for an immediate recall of the company’s chips.

“Is it a health concern, adults handling the chips? We honestly don’t know,” said Don Herrington, bureau chief for epidemiology and disease control with the Arizona Health Services Department.

“I really don’t know enough about a casino chip to know whether the lead is easily transferred into the environment, though I’m guessing it’s not,” he added.

The world of gambling has thrown up some weird and wonderful bets over the years from fathers betting that their sons will play football for England (Chris Kirkland’s father is rumoured to have collected on a bet that his son would play for England) to confirmation that there is life on the moon.  There are many bookmakers who will take a gamble on just about anything, but what is the strangest bet you have made?

We thought it might be interesting to hear about those betting slips you have hidden away in the back of your wallet, the ones which everyone said would never happen, the ones they laughed at when you went to place them. 

Also, what is the strangest bet which you have ever won with, was it man landing on the moon, was it all four winners of the English Football League or was it the time when reserve participants Demark own the European Championships after Yugoslavia were thrown out?

To give you a flavour of some of the great gambles which have come in check the story below :-

The 2001 Grand National was mired in controversy as the rain sodden course would normally have been deemed dangerous, but this was the National with hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide – they could not afford to call it off.  As the rain continued to fall a number of savvy punters hooked up with Red Marauder, an 11 year old which would normally have no chance – its record was terrible but the rumour was that it liked rain.

On the morning of the event Blue Square were caught short offering odds of 66/1 on the horse to win, odds which had crashed to 33/1 just before the off.  As the weather took its toll on the race there were only two horses left standing at the end and guess who came in to win the biggest horse racing prize of all – yes, Red Marauder, another piece of Grand National history.

Let us hear about bets you have running and bets which you won with……………

The Caribbean island of Aruba has been named as the top casino destination in a new poll of the best gambling getaways in the world.

Despite being just 20 miles long, Aruba boasts ten top casinos, offering gaming floors until three in the morning, alongside some of the finest beaches in the world and “near perfect weather”.

According to the broadcaster MSNBC, who published the poll, the island offers gaming enthusiasts and holidaymakers alike a “rare win-win” Caribbean vacation.

Other destinations to make the top ten include Goa, Las Vegas, the Mississippi Gulf coast, Monte Carlo, Nassau, Niagara Falls and Paradise Island.

Atlantic City also charts high despite reports of its declining fortunes following increased competition from its East Coast neighbours.

Earlier this week the New Jersey Gaming Control Board recommended that Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino should be issued with a one-year gaming licence to prove that it is ‘running a high class establishment’. 

Atlantic City’s casinos continue to be hard hit by gaming venues in neighbouring Pennsylvania and New York State, officials have claimed.

The latest New Jersey venue to suffer from the East Coast gambling revival is the Tropicana Casino & Resort, which has recently faced difficulties obtaining a renewed licence from the state.

Speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer, William J Yung III, the president and chief executive of the Tropicana’s parent company, admitted: “We really underestimated the impact of Pennsylvania.”

At the New Jersey Casino Control Commission Hearing, Mr Jung cited such increased competition for his decision to lay off 900 members of staff at the resort earlier this year, a move which provoked a fierce reaction from Atlantic City’s largest union.

The developments come as a second tower is being added to the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, with four separate operators having pledged to invest $9 billion in the city.

In addition to new casinos, Atlantic City will also soon boast a new wedding chapel.

The planned new $5 billion Las Vegas resort from the owners of New York’s famed Plaza Hotel has hit legal difficulties, despite the fact that no work has yet to take place in Nevada.

While the New York-based developers have big plans for their new resort and are keen to extend their luxury brand to the world’s gambling capital, the owners of the an existing Plaza Hotel have other ideas.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the Elad Group has already spent in excess of $1 billion to simply secure the land for its planned resort, though the Las Vegas venue has pointed out that it is already a well-known establishment, having appeared in a number of films and television shows.

The Tamares Group, who purchased the Las Vegas Plaza in 2004, has claimed that the “very viability of our extremely substantial investment depends on our exclusive use of this name in Las Vegas”.

For many gaming operators, the case brings back memories of Steve Wynn’s $250,000 purchase of the local rights to the Mirage and La Mirage brands back in 1988.   

A conference between the two interested partners is expected to take place over the coming weeks, though if an agreement cannot be reached, the matter may end up in court.

The online gaming room Bodog Poker has celebrated dealing its one billionth hand of cards.

The gaming group started making preparations for the landmark event at the start of November after the number of hands dealt in its popular poker rooms hit 980,000, with prize money bumped up for every five-millionth hand dealt over the month.

While no names have been released, it has been revealed that the target was reached in a Sunday evening game at a table dominated by players from the US.

In addition to receiving $109 worth of buy-ins for future Bodog events, the nine lucky players who witnessed history being made also split the $10,000 prize on offer.

Writing on his blog, Bodog founder Calvin Are acknowledged the “landmark event” and paid tribute to “all the people who work so hard to make Bodog the best poker room there is”.

The news comes as the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) announced that he expected online poker to be legalised within the US by 2009.