WWTS Adds Poker
One of the original online sports books, BetWWTS.com, on Tuesday launched BetHoldem.com, an online poker room. The new site is part of the PrimaPoker network and offers Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha, 5-Card Stud, 7-Card Stud and 1-on-1 Poker. It also features daily tournaments with the opportunity to win thousands of dollars or a seat in World Poker Tour events or the World Series of Poker.
BetOnSports' VIP Club
BetOnSports has revamped its VIP club in San Jose, Costa Rica by adding a spa, gym, sauna, restaurant, bar and beauty center. The club, available to the site's regular online players to use as a holiday facility, features live gambling as well as luxury services.
Ladbrokes PR Rep Migrates to Betfair
Betfair this month reached new ground by not only taking business from traditional bookmakers, but by hiring one of Ladbrokes' longtime PR representatives. The leading betting exchange hired Antonia Sharpe, who spent much of her time at Ladbrokes promoting the company line that exchanges were bad for sport and the bookmaking industry, as its senior communications executive.
Sportingbet Launches Spanish Site
Sportingbet Plc announced this month the launch of a new betting service aimed at the Spanish market. Miapuesta.com, a subsidiary of Sportingbet, features Internet and telephone betting. It was launched in a select number of jurisdictions as part of the company's European expansion and is available to punters in the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece and Turkey.
Sportingbet doesn't have a Spanish wagering license. but it claims it doesn't need one because its services are offered through a site based in England. All the bets and prizes are taxed by the British Government and paid to the British Revenue Service.
Google IPO Betting
As investors scrambled to get their share of the recent Google float, SportsBook911 had to pull is "over-under" wagering on the IPO share price. The suspension came after an onslaught of bets from New York and California on the under, which was less than $110. Google, meanwhile, predicted an opening price of $108-$135.
"The reality is that the general public does not usually buy stocks over $100, which we think will severely reduce the possible investor pool," said Mike Nickels, president of GC Sports Group, which operates SportsBook911. "Therefore, there will not be enough buyers to support that price."
The Google IPO bets were brought back after three days with a revised wagering platform that included five price points (with varying odds for each) for the stock's opening price and closing price. (Odds on the closing price weren't initially given.)
Intertops Posts Odds for Survivor 9
Despite the risks of insider trading, Intertops.com this week posted opening odds for the reality TV show "Survivor 9 - Island of Fire." This season takes place in the Pacific Rim of Fire on the island of Vanuatu, home to 15 active volcanoes. Eighteen castaways are battling for a $1 million prize. Dolly, the sheep-farmer from Pennsylvania, is favored to be voted off first. Brook, the project manager from Massachusetts, and John P, a Home Depot salesman from California, are neck-and-neck (5/6) to survive the longest.
Aussie Bookies Favor Howard to Win Election
Even after getting a public kiss from his wife during a campaign appearance, Australian Opposition Leader Mark Latham remains a long shot to unset Prime Minister John Howard on Oct. 9.
Centrebet and other agencies have Latham at long odds to claim office, despite a strong showing at a weekend debate with the Prime Minister and the release of Labor's tax and family policy.
Asked whether he was worried about the long odds on offer, the self-confessed fan of a flutter said he hoped the bookies were wrong.
"Obviously I hope not. It's not for the bookies to judge; it's the Australian people. It's not a betting race; it's a democratic election," he told Melbourne radio 3AW.
Latham said he could not believe there were people prepared to lay a bet on politics.
"Betting on the horses is quite enjoyable on a modest scale. I couldn't imagine getting any fun from betting on politics," he said.
Well Done WellDone
A professional data extraction and market analysis tool for professional traders on Betfair.com went to market this week. MarketFeeder Pro from U.K.-based WellDone Software is billed as the first system to run independently from API, the Betfair developer's program, which charges more than £100 a month to manually acquire similar data.
Officials from WellDone said the system was created expressly for the use of betting exchange trading analysts, developers and professional traders on Betfair.
The trading software incorporates the ability to monitor market fluctuations directly within Microsoft Excel, capturing market information at user-definable periods from multiple markets simultaneously and enabling users to archive market data for their own analysis.