Sportsbet Blog

In an Australian cricket first, leading online bookmaker sportsbet has declared the 2010/11 Ashes Series over and has paid out all bets totaling more than $400,000 on England to not only retain the Ashes, but to win the series after Day One of the Third Test in Perth.

The unprecedented move sees punters collect their winnings with an incredible four days of play left in the Perth Test – and with the Melbourne and Sydney Tests to come.

“Unfortunately for Australian cricket fans the writing is on the wall and we can’t see the Aussies coming back from here,” said sportsbet’s Chief Executive Matthew Tripp.

“We’d be paying out soon enough anyway so punters may as well have their cash now in time for Christmas.

“Cricket punters are normally very patriotic to the Aussies but they also know a good thing when they see it and it seems everyone has backed England to win this series.

“As big fans of our national side we’d love to get this one wrong but we can’t see any hope of them turning it around.”

Just before the First Test in Brisbane, one punter had $50,000 on England to win the series at $3, meaning he has collected $150,000 before the halfway mark of the series.

With their domination so far this summer, England is now paying just $1.30 to win the Ashes. $5.25 is on offer on a drawn series, while Australia has blown out to $8.50 to win the series.

“As with all sportsbet early payouts and refunds, there is no requirement for punters to reinvest their winnings, it’s their money and they can do as they please with it,” said Tripp.

“The bottom line is, why risk betting anywhere else when sportsbet regularly pays out early on big events?”

Sportsbet is generating a reputation for paying out early on big events. In October the bookie paid out more than $250,000 early on So You Think to win the Cox Plate, five days before the race.

However, the bookmaker does not always get it right. Earlier this year, sportsbet paid out more than $150,000 in bets on Richmond for the AFL Wooden Spoon after just four rounds. A mid-season revival saw the Tigers finish two wins clear of West Coast at the bottom of the ladder.

The payout applies to all single wagers placed on England to win the 2010/11 Ashes Series before 11.30am AEDT on Friday, 17 December 2010.

Market courtesy of sportsbet

2010/11 Ashes Series
$1.30 England (in from $3.20 in early market)
$5.25 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)
$8.50 Australia (out from $1.73)

Punters with leading online bookmaker sportsbet are leading a charge with their wallets for Shane Warne to return to the Australian XI during the 2010/11 Ashes Series.
Warne is just $3.75 to play in at least one of the remaining three Tests, with $1.22 on offer for Warne not to return.

“We’ve had dozens of punters ringing us in the past few days wanting to get a bet on Warnie returning at some point during the Ashes Series,” said sportsbet’s Haydn Lane.
“I think the best chance of seeing the great man return is if the Perth Test is a draw. That way we’ll still be down by one Test with two to go and then a date with the MCG beckons.
“He’ll probably win the Melbourne Test on his personality alone with 100,000 screaming Victorians behind him and can then bowl us to victory on a raging turner in Sydney!”

Unfortunately for Warne supporters, most punters also believe the Perth Test will not go the distance.

The odds for Australia to win and for a Draw have reversed since markets opened immediately following the Second Test, with Australia $3.40 into $2.65 and the Draw $2.65 out to $3.75. England has firmed from $2.55 into $2.40.

“At this stage punters clearly think the match will be decided inside five days on a lively pitch,” said Lane.
“Less than 10 percent of bets on the Third Test have been on the Draw, while slightly more money has been bet on England than Australia.”

The chopping and changing of the Australian lineup is expected to continue, with 19 or more players used this series now the $3 favourite, in from $81 at the start of the series.

Markets courtesy of sportsbet
Will Shane Warne play in the 2010/2011 Ashes Series?
$3.75 Yes
$1.22 No

3rd Ashes Test
$2.40 England (in from $2.55)
$2.65 Australia (in from $3.40)
$3.75 Draw (out from $2.65)

2010/11 Ashes Series
$1.45 England
$4.50 Drawn Series
$6.50 Australia

Retain/Regain Ashes
$1.10 England
$6.50 Australia

Total Australian players used in 2010/11 Ashes Series
11 players                   (was $9)
12 players                   (was $3.25)
13 players                   (was $3)
14 players                   (was $3.25)
15 players                   $11 (out from $8)
16 players                   $4.50 (in from $17)
17 players                   $3.75 (in from $26)
18 players                   $3.25 (in from $41)
19 or more players     $3.00 (in from $81)
Players must start in starting 11 to be counted – 12th Men are not included

After one of the most comprehensive  victories in Ashes history, England are now red hot to win the coveted urn at the short price of $1.45 with online bookmaker Sportsbet.

The visitors’ total domination in Adelaide has given them a crucial lead meaning Australia somehow have to win two of the three remaining Tests, a task that seems almost impossible on form and has seen their price blow out to $6.50.

“Santa’s on the way but he’ll need to open with the Tooth Fairy and have the Easter Bunny batting at four if you believe in fairytale comebacks. It’s not going to happen,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Matthew Campbell.

The loss of Stuart Broad is a blow for the tourists but that hasn’t had any effect on the odds for the Third Test starting in Perth next week.

“We’ve opened Australia at $3.40 for Perth, don’t be surprised if they blow out to $4.00. The ‘Balmy Army’ are cashed up after Adelaide” said Campbell.

The shift in the market for England to retain the Ashes has been even more dramatic with their price now into just $1.10.

Get a $200 free bet from Sportsbet to place on the Ashes, checkout the $200 offer here for more info.

Market courtesy of Sportsbet
3rd Ashes Test – Perth
$3.40 Australia
$2.50 England
$2.65 Draw

2010/11 ASHES SERIES
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.73)
$1.45 England (in from $3.20)
$4.50 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)

Retain/Regain Ashes
$1.10 England (in from $1.87)
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.98)

On the eve of the crucial announcement of which country will host the World Cup in 2022, Australia is still second favourite to be successful with online bookmaker Sportsbet. with Qatar now it’s main rival. The United States was favourite early in the week and while Australia has shortened in from $3.00 to $2.50,  Qatar has been the biggest mover leapfrogging Australia and displacing the United States as favourite.

“We have taken a lot of patriotic bets on Australia but the promise of cash and plenty of it from Qatar is our biggest hurdle.” said sportsbet’s Matthew Campbell.
The Australian delegation has put forward it’s presentation and now the country waits for  FIFA Executive committee to vote tomorrow morning Australian time.
“The United State would like to think they can host the tournament again, but we see it a s a choice of two.” said Campbell
Market courtesy of Sportsbet

2022 FIFA WORLD CUP HOST
$2.00 Qatar (in from $3.25)
$2.50 Australia (in from $3.00)
$3.50 United States (out from $2.40)
$26 Japan (out from $12.00)
$34 South Korea (out from $15.00)

Leading online bookmaker Sportsbet rates Harry Kewell only an outside chance to play in the 2014 World Cup.

The bookie has priced Kewell at $8 to play in Brazil, while only offering $1.05 on Harry not to play.
“Harry would be almost 36 before the next World Cup and his body has to stand up to another four tough years of football,” said Sportsbet’s Haydn Lane.
“Let’s hope all the planets align and we can go deep into this World Cup because it would be a shame for Harry to bow out after a dubious red card decision.
“It seems unlikely he’ll be there in four years time but as Aussies we’d love to be proven wrong.”

In other World Cup betting news, Australia are rated a $4 chance to beat Serbia, but are paying $11 to make it past the group stage.

Brazil and Argentina have been the best backed teams to win the World Cup, while one punter clearly has a crystal ball as he placed $10 on Portugal to win 7-0 against North Korea overnight at the odds of $401 for a $4,000 win!

Online betting has become massive since the last World Cup and with many more online bookies and exotic bets to choose from.

After looking at all the main Australian bookies Sportsbet has come out on top for range of betting markets and for the best odds.

They cover every World Cup match and include all the usual bets like half time/full time, number of goals and wining margin. They also have a full range of special bets for all of the Socceroos matches.

See our top 5 best World Cup free bet offers here

Here are my top 5 tips when betting on the 2010 World Cup

1. Remember the Draw. If you back a team to win remember if its a draw after 90 minutes you lose your bet even if the game goes to extra time during the finals.
2. Live betting. If your pre-game bet is looking bad it may be worth making an in-play bet to minimise your losses.
3. Most teams will start the group stage matches pretty conservatively so take a careful approach to half time/full time bets.
4. Multi bets. Group stages make for great multi bets. Stick with the favourites in a 3 or 4 leg multi and get some decent odds.
5. Bet on New Zealand to finish bottom of their group. I’m tipping this will happen and at $1.20 its as safe as houses!

The reason I like Sportsbet the most for this World Cup is for the unusual bets that can be placed. They make a match very exciting and keeps you on edge for the full 90 minutes.

Here are some of the more unusual betting options available at Sportsbet for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

First Socceroo to be shown a card

Tim Cahill 7.00

Lucas Neill 7.00

Craig Moore 8.00

Brett Emerton 9.00

More players here

I’ll be backing Lucas Neill here, he will be much more busy than any striker and more likely to be chasing the player with the ball.

Australian top goal scorer

Tim Cahill 3.75

Harry Kewell 4.50

Josh Kennedy 4.50

No Goals scored by an Australian 8.00

I think Timmy’s a safe choice here, Harry could easily miss a game or two with injury and the Socceroos will depend on him much more.

More players here

Australia’s stage of elimination.

Group Stage 1.33

Second Round 4.50

Quarter Finals 12.00

Semi Finals 23.00

Runner Up 81.00

You would be a game man to back anything past a 2nd round elimination. Remember top 2 to through so there’s some value in $4.50.

Double Chance

Germany and Draw 1.08

Germany and Australia 1.20

Australia and Draw 2.40

Australia will be very happy with a draw in this match and will most likely playing for one. The Aussie and draw could be a worthy option here.

Sportsbet have a World Cup promo running at the moment giving new customers up to a $200 free bet. Simply make an account with Sportsbet and make your first deposit. Sportsbet will then instantly match your first deposit up to $100.

The 2nd part of the bonus is given after 10 bets have been placed. Sportsbet work out the average amount waged and refund that amount up to $100.

See the Sportsbet site here for more info in this great soccer offer and to make an account.

Cricket season is upon us, and it is time for Australia’s first international test of the summer. The first test of the series against the West Indies, held at the Gabba, has been proclaimed a “walkover.” On paper the Australian team quite easily outranks the West Indian, but you can never judge a match just by statistics. The weather looks excellent in Brisbane, so you can definitely expect a result from the match, and while that is most likely an Australian win, there are plenty of other things to bet on.

Betfair has a huge range of betting options – from top scores to the day when the test match will finish, to the amount of runs scored in the opening partnership. You won’t be bored watching the test, and there are plenty of good value bets.

Australia is $1.27 with Betfair to win the test, while the West Indies are right out at $15.50. The Australian odds are too short for a hobby punter like me, though expect them to be snapped up by many.

There are also odds for the top scorer for each team. For the first innings, Ricky Ponting is favourite in the Australian camp at $4.20, but the two I’m looking at are Shane Watson and Mike Hussey. Both are at $6.00, and both are top-quality batsmen. Watson has been batting well, and Hussey, despite calls for him to resign earlier in the year, has hit some good form in the One Day form of the game. They are both at $3.00 to score a century.

The West Indian team is harder to judge, so I’d stay away from betting on the top scorer unless you are feeling confident. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is at $4.10, while all-rounder Dwayne Bravo provides some value at $7.40.

It’s tough to tell on what day a test match will finish, but there are juicy odds if you can tell. The odds for the test to finish on Day 1, 2, or 3 are $2.50, while the favoured session is the Afternoon of Day 5 at $2.12. I like Day 4’s odds. Each session is at $5.10, and while it is difficult to pick a particular session, I think the Afternoon is looking the most likely.

There are a few things that stick out in my mind as good bets. The first is Shane Watson as top scorer for Australia at $6.00. The second, perhaps a little hopeful, is that the West Indies’ opening partnership will score more than Australia at $2.32. The third is the $2.02 for Watson to score more than Simon Katich.

The ICC Champions Trophy Final is now what every cricket fan from both Australia and New Zealand are waiting for. The trans-Tasman clash for the Champions Trophy is set up to be a thriller of a match and will begin on Monday in South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Australia

Well what can I say? After an appalling Ashes series they were able to win the following one-day series against England 6-1. Since then they have had an impressive win over the West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy Group Stage followed by a close victory over Pakistan and then another win over the struggling England side in the semi-final.

In the semi-final we didn’t really see a lot of the batting line-up for the Aussies as Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting put down a 252-run partnership to seize a comfortable 9 wicket victory. Both batsmen scored centuries. The Australian cricket team also played a decent game in the field. Although it wasn’t the best fielding side we have ever seen, they did do a good job. Siddle took 3 wickets and Lee and Watson both bagged 2.

The Aussies have been in fantastic one-day form of late and are proving that even with he changes to their international team they have what it takes. I would expect that the batting line-up continues their fantastic form again and they will definitely make things difficult for the Kiwi’s.

New Zealand

New Zealand has been a bit of a surprise in the 2009 Champions Trophy and now they have the final to look forward to. During the tournament they have taken an expected loss to South Africa followed by impressive wins against England and Sri Lanka. In the semi-final against Pakistan the kiwi’s certainly showed that they know how to play cricket.

There were a few stars for the New Zealand side in the semi and they will be expected to perform again.  Elliot played a fantastic game with the bat and finished on 75 not out. Butler did the best with the ball for the kiwi’s taking figures of 4/44 from 10 over’s. Daniel Vettori also played well taking 3/43 (10 over’s) and knocking up 41 with the bat before being stumped.

The Kiwi’s were never expected to challenge for the Champions Trophy and have surprised many punters with some good form. If they can play well as a team in the final then they will definitely have a chance.

My Opinion

Unfortunately the chance that New Zealand has is only slim. Even with the loss of major players like McGrath and Hayden, Australia continues to show why they have been the best for so long. There are only two things that can happen here.

Either we see the came come down to the wire and the Aussies win with a couple of over’s to spare or the match becomes a complete white wash with the Aussies dominating from start to finish.

ICC Champions Trophy Final prediction – Australia ($1.48 at Betfair)

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy is drawing nearer day by day and is all set to begin on Tuesday 22^nd September. The tournament will showcase the strongest 8 international cricket teams in the world in one hell of a battle for pride and glory.

The Group Stage has been broken down as follows.

Group A

India

Australia

Pakistan

West Indies

Group B

South Africa

Sri Lanka

England

New Zealand

India is tipped to be the winner of Group A. They are coming off of a great run of one-day victories and have recently had some well deserved success over Sri Lanka. They will come up against Pakistan for the first time in over a year and this is bound to be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Australia is currently in England finishing off their one-day series after an Ashes defeat. They have shown some good form in their last few matches to win the one-day series which is currently sitting at 5-0. They will be looking to retain their title and will be hard to defeat.

Pakistan is one of the most unpredictable sides in cricket today. The Twenty20 champions will be looking for more glory, but I don’t believe that they will find it in the Champions Trophy. They are a great team on their day and have the potential to beat anyone however bad days are far more common for Pakistan.

The fourth team in Group A, the West Indies, will be unlikely to make any real challenge for the trophy. I would be surprised if they are able to defeat any of their group competitors. Recently their second string team was defeated at home to Bangladesh in both the test and one-day series.

South Africa will be the team to watch and the most likely to take the Champions Trophy. The tournament is being played on their home turf and they will be keen to win a trophy here after missing out on the 2003 World Cup and then the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship.

Sri Lanka has recently defeated the Pakistan side and will look to continue their impressive form. They are more than capable of winning the Champions Trophy, but will need to keep up their consistency if they are to do well.

England has not been playing well in their last few one-day matches and has been smashed by the Aussies in the one-day series after winning the Ashes. I would not expect them to challenge.

New Zealand is another team that I would not expect to provide much of a challenge. Although at times, they do play rather well and may surprise.

For all the most up to date odds for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy I would recommend Betfair. They have fantastic odds for all the group matches and many other things to bet on such as opening partnerships and first method of dismissal.

The 5th and final test match of this year’s Ashes series is set begin this Thursday evening (Australian Time) and will be played at the Oval. It is set to be a thriller as Australia and England will both be looking to push for a win. Although Australia only requires a draw to take home the series win, past performances would suggest that the Aussies will not settle for anything less than a win. Meanwhile, England will be looking to press home any advantage they can after taking the first win of the series and then losing their lead in the 4^th test. I believe that the fifth test will definitely be the best match of the Ashes series this time around and both teams will be faced with stiff competition.

Breakdown of Australia ($2.40 @ SportsBet.com.au)

Needing only a draw to take home the Ashes, the Australian’s are finally beginning to find form as the fifth test is set to begin.

Long gone now are the days of questioning who is to open the batting. Also long gone is the conundrum over the bowling line-up. The decision that was made to play Shane Watson instead of a struggling Phil Hughes proved to be a stroke of genius while getting Stuart Clark back in to the first eleven has paid off well for the tourists. His similarities to McGrath are astounding with his near perfect line and length and his first innings display at Headingley really provided the spark to get Australia going after breaking the back of the English batting line-up.

Another spark for the Aussies is Mitchell Johnson finally getting into what resembles good form. For the first three test matches of the series, Johnson had very much underperformed and has shown signs of improvement in the 4^th test at Headingley.

Overall, the playing eleven for Australia is beginning to resemble a real team for the first time this series. All the players are coming together just at the right time to possibly take home the Ashes.

Breakdown of England ($5 @ SportsBet.com.au)

This series, England has been an exact opposite of the touring side. The upper-hand that they earned through playing some great cricket in the first three test matches was thrown away in the fourth test after 2 innings of senseless batting.

There is now talk of panic in the English dressing room. The media is predicting the dropping of Ravi Bopara for the likes Mark Ramprakash and the selectors may even go for the likes of Jonathon Trott. The very thought of the selectors putting Ramprakash into the side really shows the negative mindset of the home side. A foolish move like his could not suit the Aussies more.

With the news that Andrew Flintoff will be fit enough to play, there is a small amount of confidence for England’s bowling line-up. With Flintoff retiring after the final Ashes test, England may very well rally behind a stunning performance by the all-rounder as they have done so many times in the past. The problem that the English selectors face is who will he replace? Steve Harmison is the likely choice, but with the Oval providing a bouncy wicket, the quick bowler’s may be vital for success. With Stuart Broad having found a bit of form, Graham Onions may be the man on the sidelines for the fifth test.

When it comes to batting for England, Alastair Cook really needs to find his touch quickly. I dare say that Andrew Strauss will be looking to smash his way back into the form that we have seen of late with a century. The dismal performance of the middle order will need to be rectified if England is to have any chance.

My prediction is an Aussie win here. The Aussies dominated the fourth test and I really believe that they will do the same at the Oval. If England is able to bat well enough to stay in the game then a draw ($2.25 @ SportsBet.com.au) may be on the cards.

Sportsbet is the place to go for ricket betting. They cover all markets including next man out number of 6′s and method of dismisal’s. They will give you a $50 free bet just for making a new account with them. Checkout their site for more info on this offer and to checkout the lastest odds for the 5th Ashes test.