The Sports Bookie Blog

The latest English Premier League 2010/11 Outright Betting odds from Paddy Power have Chelsea as favourites to defend the title that they won last season. 

Manchester United are second favourites despite a very quiet close season so far, and it’s the spending power of cross-town rivals Manchester City that has pushed the “citizens” into third spot despite only finishing 5th last season.

Arsenal are fourth favourites at 8.00 (7/1) with the bookmakers obviously still doubtful as to where the playing future of captain Cesc Fabregas lies, and as I think that Fabregas will be at Arsenal for this season at least - this price appeals.

Liverpool are in 5th after the departure of manager Rafa Benitez and the appointment of Roy Hodgson at a price of 13.00 (12/1) and that could represent a useful wager if Hodgson can hold on to his key players in Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

Tottenham are not fancied at all this season, despite finishing 4th last season, with Spurs dropping to 6th in favourtism, with the general thinking that the inaugural season in the Champions League might distract the North London side from domestic duties. 

Full list of odds of the top eight teams from 2009/10 - with their position and points from last season in brackets.

2.62 Chelsea  (Champions in 2009/10 with 86 points)  
3.25 Man Utd (Runners-up - 85 points) 
6.00 Man City (5th place - 67 points) 
8.00 Arsenal  (3rd place - 75 points)   
13.00 Liverpool (7th place - 63 points) 
34.00 Tottenham (4th place - 70 points)    
34.00 Aston Villa (6th place - 64 points)  
201.00 Everton  (8th place - 61 points) 

Check out all the betting odds at Paddy Power

A spellbinding display of brutal hitting and raw speed from Rafael Nadal secured the Spaniard his second Wimbledon title with a straight sets victory over Tomas Berdych. 

Nadal, who has not lost at Wimbledon since the 2007 final, nullified the 1.95m Czech’s biggest weapons to storm to an eighth career grand slam and open up a big lead at the top of the world rankings.  

The 6-3 7-5 6-4 win completed a second French Open-Wimbledon double in three years for Nadal and took two hours and 13 minutes.

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Serena Williams again showed the gap between herself and the rest of the field when she retained her Wimbledon singles crown with a crushing 6-3 6-2 win over Russia’s Vera Zvonareva.

The Betfair World Cup winner market has lost its short-priced favourite favourite as Brazil crashed out at the quarter-final stages at the hands of the Netherlands.

Robinho opened the scoring after being matched at 10.00 and it all looked like plain sailing for Dunga’s troops who traded at just 1.23 to win on the match odds market.

An uncharacteristic mistake from the normally reliable Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar gifted the Orange an equaliser before a Wesley Sneijder header from a corner shocked football fans and punters alike and proved enough to see the outsiders through, a task made easier after Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo was sent off for a stamp on Arjen Robben shortly after the second goal.

The Netherlands were matched at a high of 48.00 on the match odds market sfter fgallnig behind, and at 9.40 on the “to qualify” market ; while Sneijder was matched at 19.0 to be the match’s last scorer.

The Netherlands share favouritism with Spain to go all the way, at odds of 3.40, though backers of Brazil’s victors may consider themselves to be in a better position given that Spain still need to beat Paraguay if they are to make the final four.

Check out all the betting Exchange odds at Betfair

Top UK Bookmaker Ladbrokes make Andy Murray 2/1 (3.00) second favourite to win Wimbledon after he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to reach the semi-finals.

Rafael Nadal who is favourite at 6/5 (2.20) to win the title, will meet Andy Murray in one semi-final on Friday in what bookies expect to be a record-breaking match with up to £5 million expected to be gambled on the contest.

Novak Djokovic claimed a simple win over Yen-Hsun Lu to reach the last four and he can be backed for Wimbledon glory at 9/2 (5.50) ahead of his clash against Tomas Berdych. Berdych beat six-time champion Roger Federer in four sets on Wednesday but is last in the betting at 11/2 (6.50) with Ladbrokes.

David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “The Murray versus Rafa match will be massive. The World Cup is playing second fiddle to Murraymania now that England are out of the Cup and the country hasn’t stopped backing Andy for glory all week.

We were beginning to panic before the quarters but now we’re really over-heating. If Murray goes on to win Wimbledon it’ll be the greatest ever day for tennis punters - and undoubtedly one of our worst.”

Check out all the Wimbledon odds at Ladbrokes now 

Here’s “This Week in Golf”, a summary of the top golfing action courtesy of offshore sportsbook, Bookmaker.com.

PGA TOUR - THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio

The PGA Tour shifts from Hogan’s Alley, Colonial, to Jack’s Place, Muirfield Village, this week. Jack Nicklaus hosts The Memorial Tournament and he brings out the big names. Four of the top five players in the world are competing at Muirfield Village this week, as are eight of the top 10 on the PGA Tour money list. World No.1 Tiger Woods is scheduled to return to action this week after taking three weeks off with a neck injury, which caused him to withdraw during the final round of the Players Championship. Woods’ win at Muirfield last year was his fourth at this tournament. There will be seven other former winners in the field this week, including three- time champ Kenny Perry. All four reigning major champions are playing this week and are among 18 major winners in the field.Woods closed with rounds of 68-65 last year to beat 2002 champ Jim Furyk by a single stroke. Ernie Els, the 2004 winner, has played this tournament every year since 1994. When he won in 2004, he joined Nicklaus and Tom Watson as the only three players to win at Muirfield Village and win the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland. Els won six top-10 finishes and has missed the cut just once since 1994.

The Golf Channel will cover Thursday and Friday’s action before CBS takes over on the weekend. The PGA Tour heads to Memphis next week for the St. Jude Classic, where Brian Gay won last year by five strokes.

EUROPEAN TOUR CELTIC MANOR WALES OPEN, The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

Jeppe Huldahl broke through for his first European Tour win at the Wales Open last year. Not only was it Huldahl’s first win, but it was the first time in over 40 tournaments that Huldahl even finished in the top 10. He went seven-under par on the weekend to earn a one-stroke win over Niclas Fasth. Last week’s winner Luke Donald headlines the field this week. Donald tops a solid field as many big names are playing here because Celtic Manor is also hosting the Ryder Cup in October. European team captain Colin Montgomerie is teeing it up this week along with 11 other players that have competed in at least one of the last four Ryder Cups for the European squad. Those 11 include - Donald, Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke, Niclas Fasth, Soren Hansen, David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Phillip Price and Oliver Wilson.Along with Huldahl, there are five other past champions in the field — Scott Strange, Jimenez, Simon Khan, Paul Lawrie and McGinley.

The Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds. Michael Hoey picked up his first European Tour win last year at the Estoril Open de Portugal and is expected to defend his title in an event that is being played two months later than it was last year.

CHAMPIONS TOUR PRINCIPAL CHARITY CLASSIC, Glen Oaks Country Club, West Des Moines, Iowa

It took four extra holes last year, but Mark McNulty finally claimed his seventh victory on the Champions Tour. McNulty faced Fred Funk and Nick Price in the extra session. They all parred the first hole, before Price fell out with a par on the second extra hole. Funk and McNulty parred the third playoff hole, then McNulty birdied the fourth hole of the playoff to finally seal the win. For the third straight year and for the fifth time in the last six seasons, this event follows the season’s first major, the Senior PGA Championship. Tom Lehman earned his first Champions Tour major at the Senior PGA last weekend as Fred Couples and David Frost both made a mess of the first playoff hole. Lehman pulled out of this event after the win, but Couples and Frost are in the field this week to try and dethrone McNulty as the champion.

The Golf Channel has early evening coverage of all three rounds. After a two-week break, the Champions Tour heads to New York for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, where Lonnie Nielsen won last season with a tournament scoring record of 21-under 195.

NATIONWIDE TOUR MELWOOD PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY OPEN, The University of Maryland Golf Course, College Park, Maryland

Mathias Gronberg fired four rounds of 69 or better to finally earn his first win on the Nationwide Tour at The Country Club at Woodmore last year. Gronberg is in the field this week to defend his title and try to become the first player to win the same Nationwide Tour event in back-to-back years. After three years at The Country Club at Woodmore, the tournament shifts to the University of Maryland Golf Course this year. The University course will host the tournament for two years.Fred Funk, the Terrapins former head golf coach, is again serving as the honorary co-chair.

The Golf Channel will have over nine hours of coverage throughout the week. The Nationwide Tour is off next week, then returns the following week in Arkansas with the Fort Smith Classic, where Jason Enloe won last year.

CANADIAN TOUR TIMES COLONISST OPEN, Uplands Golf Club, Victoria, British Columbia

Byron Smith closed with rounds of 66-64 to earn a three-stroke win over Jim Rutledge and amateur Brady Johnson last year. For Smith, it was his third victory on the Canadian Tour. This is the tour’s first event since late April when it ended a three-event run in Colombia and Mexico.Rutledge, a local favorite, is coming off a tie for 45th at the Senior PGA Championship. The 50-year-old also shared third place at this event in 2008.After a three-week break, the Canadian Tour returns to action July 1st with the ATB Financial Classic, where Graham DeLaet won last year.

>>For more information on golf betting check out popular online sportsbook Bookmaker.com. Here’s a link to the latest review of Bookmaker.com Sportsbook at popular GoonersGuide.com.

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
NFC Championship Game
Sunday, 24th January 2010- Kickoff 3pm
Bookmaker Odds : Colts -7.5 

The Super Bowl line still has the Indianapolis Colts favored after two rounds of the playoffs and there is little reason to believe that it will change the rest of the way.

A lot of people are wondering if the Colts should have taken care of business – in other words, disposed of the New York Jets – when they had the chance back in Week 15 but the reality is that the Jets did the Colts a favor.

The Colts don’t have to face the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship and thanks to the Baltimore Ravens, they don’t have to face the New England Patriots either. Those have been the two toughest teams for the Colts. This game should be easier.

Last Week
The Colts were big favorites over the Baltimore Ravens and they took care of business rather easily. The Ravens brought their running game to town and left with it and their tail between their legs. Baltimore was extremely sloppy with the football, turning it over a few times and the end result was a 20-3 Colts win.

Meanwhile, the Jets were the biggest underdog on the board last week in San Diego and they were particularly impressive. For a second straight week, the Jets ran all over an opponent and played good defense. They won 17-14 but they really won on the strength of three Nate Kaeding missed field goals. In a three-point game, it’s hard to argue that the Jets didn’t get lucky.

This Week
The NFL odds don’t favor the Jets this week and for a third week in a row, they are an underdog. They upset the Cincinnati Bengals, then the San Diego Chargers, but doing the same to the No. 1 seed in the AFC will be their toughest test. For starters, the Jets are on the road for the third straight week and that’s always difficult. Fatigue tends to creep in when teams are forced to travel around so much.

The Colts have to do one thing to win this game: stop the Jets running attack. When teams are typically this one dimensional, they end up losing at these points in the season.

With Peyton Manning, a lethal passing game and an underrated defense, the Colts will be too much for the Jets.

NFL Pick : Take the INDIANAPOLIS Colts -7.5 to win and cover 

The National Football League (NFL) recently announced that it would allow advertising for Las Vegas casinos during the postseason playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

This is a significant change in attitude for an organization that has, in the past, come out harshly against gambling in all forms.  

The NFL is one of the main supporters of the UIGEA (the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, the hotly debated law that seeks to outlaw Internet poker and online casinos in the U.S.). In addition, the NFL is among the organizations that lobby most to ensure online gambling remains prohibited.

This is, of course, after ensuring that there are specific carveouts and exclusions for “fantasy football betting pools” which proliferate online and generate significant prize-money. The NFL promotes online gambling whenever IT gets a slice of the profits!

So perhaps the NFL is noticing the downturn in advertising revenue this season? Perhaps the NFL wants to cash in on the SuperBowl, the biggest advertising event in the United States?

For whatever reason the Associated Press (AP) are reporting that “Under the modified policy, tourist destinations that allow gambling, such as Las Vegas, Reno or Lake Tahoe in Nevada, will now be permitted to advertise during NFL games from Jan. 4, 2010, to Feb. 28, 2010″.

Is this a sign that the NFL is perhaps slowly leveraging itself to reap the profits in the event that online gambling becomes legal in the United States ?

Or is it perhaps just an other act of hypocrisy from one of the United States’ most powerful sporting bodies?

IF you’d like to explore online betting at a top quality bookmaker or offshore sportsbook then check out our Bookmaker and Sportsbook review directory.

GoonersGuide.com provides independant gambling reviews, sports betting tips, previews, and bookmaker odds for club and international games played in Europe.

There are sections for English Premier League, Italian Serie A, UEFA Champions League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga.

US sports are covered with NFL Football and College Football picks online as well.

PADDY POWER REFUND €250,000 AFTER FRENCH DECEPTION

After Ireland were cheated out of a place in the 2010 World Cup Finals tonight with a blatant hand ball by French football thief Thierry Henry, Ireland’s biggest bookie Paddy Power are refunding over €110,000 to punters who backed Ireland to qualify for next years Finals.

Paddy Power are refunding a further €140,000 on tonights game after they pledged to refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast bets placed on the match if Ireland won the game in 90-minutes.

Paddy Power said, “Luck of the Irish me arse!  Not only did FIFA change the rules to protect the big teams, but then we drew France and that dirty little thief Henry cheats us out of a place in the World Cup. After all that we’re only too happy to put our hand in our pocket and hopefully ease some of the pain for our patriotic punters”

2010 World Cup
Outright Betting
9/2      Spain
5/1      Brazil
6/1      England
9/1      Argentina
11/1    Germany
12/1    Holland
14/1    Italy
16/1    France
18/1    Portugal
20/1    Russia

All prices remain subject to fluctuation check Paddy Power’s betting website for the latest odds.

PUNTERS ABANDON IRELAND AS GREEN DREAM FADES
-Bookies forced to cut odds on match not being shown live-

According to Paddy Power Irish punters are waking up to the belief that their World Cup dream is well and truly over with the bookie reporting less than €200 wagered on the Boys in Green successfully qualifying for next years Finals since their defeat at the hands of the French in Croke Park. 

In an effort to entice patriotic punters into backing Ireland Paddy Power pushed Ireland’s qualification odds from 7/1 to 8/1 but this move resulted in only one bet of €20. Paddy Power have also pledged to refund a variety of losing bets on  Wednesday’s match should Ireland win the game in normal time.

Paddy Power said “We literally cannot give Ireland away at the moment.  Punters seem to believe it’s the end of the line for the boys but we all know the impact an early Irish goal would have on Wednesday so I wouldn’t be inclined to throw in the towel so fast”

As the ongoing dispute between the French Football Federation and Irish broadcasters intensifies Paddy Power have slashed the odds on Wednesday’s game NOT being televised from 6/1 to 2/1 second-favourite.  

The national broadcaster RTE remains favourite to televise the match live but have drifted in the betting from 1/4 to 1/3 amid growing concerns that a deal will not be struck in time.

WORLD CUP BETTING ODDS AT PADDY POWER

To Qualify for the World Cup
1/25    France
8/1      Ireland

Betting on Wednesday’s Return Leg
8/15    France
11/4    Draw
6/1      Ireland

Who will show the 2nd Leg?
 1/3     RTE
 2/1     Not Shown
 8/1     Sky One
12/1     TV3