The Sports Bookie Blog

Popular online sportsbook PaddyPower.com is letting punters share their views on the Premier League season.

The good, the bad, the truly ugly - the best comment received at Irish bookie Paddy Power will win a £/€50 Free Bet.

Nominations have closed (if indeed Paddy’s marketing team ever opened them - they’re good like that!) and now it’s your chance to vote for:
- The Flop of the Season
- Video Nasty of the Season
- Moaner of the Year
- Least Insightful Pundit
- Most Baffling Decision… and more. 

Visit the Paddy Power BLOG and get your comments in to win.

The closing date for consideration in this competition is 4pm Friday April 18th. The winner will be chosen as usual in a totally subjective manner by Paddy Power   so no whinging.

These images are examples only: click through to VOTE ONSITE AT PADDYPOWER.COM

For more about Paddy Power read our latest sportsbook review here at BookieLabRat.com.

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed his Manchester United side’s 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford as a decisive moment in this season’s Premier League title race.

Victory moved United six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, who can reduce that gap to three points with a home win over Wigan on Monday. But with just four league games remaining, Ferguson is convinced his men have now taken a massive step towards the successful defence of their title.

Next up for United are Blackburn and victory at Ewood Park will mean United can all but take the title if they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on April 26.

“I said if we win our next three games we would be champions,” said Ferguson after seeing United come from 1-0 down to win thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s coolly-taken penalty and Owen Hargreaves’s superbly struck free-kick. “We have got over a nervous day today (Sunday),” Ferguson added. “We’ve got a week’s rest now, get them freshened up before Blackburn away.

“The players knew this was a massive game today. Arsenal and ourselves have been competing for trophies for 15 or 16 years and the games are always so emotionally tight and this was another one.”

Ferguson agreed his team had been fortunate to beat an Arsenal side who had gone ahead in the 48th minute through Emmanuel Adebayor as they tried to keep their season alive after last week’s Champions League exit against Liverpool. “The quality of this game was outstanding,” Ferguson said as he reflected on another compelling United-Arsenal clash .

“There won’t be a better game this year. They were the better team in the first-half. I thought we were very nervous and our passing was poor and I couldn’t wait to get to half-time. “When Arsenal scored they forced my hand, and I had to bring on Anderson and Carlos Tevez. That was a pivotal moment and we were fantastic after that, played some good football, and it was just an incredible game.”

Victory would have hauled Arsenal back into the title race, moving them to within three points of United. Instead, Arsene Wenger and his players were forced to admit that, at nine points adrift of top spot, they were out of the race having been five points in front as recently as February.  Arsenal have been criticised for an inability to turn impressive performances into wins but their French manager insisted there would be no compromising when it came to the Gunners’ approach next season.

“I believe the gap between success and failure is very thin and I didn’t feel that today we were inferior technically speaking and in terms of quality,” he said. “I feel we have done a lot to promote the Premier League all over the world this season. I’m not an idealist, I want to win trophies and I am sad we haven’t won a trophy,” Wenger insisted. “We want to win trophies by playing the way we do but we want to do it better. That will come.

“But we have to go beyond the situation we have now where the praise given to winners is beyond reason while those who don’t win are slaughtered beyond reason,” he added. “We feel there is not a big difference between ourselves and the other teams. We play quality football because we think that is the way to win trophies. We have lacked maturity defensively at times this season but that will come.”
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Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard says Barcelona need to start killing teams off if they are to have any chance of lifting the Spanish title this season.

Barcelona twice threw away the lead in a 2-2 draw with Recreativo Huelva on Saturday and trail leaders Real Madrid by nine points after the champions defeated Real Murcia 1-0 on Sunday.

“The team always fights but sometimes we fail to kill off the game at key stages,” said Rijkaard. “We have to analyse the goals. The second goal was our fault as we allowed the cross to come in too easily. We let two points get away. We started well but then let our guard down. “I expected us to win it at 2-1 as we had the chances. It is a blow.”

With six games left it is asking a lot for Barca to catch Real but Rijkaard - whose job is under real threat - refuses to wave the white flag. “It is still mathematically possible to win the league but we have to start collecting more points to do it,” said Rijkaard.
 
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who scored both Barca’s goals against Recreatico, backed his manager’s words. “We will continue fighting because there are games left and because the teams ahead of us are not mathematic champions,” Eto’o said. “I don’t think we dropped our rhythm. They scored an invalid goal and the second goal was a team mistake. We have games to fight for in the league and the Champions League where we want to reach the final.”

Barcelona face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Champions League - with the first leg on April 23 - and one positive from the Recreativo match was the return of Argentine winger Lionel Messi.  Messi, 20, had been sidelined since tearing a muscle in his left leg on March 5 but returned to action coming on a substitute on 64 minutes.

“It’s his first game back after injury and he’s worked hard to get ready to play again,” Rijkaard added. “We hope he’ll get up to speed soon and get back to performing like he can.”  Consistency is Barcelona’s problem at the moment and Barcelona defender Carles Puyol admits it is a concern. “We can’t give up but it is getting tougher all the time. We’re finding it increasingly hard to win,” explained Puyol. “We are unlikely to win the League if we can’t win two games in a row.  “We do need to think hard about this. We do the hard part, getting a lead, and then we stop creating chances. We have to get better in this respect because when we take the lead our opponents ought to open up. “There are a lot of experienced players in the dressing room and we have to improve.”

Check out the latest sportsbook and online bookmaker reviews for April online at BookieLabRat.com. Does your bookie make the grade?

Here are our sportsbook assessment criteria - how do you choose a sportsbook?

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has demanded showdown talks with the club’s warring American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett following weekend revelations.

It has been claimed by Hicks that Anfield chief executive Rick Parry played a part in attempts to offer the Spaniard’s job to Jurgen Klinsmann. Benitez, speaking after Liverpool’s 3-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Sunday, claimed he felt ‘undermined’ by Hicks’s allegations in several British Sunday newspapers which related to talks with former Germany striker and manager Klinsmann in California in November. Hicks last week called for Parry to resign as chief executive as the bitter boardroom war at Anfield escalated. And the chances of Liverpool’s co-owners, Benitez and Parry all being involved at Anfield come the start of next season appear slim, judging by the manager’s latest comments.

“It was a surprise to read about some meetings (with Klinsmann),” Benitez said. “I need to talk with the board and clarify the situation and I want to do that as soon as possible. I was surprised with the people that were in the meeting,” the Spanish boss added.

“It’s not the first time I knew about the meeting, but about the people that were in the meeting. I feel my position is being undermined by it and that is why I want to clarify the situation. I need to speak to all of them, preferably all at the same time. They were in a meeting together, so I need to know something more. I will ask some questions. I will talk about the meeting (before Christmas) and clarify it. It’s important to stop all the talking and concentrate on the games. We are professionals and we know we need to be focused on the football.

“We will try to do this,” the former Valencia manager, who has again led Liverpool into the semi-finals of the Champions League, added. “The situation is not getting to the players, though. They know we need to finish in the top four and go forward in the Champions League. We must stay focused on the football.”

Victory against Blackburn, earned by goals from Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin, with Roque Santa Cruz scoring late on for Rovers, moved Liverpool five points clear of Everton in the race for fourth spot in the Premier League and the Champions League spot that goes with it.

Benitez admitted his team must now quickly seal their position in order to boost their chances of winning this season’s Champions League. “The Champions League is always a distraction so it’s important to win the league games as soon as possible,” Benitez explained. “We have a five-point lead over Everton and that’s really important. “Our job is to go to Fulham on Saturday and get the three points because that will mean it is almost done for us.”

Blackburn posed Liverpool little threat and manager Mark Hughes, previously in charge of Wales, conceded his team were beaten by the better side. “I was impressed by Liverpool’s work-rate and the amount of work that individuals put in for the team cause,” said the former Manchester United and Wales striker. “We didn’t quite have enough but Liverpool at this moment in time are a very good team, working hard for each other and playing with confidence so it was always a big ask.”

Check out the latest sportsbook and online bookmaker reviews for April online at BookieLabRat.com. Does your bookie make the grade? Here are our bookie assessment criteria - how do you choose a sportsbook?

All eyes turn to Augusta National Golf Club this Thursday as the finest golfers in the world do battle on arguably the finest stage of world golf, the US Masters. The famous green jacket is up for grabs in the first major of the golfing season.
 
No prizes for guessing that World No. 1, Tiger Woods, is the market leader at most bookies, with the four times winner favourite at around 11/10 (2.10). 2006 winner Phil Mickelson can be snapped up at around 10/1 (11.00) with Vijay Singh around 20/1 (21.00) and Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Open Champion, Padraig Harrington all around the 25/1 (26.00) mark. Ever consistent, Jim Furyk is good value at around 40/1 (41.00) with defending champion Zach Johnson at around 66/1 (67.00) to repeat his success of last year.

For the latest LIVE odds comparison - which bookie offers the best US Masters prices, check out BookieLabRat.com here.

The latest sportsbook promotions on the US Masters also make for interesting reading. Check them out before you decide which bookie is worthy of your investment!

Birdie Watch - US MASTERS 2008
Boyle Sports will refund all bets on any player that birdies the 18th hole on their 4th round at this years tournament.

- Applies to Tournament Outright & Tournament Outright Without Tiger Woods Only
- Applies to Win Singles & Win part of each way bets placed before The Start Of The Tournament
- Applies to Max Stake of €500 or Currency Equiv

Tiger Hunting - US MASTERS, Starts Thursday, Live on BBC
If your selection finishes in front of Tiger Woods but fails to win the tournament Victor Chandler (VCBet) will refund your losing stake as a free bet.

- Maximum refund is £50 (or currency equivalent) per
  bettor.
- Applies to win bets and win part of each-way bets. 
- Applies to singles only placed on the Outright and Win Only Outright (except bets on “The Field”) markets from 7th April to the start of the tournament.  Internet and telephone bets only.  Free bets credited Monday morning.

Master Class! - US MASTERS 2008 - AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
If Tiger Woods wins the 2008 Masters by five or more shots  Paddy Power will refund all losing outright bets placed before the start of the tournament.

Max refund per punter €300/£200

Last month top Aussie sportsbook Canbet handed out a £20,000 betting bankroll to one lucky punter to place on the Grand National. I did not win , did you? 

In April at Canbet you can win a Playstation 3 and 2 of the latest football games!

Three Playstation®3’s are up for grabs, each including FIFA 08™ and FIFA Street™!

Playstation®3 is the most advanced gaming console on the market and the piece de resistance in high-definition entertainment. Blu-ray™ technology enables you to play the latest generation games, as well as watch movies in unparalleled HD quality. You can also listen to music, browse photos and connect to the Internet. Add to the mix two of the hottest football game titles and it doesn’t get better than this!

Win a Playstation 3 and 2 of the latest football games!

Register to participate by entering the promotional code: PS3 on the My Account page of the Canbet website between 1 April 2008 and 30 April 2008. (New and existing Canbet customers are eligible to enter)

Earn an entry into the draw every time you:

• Bet £50 (€65) at Canbet Casino
• Bet £50 (€65) on Sports or Racing
• Play 50 Poker Raked Hands
• Refer a Friend

The lucky winner will be announced on Thursday 1 May 2008.

>>For more information on Canbet Sportsbook check out our latest review here at BookieLabRat.com.

>>Visit Canbet Online Sportsbook

…but just a couple. I guess it demonstrates the real interest in these games?

You could try the ‘French Fried’ offer by popular Irish bookie BoyleSports.com. As the name suggests it’s on FRANCE V ENGLAND (International Friendy playing Wednesday 8:00pm). The deal is that if France win this game from behind, Boyle Sports will refund all losing single bets on this match. Max refund is €300/£200 per customer. Worth a look? Check out the latest odds on this football at BoyleSports here. 

If you’re wanting betting insurance against a 0-0 draw, the only place to go  is Bet365 (and you get decent odds too!) Bet365’s ‘Bore Draw’ offer is not just for ALL of the mid week International Friendies, but is offered on ANY FOOTBALL MATCH this season. Just place a pre-match correct score, double result or scorecast bet on ANY FOOTBALL MATCH and Bet365 will refund losing stakes if the match finishes 0-0. Cool.

The team at Paddy Power just could not resist a Beckham-related offer…called ‘Bent (sic) it like Beckham’, the deal is that if either David Beckham or David Bently score anytime in Wednesday’s France V England friendly game, PaddyPower.com will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets on the match. Max refund is €300/£200 per customer and own goals don’t count.

Midweek International Friendies. Ha! Bookies and fans alike won’t be holding their breath on many of the outcomes of this week’s International friendlies.

Here’s what top Irish bookie PaddyPower.com had to say…

Not Torr-ably Important  -  International Matches
As cases of the 72 hour random muscle strain rise dramatically during international week we’ll have to do without our star players when half watching the midweek internationals.

Unless you’re an England fan, these games aren’t the be all or end all of where your country stands on the international stage, so most people won’t be too bothered by mass withdrawals.

One absence worth noting is Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, as we wanted to see if he could reproduce his club form for Spain. He’s definitely out though, with Benitez citing the right good kicking he got from United’s thugs as the reason, if not in those exact words. Can Italy withdraw from Spain with a friendly win?

Win-Draw-Win
Spain  6 - 5 (2.20)
Draw  2 - 1  (3.00)
Italy  21 - 10 (3.10)

PaddyPower’s latest Money Back Special is on the France v England game (Wed 8pm Live on Sky Sports 1). Called Bent’ It Like Beckham, Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st /last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on that match if David Beckham or David Bentley score at any time in this match. (Max refund per punter is €300/£200 and not surprisngly, own goals don’t count).
 
Win-Draw-Win
France  6 - 5   (2.20)
Draw  11 - 5    (3.20)
England  11 - 5 (3.20)

The team at Ladbrokes sound a little more motivated today: France vs England. England’s clash with France on Wednesday may be a friendly but you can bet the Three Lion’s squad will be treating it as anything but! Fabio Capello’s side are 3.20 (11/5) to come out on top at the Stade de France and 7.00 (6/1) to do it 1-0.

Compare the latest sportsbook odds live here at BookieLabRat.com (scroll down to International,  Friendlies 2008 in the pull down menu). At the time this blog posting was published, Bet365 are offering the best England AWAY WIN at 3.40, and Centrebet and VCBet are both offering the best odds for a French HOME WIN at 2.30. Check it out before you decide where to bet.

Been taking a punt on the UK weather? If you have, you may have made a profit this Easter with bookies facing losses of around £50,000 after snowfalls across the country left them paying out to punters who gambled correctly on a white Easter.

William Hill, apparently faces a £26,000 loss after Easter snow, with a spokesperson saying “We won a decent sum on Christmas day when snow failed to fall, but we have given it all back today.”

Representatives for Ladbrokes and Paddy Power each said they lost about £10,000 due to the snow.

Ladbroke’s Nick Weinberg, said they have already cut their odds on a snowy Easter for 2009 in anticipation of an upsurge in bets next year. Apparently last year, luckless punters wagered more than £1m on snow falling on Christmas day, according to Ladbrokes.

The weather is fluctuating dramatically across the globe in 2008 - including unseasonally long dry summer in New Zealand, worse-than-usual cyclones, floods and drought in Australia, massive tornadoes, flooding and c-c-c-ccold snowy disasters in the USA and both ‘4-seasons in one day’ weather and dramatic weather-related evacuations in parts of the UK and Europe.

Why do we bet on this stuff? Well done the punters who picked a white Easter!

So this is the ‘magic’ of the FA Cup eh? Instead of a potential Merseyside derby in the 4th round albeit unlikely, we were secretly hoping to see Luton Town versus Oldham Athletic. Whoop dee doo.

No offence to Luton or Oldham (even though I’m only words away from effectively insulting them both), but it’s not exactly a mouth-watering prospect is it? Apart from their respective fans, who can honestly say that they would care who won? Who would tune in to watch the match on TV?

Yes, everyone likes a bit of giant-killing now and then. If Tinytown United manage to scrape a few unlikely wins against Premiership opponents, then we, the English public, love it. Of course we do. The plucky underdogs, strength in the face of adversity and all that malarkey. But do we really want to see so many Premiership clubs being knocked out so early? I don’t think so.

It’s devaluing the competition, and this weekend’s lacklustre performances from the country’s top teams are a sign of a growing FA Cup apathy. Simply put, we shouldn’t be seeing a host of top quality Premiership clubs losing to lower league opposition. And let’s face it, nobody wants another Millwall versus Manchester United final. If this is magic, it’s less Penn and Teller, more crap magic trick that you get inside your Christmas cracker.

This item was posted by the team at Bodog Sports (so please could the Tinytown United fans not send us hate mail at BookieLabRat.com!).

Check out this great digital entertainment site, they tend to “have attitude” and are recommended - especially if you’re a US based bettor or you want great odds on all US and North American sporting events.  Poker, casino, games, sports betting, mixed martial arts fights and more…