Sport is made for betting

A lot to catch up on after my recent time away, here are some of the stories making the news: The Australian Federal Government has promised a review of online gambling and might finally do away with the ridiculous ban on in-play betting online. But then again, they might not... Note the incorrect linking of Serie A matches with match-fixing for betting by the Australian Crime Commission. Full Tilt Poker's licence has been suspended with immediate effect by Alderney regulators. Was it their decision or did the Yanks have a word in their ear? Betfair are searching for a new CEO and analysts admit it is a "potential opportunity for improvement". Financial results for Betfair show profits up but revenue down . Punters are rallying against Betfair's decision to heftily increase the Premium Charge. Check out the Facebook group here. Poland has signed in their draconian gambling legislation banning all firms without a local licence. As a result, some firms, ...

Once upon a time, Betfair's best marketing line was 'Winners Are Welcome'. Not any more. In a desperate move to show the shaer market they have more options to increase their revenues, Betfair's biggest winners will be hit with an even higher Premium Charge rate. For full details, read here - Betfair Premium Charge Hike details Realistically, how many people will it affect? A very small number. You've got to have done very well to win £250k after commission over the years. But what will it do to liquidity? Well, the people it will hurt are the elite level traders such as Mr Bet Angel. Peter Webb and the best of his genre. Traders lose infrequently, so thus are destined to pay less commission than your average winning punter. The big liquidity providers who market-make across the board will be hit - 40% commission on your gross profits is a stiff ask, you'd need some heavy losses mixed in there to sweeten them up. This comes on top of their less-publicised...

This will please all the folks paying the premium charge... Betfair set fair for a float The odds shortened today on a flotation of Betfair after the world's largest betting exchange reported soaring revenues and profits. In stark contrast to the falling business in the High Street bookmakers as witnessed yesterday by a profit warning from William Hill, Betfair today reported revenues of £303 million in the year to the end of April, up 27% year on year and double where they were three years ago. Without seeing the annual report, I'm guessing a big chunk of those increased profits come from the casino. They certainly won't be coming from the dreadful poker application, and while the exchange continues to move forward, it is now very mature, although international volume continues to grow. Oh, and of course, there was a major football tournament (Euro 2008) last year which always helps. A float has always been on the cards, it has just been a matter of when. They will wait pa...