In play betting - make it pay

As any bookmaker will tell you, online sports betting remains popular, but the real change in the industry has been the migration over to in play betting. Where once bookmakers competed to have the most markets on big football matches, then they competed on who would offer pre-match betting from the most games around the world, now it becomes a contest to see who can offer the most in-play betting, since some bookmakers are reporting that as much as 50% of all trade is coming from betting in play. Some online providers even focus all their efforts on in-play betting, to the exclusion of all other events. Companies that focus on the European rather than UK markets have been particularly alive to this trend, while suppliers such as BetRadar and Runningball have emerged in order to provide feeds to these companies, since there simply aren't enough compilers to do this otherwise. The result of this has been that more and more betting in play has become automated, with less and less need ...

The patrons of Wimbledon tennis club certainly can't complain about the action on view this afternoon, with both Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal each looking to take a step closer to the final. As this column is being typed, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro are each preparing to take part in a first set tie break with Nadal receiving treatment for an ankle injury, so betting is currently suspended, however a quick look at the odds for the previous couple of games illustrated how bookmakers look to cash in on punters chasing quick winnings. Each set is priced at roughly 75/25 in terms of which player will win, which obviously tends closer to 50/50 as the games are accumulated. It was notable that despite this, once Nadal went 30-15 up in the 12th game, the odds for a 3-0 win for the world number one dipped into odds on territory - this was despite the fact that Del Potro was still odds on to hold his serve, and the game was highly likely to result in the tie break that is now on the ...

The clock continues to tick towards the most eagerly awaited fight in several years, as David Haye finally prepares to get his shot at Wladimir Klitschko tomorrow night in Germany.Certainly there has been plenty of trash talking and preamble to this bout, and now that Haye has finally got Klitschko in the ring, where he first anounced he wanted him three years ago out of nowhere, the question is how will this fight go down. For those looking for a bet prefight, this column believes that Klitschko has too many natural advantages. His long range jab is ferocious and should keep Haye at bay, while he has the patience and the mental acuity to create a solid position for himself. Haye won't want this fight to go the judges as he is very definitely the away fighter here, but in order to get inside Klitschko's 82 inch reach, he will have to take some chances. He cannot depend on winning over the judges by grappling and burrowing his way to a verdict. Neither man brings a cast iron jaw ...

As my colleague Ian Catley has pointed out in his blog entry on the Open - http://www.betting.com/blogs/iancatley/archive/2011/07/13/sandwich-spread.aspx - there is no more open event than the Open itself. Luck plays a huge part in that straight drives can end up in a bad position while woefully wide drives can bounce into a perfect lie, and similarly the humps and undulations on the greens don't always reward the most clean and crisp iron shot. This can be difficult for the younger golfer who will feel that good play is not necessarily rewarded, while it can also be a huge boost for a golfer who perhaps has fallen a little out of form, since they can often get their confidence back with a bounce or two in their favour. So much of the game of golf is determined by the mindset of the player, and while the perfect golfer would believe that luck evens itself out and keep their zen, human nature is such that all golfers can feel like they never get the rub of the green at times. As the ...

Right now, all the momentum seems to be with England's cricketers, backboned by a wonderful innings from Kevin Pietersen. Two quick wickets seemed to turn the game against the home side briefly, but Matt Prior has settled in well now and is providing an excellent foil for the big man, who continues to play the kind of patient, focussed cricket that wasn't always his forté. The oddsmakers are still leaning towards the draw, which is an understandable point of view given the heavyweight Indian batting line up, not to mention the absence of Zaheer Khan from the attack of the visitors. Certainly it's very hard to see Ishant Sharma, Kumar and Harbhajan Singh taking twenty wickets, particularly since they seem to be bowling well outside off stump most of the time, and the best of the conditions for seamers should kick in tomorrow. Nonetheless those looking for an inply bet would be well served to remember that the old rule of "out of sight, out of mind" applies in ...

The bookmakers are still slow to accept that the strong early season form of Bay of Plenty in the ITM Cup could yet be the real deal, as evidenced by the fact that Waikato are only one point underdogs with some firms for this morning's tie. These two sides know each other very well due to playing together under the banner of the Chiefs during the Super season, and with five starting Chiefs in each team this morning, a close game is not an unreasonable expectation, even allowing for the Bay's home advantage. It would be easy to say that the prematch recommendation would be to back the Bay to cover the meagre one point spread, however it could be well worth looking early on to see which team beds down more smoothly and creates the most chances to break down their opponents' defensive set. This is not the type of game where the away team would be devastated if they didn't come away with a win after the final whistle, instead they could be quite happy to keep it tight and take ...

It could easily be a case of the early bird getting the worm tomorrow morning as anyone who gets the jump on the bookmakers with regard to the weather forecast in Trent Bridge is sure to put themselves in an excellent position. Best odds of 20/21 about India, 13/8 for England and 6/1 about the draw suggest that a positive result is more than likely in the second test, however this will change considerably if the cloud cover is either thicker or thinner than expected in the morning. Mahendra Dhoni's decision to put England in to bat looked like bearing rich fruit when the home side were 124/8 at tea, however Stuart Broad's swashbuckling innings has changed this game considerably and while 221 is a lot less than England would have hoped for when Alistair Cook and Andrew Strauss were walking out to bat, it could turn out to be a quite competitive total if the ball continues to swing as it did earlier today. That of course depends on the cloud cover and the general prevailing weather ...

With an entry system that is heavily biased towards the US PGA Tour, sweltering deep south conditions and uniquely American Bermuda Grass greens, this week's golf at the Atlanta Athletic Club was always likely to favour that much maligned creature, the American Golfer. As has been repeated many times in print and online media, six Majors have now passed since a nephew of Uncle Sam has won one of the big four prizes in golf, but that run looks almost certain to come to an end this week. Eight American golfers currently sit in the top ten of the leaderboard and while names like Jason Dufner and DA Points won't exactly have the TV executives screaming with joy, this is well known as the most open of the four big events, and as such punters shouldn't be surprised when it works out that some lesser known golfers force themselves into contention. However a tournament that favours outsiders is no reason to disregard favourites either, and that's why taken in isolation, the 9/1 ...

As I type, Israel Dagg has crossed the line for the first try of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and despite a good first five minutes from Tonga, it's clear that their defenders are getting sucked into the rucks and leaving a lot of space outside. Sonny Bill Williams demonstrated perfectly the ability that the All Blacks have to offload out of the tackle, while the strict line that George Clancy is enforcing at scrum time will also play into their hands. The opening handicap betting line for this match was in the high fifties and it remains in that mid fifty country, despite the fact that the All Blacks have clearly demonstrated their ability to penetrate and puncture. As this game goes on, the space and gaps will open up for the All Blacks, and a mid fifty handicap would suggest that a 20-25 point half time lead will be sufficient. That seems a little on the low side, all the more so since the Tongans appear to be running almost entirely on emotion at the moment. This was always a huge ...

It's half time in Dolphin Stadium and while Stephen Gostkowski might have missed a great chance to put the Patriots ten points in front, he should be able to do so at some point in the second half - or at least that's what the handicap betting markets currently on offer are leading us to believe. 9.5, 10, and 10.5 are the half time handicaps available for those looking to take an interest in this AFC East clash, now that Paddy Power's briefly generous offer of 13.5 for a whole two minutes after the missed kick has gone by the wayside. Even now, 10.5 could be generous in a game where Miami haven't been as poor offensively as many people expected. Certainly they are struggling to curtail New England's progression down the field and that missed field goal was a huge reprieve, but Chad Henne has kept reasonable control on the football, he looks to have good chemistry with Reggie Bush who has already exceeded fantasy expectations with fourteen touches so far, and crucially ...