188Bet Partners With Liverpool FC

188Bet has signed a deal with Liverpool FC as official betting partner.

188Bet chief executive Andy Scott mentioned that the bookie would work with the football club to promote the 188Bet brand to the club’s extensive global fan base, particularly in key markets such as southeast Asia.

Scott said: “The strong heritage of the club coupled with its passionate and loyal global fan-base will allow us to reach a broad international audience.”

Liverpool FC commercial director Ian Ayre added: “[188Bet’s] innovative approach to betting will enhance the fan experience, in addition to benefiting good causes through the 188 Foundation.”

The three-year deal is the fifth 188Bet has signed with Premier League clubs this year after similar betting partner deals with Chelsea and Aston Villa in August, and a double shirt sponsorship deal with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan in May.

Bookmakers Lose

Bookmakers lose and put in danger of missing profit targets amid a football season of high-scoring matches and a distinct lack of draws. Punter-friendly Premier League results have added to the pressure on betting companies following a string of unfavourable outcomes in other sports.

Sportsbooks prefer draws as punters normally back a winning scoreline. However, earnings have suffered with only eight draws in 75 top-flight football matches this season.

In a typical season, about one in four matches ends in a draw, so the start of this campaign has been a huge shock to the system.

David Hood, public relations director at William Hill, said: “2009 has been a sterling year for the punter, but we can’t forecast results, we can only manage business accordingly. It is a fallacy that the bookmakers always win, but there are some results where the punters win.”

The Manchester derby on September 20 is reported to have cost a bookmakers a total of £95m after Michael Owen scored a last-minute winning goal.

Stan James Betting Increases In September

eGaming Review reports claim that one of most trusted online bookmakers Stan James has recovered from a long four month decline and has become the third most popular bookie on odds comparison site Oddschecker during September.

Rivals, William Hill and Paddy Power, were removed from their previous third and fourth positions in the rankings.

Oddschecker’s commercial manager mentioned: “The big mover this month was Stan James, which jumped up to third place from fifth last month. A particularly strong performance on Ayr Gold Cup day plus their traditional strength on golf throughout the month was enough to edge them ahead in the race for third.”

Nevertheless, Betfair and Bet365 continue to hold top two spots in the rating. Top 5 most visited online bookmakers according to Oddschecker site are shown below.

1. Betfair
2. Bet365
3. Stan James
4. William Hill
5. Paddy Power

Bwin Sportsbook Still #1

According to eGaming Review Power 50 2009, Austrian Bwin sportsbook is still number one online gaming operator. Bwin left behind other industry’s monsters such as PartyGaming and Betfair maintaining top spot for the second year in a row. List of top 5 egaming operators is shown below.

1. Bwin
2. PartyGaming
3. Betfair
4. Bet365
5. William Hill

William Hill Lost Over Million Pounds After Owen’s Goal

The controversial amount of time added on at the end of Manchester United’s derby clash with City on Sunday cost William Hill over 1 million pounds.

United won the game 4-3 thanks to a goal by Michael Owen in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe said in a statement: “Had the referee blown 30 seconds or so earlier, at which point everyone other than United fans were convinced the game was over, we’d have been a substantial seven figure sum better off. All those punters who backed the Big Four all to win at the weekend at odds of just under 3-1 will also be quite happy with the ref’s timekeeping.”