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The latest results of the quarterly Gambling Participation survey conducted by the UK Gambling Commission have been released. It has again been shown that UK bettors favor the National Lottery over online gambling. A total of 7,000 people participated in the survey and more than half (54.3 percent to be exact) gambled. Of this group, only 10.5 per cent gambled online meaning that there has been no increase in the number of players placing bets remotely since 2009. This figure was 9.7 percent in 2008, 8.8 percent in 2007 and 7.2 percent in 2006. Additionally, it was found that more men than women gambled and the most likely age group to gamble was 15 to 34 year olds. The surveys were carried by ICM Research which is a member of the British Polling Council and included a national representative sample, taking into account age, gender, region and social classification. Surveys were conducted over the phone. One of the purposes of the research is to estimate the prevalence of problem gambling, to discover what motivates people to gamble and to help develop policy for the regulation of gambling.
Amazingly, William Hill online thinks I'm a Celebrity villain Gillian McKeith now has a better chance of winning the reality show than she did just a few days ago. Yes, we are talking she of possibly the most dismal series of Bush Tucker Trial performances in jungle history, not to mention the most negative attitude. Claim a £25 free bet - open an account at William Hill Sports using promo code F25 McKeith's Chances Improve Just a few days ago, Britain's most dreaded nutritionist was firmly ensconced at the bottom of the celebrity heap, with odds of 100/1 for an outright win. Today, even after a verbal attack on fellow jailbird contestant and fans' favourite, Stacey Solomon, McKeith is sitting pretty (well, not that pretty) at 66/1. In fact, Will Hill now rates former Bond girl, Britt Ekland (80/1,) and Playboy Playmate, Kayla Collins (also 80/1), as less likely to take home the crown than McKeith. A Case of Schadenfreude? Perhaps Will Hill is aware of the love/hate relationships we Brits have with reality show stars. Nothing is more entertaining than watching a celebrity making a total fool out of herself, and McKeith has certainly done that. Amid rumours of her wobbly mental state and even that 51-year-old McKeith claimed to be pregnant to avoid a term in Jungle Jail (in footage that was cut by programme directors), WH may be gearing up for the event that McKeith just might receive some "respect for sticking it out" votes when the time comes. The Favourites Nevertheless, the folks at Will Hill announced a few days ago that either Solomon or former Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder would take home the coveted royal title, and they are sticking to their guns: Solomon's odds are currently 5/6 and Ryder's 5/2. The statistics are, fluid, though - so you should check Will Hill's site for the latest predictions. More Markets Please! Our two pence worth for WH is that dramatic shows like I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here clearlyhave so much potential for interesting markets, it's almost a shame that only one is available (outright winner). Hint, hint.
Good news for UK Bingo lovers. The country's two top internet bingo operators, Tombola and Cashcade (owner of the popular Foxy Bingo and many others) are fighting hard for pole position in the British bingo market. For players this means great games, generous prizes and even better customer service from both sites, as Cashcade tries to knock Tombola off the No. 1 perch. Tombola Has the Edge Recently crowned Bingo Operator of the Year 2010 at the annual online bingo summit, tombola bingo is pushing ahead of Cashcade in the British bingo war. The most recent UK Online Bingo Industry Report agrees that Bingo players themselves are putting Tombola in the number one spot. In October alone, 280,000 players visited Tombola, where they bought a whopping £46 million worth of tickets. So what makes Tombola so popular? Reasons for Tombola's Success Tombola's operators say that by focussing on one product only-the tombola.co.uk site-they have successfully developed the best of online bingo games and prizes, and offer promotions appreciated by British players. The hint is that having a finger in too many pies may not be an advantage for Cashcade, which runs Get Minted online casino, as well as numerous bingo sites that Brits know and love. Emmerdale Gives Tombola the Nod Bingo players aren't the only ones who know a good thing when they see it. Premier league side Sunderland AFC and much-loved ITV soap Emmerdale have both signed sponsorship deals with tombola. Watch out for those ads! Current Promotions at Tombola If you buy a magazine this week, you might find a free £5 Tombola bingo voucher inside! Yes, Tombola has hidden the vouchers in magazines on sale throughout the UK. Now putting your feet up with a cuppa and your favourite mag could make you rich!
Buoyed after salvaging a draw in the first test of The Ashes in Brisbane, the English cricket team heads into the second encounter in Adelaide on Friday with renewed confidence and healthy odds of a victory. William Hill is paying 5/2 for England to win the test, just behind Australia at 9/4. The draw is paying evens. The late pre-series surge of betting on England was vindicated when their batsmen turned the first test around after it appeared all but certain Australia was heading for an early 1-0 lead in the five-match test series. Series Betting England has now firmed in the overall series betting, now paying 11/8 at William Hill, just behind Australia, 5/4. A drawn series, which would ensure England retains the trophy it reclaimed in 2009, is paying 4/1. Peter Siddle's hat-trick, the first by an Aussie bowler since Glenn McGrath achieved the feat in 2000-01, was one of the highlights of the first test. Now all attention turns to whether one of the Englandbowlers can repeat the effort, an option for which the British bookmaker is offering odds of 8/1. Other Odds Of course from an England perspective the highlight in Brisbane was Alistair Cook's unbeaten knock of 235. The sports odds of another England player recording a double century in the series are now 5/1.
It is not surprising really that Christmas is everyone's favourite time of year, especially for online bingo players. Leading bingo sites such as William Hill Bingo, Giggle Bingo and Ruby Bingo have really surpassed all expectations this year with their generous opportunities for UK bingo players. Jingle Balls Giveaway To begin with, Giggle Bingo is holding a Jingle Balls promotion throughout the entire month of December. Players are invited to pick a bauble from under the bingo site's Christmas tree and see what prize they've won with the Giggle Bingo Jingle Balls Giveaway. BBz bonuses range from £1 - £50! Make your choice and reap the rewards. William Hill's Advent Calendar Additionally, William Hill Bingo's Advent Calendar is well underway. Every day from now until Christmas Eve you should check it out to see what special little festive gift they have to offer you. Amongst the mix of surprises are free bingo games, bonuses, free online slot spins and other tantalizing prizes. More Christmas Goodies Finally, Ruby Bingo is giving away a luxury hamper full of Christmas goodies to one lucky player. This prize draw is only open to UK based players. With Christmas nearly upon us and snow already blanketing most of England, you should get cracking not to miss these great opportunities.
As England continues to dominate The Ashes, calls are growing louder in Australia for former cricket and current poker legend Shane Warne to make a comeback and save his team from embarrassment. Warne, who tormented English batsmen during a 15-year career in which he took 708 Test wickets, has been retired from the game for four years now. But with England leading 1-0 after the Second Test in Adelaide, and Australia staring down the barrel of their first home series loss to the old enemy in 24 years, former team mates Brett Lee and Dean Jones have suggested he should return and a group of Australian businessmen have even reportedly offered him $1 million should he do exactly that. However, England coach Andy Flower on Monday laughed at the suggestion that Warne could make a shock comeback to the team. Poker with Liz Hurley? The King of Spin - who has also been in the news this week for an entirely different matter after News of the World exposed an alleged affair with actress Liz Hurley - has been perfectly content in retirement, rubbing shoulders with the best poker players in the world as an ambassador for 888. Since signing a contract with the online gambling giant in 2008 to become captain of its Australian Poker team, Warne has competed at major tournament including the World Series of Poker, Aussie Millions, the UK Poker Open, and the AAPT Sydney.
Still smarting from last year's slap-in-the-face Christmas rebellion, Simon Cowell and 2009 X-Factor winner Joe McElderry would be the first to warn this year's star, Matt Cardle, that not even the X-Factor guarantees you the Christmas Number One spot. But it seems that Matt need not fear a Rage Against the Machine-style coup - so far he's well on target to be first choice come Christmas Day. Bookmakers Backing an X-Factor Christmas Ladbrokes clearly thinks that Matt is unstoppable and has even begun paying out to punters who've put their money on him. A spokesman for the bookies said: 'It's done and dusted as far as we're concerned. Matt might as well order extra champagne as he'll be celebrating again in next to no time. His fans can have their money back early to buy his new single.' William Hill: Matt's Rivals Trailing Likewise, William Hill is predicating Xmas success for Matt at 1/16 - with his closest rivals 'The Trashmen' and 'Biffy Clyro' behind on 7/1 and 16/1 respectively. But that's not all that Will Hill is speculating on. X-Factor fans can place online bets on how many No. 1 hits Matt will collect in 2011, and which of the three X-Factor finalists will top the charts most often in the coming year. X-Factor Betting Frenzy X-Factor betting this year has been lucrative for punters and bookies alike. Will Hill paid out more than 7 figures on successful wagers and turned over more than £2 million. 23 bets of £1,000 + were placed on the last day of the competition. Will Hill representative Rupert Adams had this to say about the final night: 'The X Factor goes from strength to strength and at one point on Sunday night we were taking over 130 bets a minute. The X Factor is quite simply the Daddy of reality TV betting.' Without doubt, William Hill's efficient online service is what enables the company to cope with wagering and paying out at such a furious rate.
British bookmaker William Hill is offering the lowest odds in more than a decade on the possibility of a White Christmas occurring, as the snow and freezing weather continue to hit the country just three days out from the holiday. Not Since 1999 Many cities in Scotland are now odds-on to be hit by snow, while even London is now quoting 5/4, despite the fact the capital hasn't seen snow on Christmas Day since 1999, the year in which Hill offered shorted odds and in which it last paid out on nationwide snow. "That year we paid out the princely sum of £50,000 on six locations. With 19 locations this year, we could be paying out over ten times that amount," a spokesman for the bookmaker said. William Hill is also offering odds on other specials, all of which are listed here: White Christmas odds: Aberdeen, 4/7, Edinburgh, Glasgow, 8/11, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, York, evens, Belfast, 11/10, Dublin, 6/5, London, Cambridge, Bristol, Lincoln, Norwich, Nottinghamshire, Oxford, 5/4, Cardiff, 11/8, Exeter, 6/4. Lowest temperature in Scotland to be beaten by April 30, 2011: 3/1 (record coldest temperature is -27.2 celcius, in Aberdeenshire on Jan. 10, 1982). Lowest Temperature In Wales To Be Beaten By April 30, 2011: 4/1 (record coldest temperature Is -23.3 celcius, in Powys on Jan. 21, 1940). Lowest temperature in England to be beaten by April 30, 2011: 5/1 (record coldest temperature is -26.1 celcius, in Shropshire on Jan. 10, 1982).
Scottish Premier League club Motherwell is backing a player under investigation over allegations of match-fixing. Betting on Red Steve Jennings was sent off for arguing with the referee during a league game against Hearts on December 14, leading to a Europe-wide alert after several Liverpool-based bookmakers reported taking bets on the card being issued. However, Motherwell chairman John Boyle stood by the 26-year-old midfielder, who hails from Liverpool, saying that Jennings was "totally distraught" in the dressing room after the match, which his team lost 2-1. "If that wasn't genuine emotion from him, then he is a better actor than Sir Laurence Olivier," Boyle said, adding, "I would be astonished by any allegations or implications." Investigation Underway Investigators from the Gambling Commission and the Scottish Premier League were examining lists of wagers on the games given to them by bookmakers, according to a report in Herald Scotland. The investigation began after online bookie Bluesquare reported several bets of between £200 and £500 on the red card being awarded, while William Hill and Paddy Power also reported similar bets of smaller amounts. European gambling watchdog ESSA, which was set up following a German football match-fixing scandal in 2005, has issued an alert for suspect bets. William Hill and Paddy Power joined the association in November, bringing its membership to 15 leading operators.
Amid fierce competition, online casino and bingo room operators are pushing their products so hard that finding objective reviews on gaming site X, Y or Z can be tough. After all, if we were to believe all the online bingo news we read, then every internet bingo room in existence could claim to be the world's best. There are, however, some tell tale signs that a bingo room is providing a good service. Player Numbers Speak Volumes Let's look at popular British bingo site Tombola. This bingo room has been crowned (twice) Bingo Operator of the Year 2010, and is generating approximately £46 million per month. Nothing speaks to the quality of an online bingo site as convincingly as a vote of confidence from players - the fact that Tombola has around 280,000 players monthly (that's twice the number of its nearest UK competitor) indicates that this bingo room truly deserves its number one title. Tombola Bingo Attractions So what brings so many bingo lovers to Tombola? A little research reveals a few clues. This site: Pays out £3 million in bingo prizes every week Is home to more than 40 chat rooms Offers lots of themed bingo games (including Bingo Roulette, Bingo 90 and the popular "Hamster Race") at varying schedules for maximum convenience Dreams up regular promotions and prize giveaways Provides customer support by phone, email and live chat Accepts PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and Solo Christmas Promotions Tombola Bingo looks likely to hold on to its number one spot even though its competitors are hot on its heels. Sensibly, the site doesn't rest on its laurels when it comes to Christmas promotions. Tombola's advent game - Secret Santa - will give away £100,000 in prizes and goodies before December 25th.
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