FA Cup Results Prove Football is 'A Funny Old Game'

The football betting world has been turned upside down by a whole raft of giant killing results in this year’s FA Cup, writes Michael Maerz.

While the Premiership’s ‘Big 4’ of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have progressed to the quarter finals of the Champions League, the FA Cup will not be won by any of them for the first time since Everton, currently fifth in the Premiership, took home the famous trophy in 1995.

This year's FA Cup final will also be the first to be played between two teams outside the ‘Big 4’ since Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest in 1991.

The FA Cup is the oldest and most prestigious football competition in the world. The knock-out competition, which was established in 1871, involves 731 teams from all over England and Wales.

The FA Cup quarter finals were played on 8th and 9th of March, a weekend that will surely go down as one of the most extraordinary chapters in the competition’s history.

Barnsley, a team that is struggling to stay in the Football League Championship, the division below the Premiership, turned in another giant killing performance. Having knocked out Liverpool in the previous round, they knocked out Chelsea to reach the semi-finals.

Barnsley’s wins against two of the Big Four were good news for the bookies. So too was Portsmouth’s 0-1 away win against the mighty and FA Cup favourites Manchester United.

At least Arsenal were spared the ignominy of this slaying of the mighty ‘Big 4’ clubs by lesser teams, having been knocked out in the previous round by rival Premiership title contenders Manchester United.

History is certainly in the making for this year’s FA Cup. West Bromwich Albion, who will play Portsmouth, the only Premiership club left in the competition, in one of the semi-finals this weekend, last won the FA Cup in the 1968 final against Everton.

And you have to go back 81 years to 1927 when Cardiff from South Wales made history by becoming the first and only non-English club to win the trophy with a 1-0 defeat of Arsenal. Standing in Cardiff's way of reaching another FA Cup Final is the giant-killing team from Barnsley.

The last time that three non-top flight teams reached the semi-finals was exactly 100 years ago! If Portsmouth are slayed by West Brom then we are guaranteed to see a team from outside England’s top division lift the famous trophy for the first time since 1980 when West Ham United beat Arsenal.

The bookies have naturally made Portsmouth the clear odds-on favourites, followed by WBA at 3/1, Cardiff at 4/1 and Barnsley bring up the rear at 15/2.

However, given the giant killing in this season’s FA Cup, the bookies should perhaps take note of Jimmy Greaves, one of the best forwards to grace the game in England, who once said: “Football is a funny old game!”

Ten other quotes by footballers and football managers you may not have heard before, include:

1. “I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered,"
George Best

2. "I've told the players we need to win so that I can have the cash to buy some new ones"
Chris Turner, Peterborough manager

3. "I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel"
Stuart Pearce

4. "It has been suggested that we'll squander the sponsors' money on wine, women and song. That is not true. We don't do a lot of singing here at Portman Road."
John Cobbold, Legendary Ipswich Town FC owner at the unveiling of a major sponsorship deal

5. “Sometimes in football you have to score goals.”
Thierry Henry

6. “I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.”
Ian Rush

7. “I'd like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.”
Mark Draper

8. “My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.”
-David Beckham

9. “We just ran out of legs.”
David Pleat

10. “I like to think it's a case of crossing the i's and dotting the t's.”
Dave Bassett

Silent Auction For Domain Names

Florida-based domain asset management firm Moniker.com has announced that it will host the first online silent auction for some of the most sought-after Internet site names during the upcoming Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC) in Amsterdam next week.

The firm, a subsidiary of marketing site Oversee.net, is headquartered in Pompano Beach firm and pioneered the auction of domain names, hosting over ten live and silent auctions since 2004 generating over twelve million dollars in revenues.

CAC 2008 will take place at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel from May 3 to 5 and all attendees will have exclusive access to the auction. Conference attendees will be provided with a free password granting them access to the online auction and bidding, which will be hosted at Moniker.com.

Confirmed domain names that will be up for grabs include PitBoss.com, Winnings.com, Lucky7.com, DubaiCasino.net, GamblingCareer.com, PokerCrazy.net, Amsterdam.com, OnlineGamblingCasinos.com, OnlineCasinoGambling.net, UltimateHorseRaces.com, Mega7Poker.com, Bets.com, GamingLink.com, Scores.tv, LuckySpot.com, Affiliate1.com and DirectAffiliate.com.

For those not attending CAC 2008, absentee bidder registrations are available from Moniker.com for $99 and all of the auction’s official auction rules and procedures can be found at Moniker.com/LiveAuction.

“As individuals continue to participate in online gaming and entertainment, the need for a marketable domain name is now more important that ever,“ said Monte Cahn, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Moniker.com.

“Events such as this silent auction at CAC 2008 are critical events for online gamers who are interested in increasing the scope and reach of their online business.'

Thailand Cracks Down On Sportsbetting

In Thailand, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is reportedly gathering evidence in order to track and shut online gambling and sportsbetting websites based in the Asian nation.

According to a piece in the Bangkok Times, Permanent Justice Secretary Jarun Pakdithanakul stated that his Ministry had received new information on websites connected to betting on soccer matches and that the DSI would be working with the nation’s Anti-Money Laundering Office in order to arrest any wrongdoers before seizing their assets.

Gambling on soccer has become increasingly popular with teenagers in Thailand with the Secretary stating that players were required to spend around $95 opening an online account before they were allowed to gamble. He said data from the DSI shows that there are more than 10,000 subscribers in Thailand with many of these based in Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Bangkok.

888.com’s Latest White-Label Deal

Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com has announced a white-label deal with games design studio NextGen Gaming for the supply of some of its interactive wagering titles.

888.com stated that the agreement would allow it to make popular NextGen titles available to its customers and those of other white-label partners from the third quarter of 2008 while the content would be 'localised' to appeal to the specific countries that it serves around the world.

The games will be provided through 888.com’s Integration Platform, which enables third-party develops such as NextGen to swiftly connect to its gaming environment, leveraging its brand strength and robust multi-channel marketing to reduce a game’s time to market.

'We are constantly expanding our games offering to customers through internal innovation and the integration of third-party games with the emphasis on new games and branded content,” said Gabi Campos, Senior Vice-President and Head of Offering for 888.com.

“The integration of NextGen's most popular games into 888.com's gaming environment will provide a significant boost to this area of organic growth.'

'Through this strategic agreement, NextGen is proud to offer some of its best performing titles such as Eastern Dragon and Dr Love,” said Matt Davey, Chief Executive Officer for NextGen Gaming.

“We are excited by the opportunity to work with such a professional and progressive company as 888.com and look forward to delivering an exciting entertainment package.'

Betfair wins High Court judgment in Australia

Betfair has won a groundbreaking judgment in the Australian High Court in relation to allowing online bets by Western Australian residents.

The Tasmanian-licensed betting exchange won its challenge against Western Australia laws that banned residents from using the Betfair service. The High Court has ruled that the legislation contravenes section 92 of the constitution.

The unanimous decision prompted Queensland’s tote operation Unitab to say it was considering setting up a rival betting exchange. Barrie Fletton was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying “if it looks like something the public embraces we'll set up our own service, similar to Betfair. That would stop any revenue leakage going from Queensland into Tasmania.”

Bwin enjoys 'record' Q4 and full year revenues

European sports betting and poker giant Bwin this morning published its preliminary fourth quarter and full-year results and said it had experienced the strongest organic growth across the European industry over the 12-month period to the end of December 2007 and had enjoyed record gross and net gaming revenues during the fourth quarter of 2007, as well as achieving revenues higher than those achieved before the company’s exit from the US and Turkish markets.

Quarterly gross gaming revenues for 2007 increased 24.9% to €102.3m, compared with €81.9m over the same period in 2006. Gross quarterly sports betting revenues were up 30.2% to €59.5m on 2006’s €45.7m, and the company enjoyed quarterly margins of 9.6%. Net gaming revenues were up a record 28.3% to €89.4m, compared with €69.7m in 2006. The number of active customers for the quarter dropped to 894,369, from 916,104 over the same period in 2006.

Gross gaming revenues for the year were up 21.4% to €350.5m, compared with €288.6m. Sports betting gross revenues were up 19% to €191.9m, from €161.2m on 2006, annual margins were 8.7%. Poker revenues for the year were up 38.6% to €82.3m, from €59.4m during the whole of 2006. Net gaming revenues for the year were up 25.9% to €309.7m, compared with €246m in 2006. The number of active customers for the year also dropped, to 1,659,819, from 2,162,250 over the same period in 2006.

The company said current trading in early 2008 meant it expected another record quarter, with gross gaming revenues up 4.7% on the previous quarter so far.

Bwin said the record gross gaming revenues it had enjoyed were down to the strong performance of its core sports betting and poker products, which it said justified its “strategy of investing in proprietary poker and sports betting platforms to safeguard future earning potential, and of cautious regional diversification”.

Bwin shares were up 4.9%, €0.9 to €19 in early trade on the Vienna stock exchange.

Bwin Argentina ordered to close as confusion reigns over licence coverage

Reports that a Buenos Aires court has ordered European online betting giant Bwin to close down its Argentina website have been confirmed by the Vienna- and Gibraltar-based operator.

A spokesperson for Bwin confirmed the story but said the company was licensed to operate throughout Argentina. Bwin holds a licence from the Instituto Provincial de Loterias y Casinos in the Misiones province in the north east of the country, which it says allows it to operate across the country.

Bwin’s spokesperson said: “We are looking into it and will try to discuss the matter with the authorities in the coming days to resolve it in the best possible way. But we believe we are operating legally in Argentina.”

Bwin was the first online gaming operator to advertise nationally in Argentina through the daily newspaper Clarin. At the time, Bwin boss Manfred Bodner would not comment on the story “for competitive reasons”, but the advertisements may have brought Bwin’s activities to the attention of the Argentine authorities, as well as the country’s gambling monopolies. Consultant Tim Phillips of Buenos Aires-based Tamarind Media added that the legal structure whereby licenses are provincial rather than national, leaves advertisers in a potentially grey area.

“The advertising may have brought our activities to their attention,” the Bwin spokesperson said, “while the local monopolies will always try to defend their territory”.

888 goes live with European sportsbook

Online casino and poker firm 888 has launched 888sport.com, its online sportsbook. The company has gone live in the UK, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Austria, with localised versions of the sportsbook for those markets.

The company said the launch of its sports betting offering was a significant step in its objective of providing its client base with a one-stop-shop for gaming and betting products. More specifically, it hopes that many of its recreational low-to-medium staking clients would welcome the opportunity to have a bet with 888sport.com.

Matt Robinson, brand marketing director at 888, said: “888.com’s entrance into the sports betting market represents a significant milestone in the progression of our diversified, multi-channel strategy to grow customer reach and appeal globally. We believe that although our sportsbook addition will result in existing clients betting on sports with us, it will also provide an opportunity for new clients to experience our award winning brand.”

The company will look to make the most of the sponsorships agreements it has with Seville Football Club and the 888.com World Snooker Championships.

Added Robinson: “Sports sponsorship has always been a significant part of 888.com’s marketing strategy and now that we are offering clients an opportunity to bet on activities like football and snooker, we will be looking to offer plenty of markets on Seville FC games and 888.com World Snooker Championship matches in the coming months.”

888 developed its sports betting product in partnership with Blue Square. Martin Belsham, managing director of Blue Square, said the deal would strengthen both parties. “We will benefit from 888’s international experience and liquidity as we extend our reach beyond the UK; and 888 will complete their customer offer by adding Blue Square’s innovative range of betting products.”

Sportingbet acquires Bulgarian partner

Sportingbet Plc, the Web bookmaker that owns Paradise Poker and Turkey's superbahis.com, bought its Bulgarian marketing partner to expand and said it plans similar takeovers in Greece and eastern Europe.

The purchase of Belmond International Ltd. will cost as much as 11.2 million pounds ($22 million), Sportingbet said yesterday in a statement. Second-quarter profit jumped 14-fold from a year earlier, when earnings were held back by a U.S. crackdown on Internet gaming.

Sportingbet aims to enter more markets as it rebuilds sales after the U.S. ban wiped out more than half of revenue and forced the bookmaker to sell its local unit for $1. The company took over its Turkish marketing partner and Italian unit last year to expand and compete more effectively with rivals such as 888 Holdings Plc, the owner of the Pacific Poker brand.

“Spain, Greece and certain eastern European states remain under the marketing partner model,” Sportingbet said in the statement. “Where the opportunity arises to take further control of these markets on acceptable terms, the group will continue to do so.”

Rise in net income:
Net income jumped to 2.9 million pounds in the three months through January from 200,000 pounds a year earlier. The amount bet by customers gained 30 percent to 364.7 million pounds as more European and Australian gamblers made wagers.

Sportingbet stocks lost almost nine-tenths of their value in 2006 and has dropped 10 percent in 2008. Sportingbet shares rose 10 percent on Feb. 25 after the Sunday Express said former suitor Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG was considering a bid.

The Bwin speculation is “a load of old rubbish,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew McIver, who started the job in October 2006, told journalists. “I can categorically say at the moment Bwin has no intention.”

The amount staked by European customers on sports betting climbed 35 percent to 212.4 million pounds during the quarter. Australian gamblers wagered 136.3 million pounds, up 24 percent.

Garber to leave PartyGaming as yearly net revenues rise 41%

PartyGaming chief executive Mitch Garber will not be renewing his contract with the company beyond 1 May 2009. Garber, a Canadian national, said he planned to return to North America with his family and will remain with the firm until a successor is found.

Garber said: “PartyGaming is an extraordinary company. The challenges we have faced and overcome over the past 18 months have been no less extraordinary. There is never a good time to announce that you intend to leave a company, but I personally take great pride in the fact that the Company is delivering on its business strategy and is in great shape to exploit its full potential in the future.”

PartyGaming announced a 41% rise in net revenue from continuing operations for the 12-month period to the end of December 2007 to US$476m, compared with US$325m in 2006. Total group revenue however dropped 57% to US$476m, compared with US$1.1bn in 2006, reflecting the company’s exit from the US market after UIGEA.

The company recorded a drop in after tax profits to US$41.6m, compared with US$128.4m during the same period last year, while pre-tax profits came in at US$6.7m, compared with a loss of US$77.4m in 2006.

Clean EBITDA rose 119% to US$111.7m, compared with US$50.9m last year.

Non-executive chairman Michael Jackson commented: “These results are a testament to our chosen business strategy, keep us at the forefront of the industry and provide us with a robust and scaleable platform for growth. This has all been achieved whilst adopting a conservative, but we believe responsible view of the regulatory environment. Whilst our approach means that we continue to forego revenue opportunities in the short-term, we believe that such revenue streams are at risk and we remain confident that our chosen strategy will generate superior returns for shareholders over the long-term.”

Commenting on Mitch Garber’s decision to leave PartyGaming, Jackson said: “The board respects his decision to return to North America. Mitch has been instrumental in refocusing and rebuilding the business and delivering strong financial results in challenging circumstances. He will remain as CEO until a successor is found and has also agreed to remain available thereafter to ensure an orderly and seamless transition.”