The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup that eventually concluded with a thrilling 4-2 Mexico victory over the U.S. captivated soccer fans this past summer. It drew record attendance throughout the proceedings, and that record attendance was eventually capped off with a 93,420-person showing at the Rose Bowl for the final.
According to a new Sports Illustrated report, however, there were also apparently instances of match-fixing occurring throughout.
"There has been information that some matches in the Gold Cup were manipulated," FIFA head of security Chris Eaton confirmed to Grant Wahl of SI.com. "We worked with CONCACAF at the time, and CONCACAF have been very interested in following up any information that can be revealed in the future on that."
And what specifically led them to this conclusion? Irregular betting patterns over the course of the tournament were prevalent, it seems. Sports Illustrated approached a leading betting-industry expert while researching their report, and he admitted that strange patterns led him to be suspicious of every game featuring Cuba and Grenada, as well as El Salvador’s 5-0 defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup.
SI noted:
The games involving Grenada (which lost three matches by a combined 15-1) and Cuba (which was outscored 16-1), the insider said, stood out: "It was the sort of thing where we sat around and said, 'Yeah, this looks like it's a 99 percent chance that it's bent.'"
Interestingly enough, the betting that reportedly took place in this instance wasn’t the kind that traditionally springs to mind when it comes to sports gambling. Rather, it was “in-running betting” in which wagers are placed over the course of the game on things that will happen from the point at which the bet was made, going forward.
"With Cuba and Grenada, yes, they're terrible, but there's lots of other teams that are also terrible, and generally those of us in soccer betting are used to pricing out these sorts of games, where you have very good against very bad," the expert told SI. "We see them a lot in the World Cup and European Championship qualifying. What I would say is that the odds movements for in-running betting [in Cuba and Grenada's Gold Cup games] were just incredibly, incredibly unusual and extreme. We're talking about five to 10 times what you would typically see. And these extreme odds movements would be subsequently vindicated by what was happening on the field."
Despite the murmurs of improprieties, though, nothing has been proven as of yet. If there was any wrongdoing, however, more investigations will no doubt chip away at the wall of secrecy that has been built around soccer-related gambling controversies over the last few decades.
December 09, 2011
Unibet stops all gaming activity in Spain
In order to comply with the new Spanish Gambling regulations, Unibet will stop all gaming activity in Spain as of 20th of December 2011.
The majority of the Spanish banners/text links in your affiliate account will be de-activated on the 14th of December 2011. However, we will keep the best performing banners/text links active and re-direct these to the Brasilian website as of 14th of December 2011.
If you are currently promoting Unibet or Maria in Spain we would kindly ask that you substitute your Spanish banners/text links from your website to avoid dead links.
We have a wide range of geo targeted text links that you can use to promote Unibet and Maria. You will find these in the Media Gallery when searching for language English (International). We also have a range of geo targeted banners in the system that have proven very popular. You will find these in your Media Gallery under the tab Geo location media groups.
If you are already using existing geo targeted banners/text links you do not need to do anything as they will still function correctly.
Rest assured your acquired customers will remain under your affiliate account and you can login at any time as the affiliate account will still be open.
The majority of the Spanish banners/text links in your affiliate account will be de-activated on the 14th of December 2011. However, we will keep the best performing banners/text links active and re-direct these to the Brasilian website as of 14th of December 2011.
If you are currently promoting Unibet or Maria in Spain we would kindly ask that you substitute your Spanish banners/text links from your website to avoid dead links.
We have a wide range of geo targeted text links that you can use to promote Unibet and Maria. You will find these in the Media Gallery when searching for language English (International). We also have a range of geo targeted banners in the system that have proven very popular. You will find these in your Media Gallery under the tab Geo location media groups.
If you are already using existing geo targeted banners/text links you do not need to do anything as they will still function correctly.
Rest assured your acquired customers will remain under your affiliate account and you can login at any time as the affiliate account will still be open.
December 08, 2011
UEFA, ARJEL find no unusual betting in Lyon's 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in Champions League
An investigation into Lyon's unlikely 7-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb failed to turn up any unusual betting patterns, and even UEFA said Thursday it found nothing suspicious about the outcome.
ARJEL, France's online gambling regulator, routinely looks into "atypical" scorelines, but said it found nothing out of the ordinary — either in the total amount gambled online with French operators, the number of bets, their spread, or in how odds evolved during the game.
The lopsided result helped Lyon advance to the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. That, combined with the apparent ease with which it scored some of its goals, sparked talk that the match may have been fixed.
Ajax, the team that was eliminated on goal difference after losing to Real Madrid 3-0, asked for a UEFA investigation into Lyon's match.
"By asking a number of open questions, we at least expect to get a clear reaction from their side," Ajax interim director Martin Sturkenboom said. "Doing nothing is not an option. This way, we protect our position for the future should something irregular surface."
UEFA's gambling fraud detection system, which taps into information from more than 400 betting companies and monitors 29,000 games per season, is designed to spot telltale suspicious gambling patterns that could point to match-fixing.
"For the time being this system has not shown any irregular betting patterns around (Wednesday's) games or their outcome that would justify any enquiry on that front," UEFA said.
"UEFA also pays a lot of attention to the sporting behaviour on the pitch and we are currently waiting to receive the reports of the referee, referee observer and match delegate to see if, in their opinion, something suspicious might have happened. If there is anything in these reports that could raise a doubt, UEFA may then charge a disciplinary inspector to investigate the matter. But there is nothing at this stage that would justify doing so."
For some, suspicions were aroused by an apparent wink that Dinamo defender Domagoj Vida appeared to direct at Bafetimbi Gomis as he helped the Lyon forward pluck the ball out of the net after Lisandro scored the French team's fifth goal.
"I have no doubts whatsoever about the integrity of the match or the competition," UEFA President Michel Platini said after an executive committee meeting in Venice, Italy. "I believe in this competition and I believe in the integrity of the players in this competition."
ARJEL's regulatory powers over online gambling in France include combating fraud. The agency said probing matches that, for whatever reason, are deemed to be suspicious is one of its duties.
Lyon said in a statement on its website that ARJEL was simply following its procedures by carrying out postgame checks.
"The club totally approves of this action which is undertaken whenever a sporting result is considered atypical," Lyon said.
It also appeared to frown on suspicious mutterings about the result, saying it "regrets that comments are not being limited to the sporting aspect of an incredible exploit both for Olympique Lyonnais and for French football."
In Croatia, Dinamo issued a statement describing speculation about the result as "shameful, malicious and tendentious."
"(It's) a defeat that was hard to imagine," Dinamo said, noting that coach Krunoslav Jurcic was fired because of it. "A team that was more powerful, superior in numbers and had greater motivation ... won yesterday."
Dinamo midfielder Jerko Leko was sent off in the 28th minute for collecting two yellow cards in quick succession. Lyon failed to score before that and even trailed 1-0 in the first half before its unlikely comeback.
Gomis led the rout with four goals, including a seven-minute hat trick — the fastest ever in the Champions League. Besides Lisandro, Maxime Gonalons and Jimmy Briand also scored.
Because only a win and a deluge of goals would do it, Lyon looked extremely unlikely to qualify ahead of Ajax in Group D. Lyon coach Remi Garde was quoted as saying that qualification was "unimaginable."
The front-page headline of French sports daily L'Equipe on Thursday was "Miraculous!"
Ajax needed only a draw at home in the other Group D match against a below-strength Real Madrid to qualify ahead of Lyon. Instead, it lost 3-0. Ajax coach Frank de Boer said Dinamo could have made it harder for Lyon to pull off its stunning feat.
"I know that if you are down to 10 men, as they were after a half hour, I think, that if you play 4-4-1 and you are 1-0 up then you can make it very hard for your opponent," De Boer said. "I've heard that the goals were very easy. But we have to look to ourselves. We didn't do well enough. We should have got a minimum of a point and we didn't."
ARJEL, France's online gambling regulator, routinely looks into "atypical" scorelines, but said it found nothing out of the ordinary — either in the total amount gambled online with French operators, the number of bets, their spread, or in how odds evolved during the game.
The lopsided result helped Lyon advance to the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. That, combined with the apparent ease with which it scored some of its goals, sparked talk that the match may have been fixed.
Ajax, the team that was eliminated on goal difference after losing to Real Madrid 3-0, asked for a UEFA investigation into Lyon's match.
"By asking a number of open questions, we at least expect to get a clear reaction from their side," Ajax interim director Martin Sturkenboom said. "Doing nothing is not an option. This way, we protect our position for the future should something irregular surface."
UEFA's gambling fraud detection system, which taps into information from more than 400 betting companies and monitors 29,000 games per season, is designed to spot telltale suspicious gambling patterns that could point to match-fixing.
"For the time being this system has not shown any irregular betting patterns around (Wednesday's) games or their outcome that would justify any enquiry on that front," UEFA said.
"UEFA also pays a lot of attention to the sporting behaviour on the pitch and we are currently waiting to receive the reports of the referee, referee observer and match delegate to see if, in their opinion, something suspicious might have happened. If there is anything in these reports that could raise a doubt, UEFA may then charge a disciplinary inspector to investigate the matter. But there is nothing at this stage that would justify doing so."
For some, suspicions were aroused by an apparent wink that Dinamo defender Domagoj Vida appeared to direct at Bafetimbi Gomis as he helped the Lyon forward pluck the ball out of the net after Lisandro scored the French team's fifth goal.
"I have no doubts whatsoever about the integrity of the match or the competition," UEFA President Michel Platini said after an executive committee meeting in Venice, Italy. "I believe in this competition and I believe in the integrity of the players in this competition."
ARJEL's regulatory powers over online gambling in France include combating fraud. The agency said probing matches that, for whatever reason, are deemed to be suspicious is one of its duties.
Lyon said in a statement on its website that ARJEL was simply following its procedures by carrying out postgame checks.
"The club totally approves of this action which is undertaken whenever a sporting result is considered atypical," Lyon said.
It also appeared to frown on suspicious mutterings about the result, saying it "regrets that comments are not being limited to the sporting aspect of an incredible exploit both for Olympique Lyonnais and for French football."
In Croatia, Dinamo issued a statement describing speculation about the result as "shameful, malicious and tendentious."
"(It's) a defeat that was hard to imagine," Dinamo said, noting that coach Krunoslav Jurcic was fired because of it. "A team that was more powerful, superior in numbers and had greater motivation ... won yesterday."
Dinamo midfielder Jerko Leko was sent off in the 28th minute for collecting two yellow cards in quick succession. Lyon failed to score before that and even trailed 1-0 in the first half before its unlikely comeback.
Gomis led the rout with four goals, including a seven-minute hat trick — the fastest ever in the Champions League. Besides Lisandro, Maxime Gonalons and Jimmy Briand also scored.
Because only a win and a deluge of goals would do it, Lyon looked extremely unlikely to qualify ahead of Ajax in Group D. Lyon coach Remi Garde was quoted as saying that qualification was "unimaginable."
The front-page headline of French sports daily L'Equipe on Thursday was "Miraculous!"
Ajax needed only a draw at home in the other Group D match against a below-strength Real Madrid to qualify ahead of Lyon. Instead, it lost 3-0. Ajax coach Frank de Boer said Dinamo could have made it harder for Lyon to pull off its stunning feat.
"I know that if you are down to 10 men, as they were after a half hour, I think, that if you play 4-4-1 and you are 1-0 up then you can make it very hard for your opponent," De Boer said. "I've heard that the goals were very easy. But we have to look to ourselves. We didn't do well enough. We should have got a minimum of a point and we didn't."
Wilshere denies betting claim over wager placed on Arsenal's Greek tragedy
Jack Wilshere has denied betting on his own team - which is strictly prohibited by UEFA - during Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Olympiakos.
The England midfielder, who is currently out of action with an ankle injury, could be in trouble with European football’s governing body after suggesting he had placed a bet on Emmanuel Frimpong to score the first goal in Tuesday night’s game.
Wilshere, 19, said Frimpong could be ‘worth a cheeky £10’ before posting ‘Frimmy nearly won me some money there!’ when the Ghanaian midfielder narrowly missed the target with the score at 0-0.
Olympiakos forward Rafik Djebbour eventually broke the deadlock in the Greek side’s 3-1 win, but Wilshere later insisted he had not put a wager on.
The Arsenal star said before the match: ‘Champions league tonight come on the Arsenal! @Frimpong26AFC 1st goal is 150-1... worth a cheeky £10 right?’
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny replied to Wilshere saying that a bet would be a waste of money, and Frimpong responded: ‘Cheers Guys U can put a tenner on a tackle? whats the odds:)’
UEFA is now looking into Wilshere’s tweets. The midfielder could face a fine or even a ban if found guilty of breaching the rules.
A spokesman said: ‘All persons bound by UEFA’s rules must refrain from any behaviour that could damage the integrity of matches and competitions.
‘A breach of these principles is committed by anyone who participates directly or indirectly in betting or who has a financial interest in such activities.’
Wilshere moved to defend himself after the game, insisting he had been joking. He said: ‘I didn’t actually bet on the game. I know we’re not allowed to! I was only messing #justtobeclear’
The tweets have since been deleted from Wilshere’s account.
The England midfielder, who is currently out of action with an ankle injury, could be in trouble with European football’s governing body after suggesting he had placed a bet on Emmanuel Frimpong to score the first goal in Tuesday night’s game.
Wilshere, 19, said Frimpong could be ‘worth a cheeky £10’ before posting ‘Frimmy nearly won me some money there!’ when the Ghanaian midfielder narrowly missed the target with the score at 0-0.
Olympiakos forward Rafik Djebbour eventually broke the deadlock in the Greek side’s 3-1 win, but Wilshere later insisted he had not put a wager on.
The Arsenal star said before the match: ‘Champions league tonight come on the Arsenal! @Frimpong26AFC 1st goal is 150-1... worth a cheeky £10 right?’
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny replied to Wilshere saying that a bet would be a waste of money, and Frimpong responded: ‘Cheers Guys U can put a tenner on a tackle? whats the odds:)’
UEFA is now looking into Wilshere’s tweets. The midfielder could face a fine or even a ban if found guilty of breaching the rules.
A spokesman said: ‘All persons bound by UEFA’s rules must refrain from any behaviour that could damage the integrity of matches and competitions.
‘A breach of these principles is committed by anyone who participates directly or indirectly in betting or who has a financial interest in such activities.’
Wilshere moved to defend himself after the game, insisting he had been joking. He said: ‘I didn’t actually bet on the game. I know we’re not allowed to! I was only messing #justtobeclear’
The tweets have since been deleted from Wilshere’s account.
December 07, 2011
AGCC launches external review of actions against Full Tilt
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has launched an independent review of its actions and processes leading up to the suspension and eventual revocation of licences belonging to Full Tilt Poker, which will be conducted by the former chairman of the UK Gambling Commission, Peter Dean CBE.
The AGCC said the decision had been taken in order to provide full transparency of the actions taken by the commission against Full Tilt, focussing specifically on the appropriateness, timeliness and fairness of the actions undertaken.
The licences of Vantage Limited, Filco Limited, and Oxalic Limited (together trading as Full Tilt Poker) were suspended by the AGCC on June 29th 2011 and revoked by the AGCC Commissioners on September 29th.
“As soon as we became aware that there were possible irregularities in relation to FTP’s operational integrity AGCC acted to discharge fully our statutory obligations,” said André Wilsenach, AGCC’s executive director. “We believe we acted appropriately and fairly at all times but, following our own internal assessment and the inevitable questions that have been raised by third parties, the Commission decided that it is in the best interests of players, licence holders and AGCC itself to commission an independent review and to make the outcome public.”
The AGCC has appointed Peter dean CBE, the former chairman of the UK Gambling Commission, to conduct the review.
Dean was chairman of the Gaming Board for Great Britain, and subsequently the Gambling Commission from 1998 to 2007. Prior to this, he was deputy chairman of the UK’s Monopolies and Mergers Commission from 1990 to 1997 and from 1996 to 2001 served as the Investment Ombudsman appointed by the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation (IMRO) to handle complaints against IMRO regulated companies. He is also a former chairman of the International Association of Gaming Regulators
“I am delighted that Peter Dean has agreed to conduct the review,” continued Wilsenach. “He has many years of experience at the top of the British Gambling Commission and commands wide respect from operators and regulators alike. He has been asked to review fully the actions taken by AGCC in respect of FTP and to focus specifically on the appropriateness, timeliness and fairness of those actions.”
Dean will present a final report and recommendations to the Commission by the end of March 2012.
The AGCC said the decision had been taken in order to provide full transparency of the actions taken by the commission against Full Tilt, focussing specifically on the appropriateness, timeliness and fairness of the actions undertaken.
The licences of Vantage Limited, Filco Limited, and Oxalic Limited (together trading as Full Tilt Poker) were suspended by the AGCC on June 29th 2011 and revoked by the AGCC Commissioners on September 29th.
“As soon as we became aware that there were possible irregularities in relation to FTP’s operational integrity AGCC acted to discharge fully our statutory obligations,” said André Wilsenach, AGCC’s executive director. “We believe we acted appropriately and fairly at all times but, following our own internal assessment and the inevitable questions that have been raised by third parties, the Commission decided that it is in the best interests of players, licence holders and AGCC itself to commission an independent review and to make the outcome public.”
The AGCC has appointed Peter dean CBE, the former chairman of the UK Gambling Commission, to conduct the review.
Dean was chairman of the Gaming Board for Great Britain, and subsequently the Gambling Commission from 1998 to 2007. Prior to this, he was deputy chairman of the UK’s Monopolies and Mergers Commission from 1990 to 1997 and from 1996 to 2001 served as the Investment Ombudsman appointed by the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation (IMRO) to handle complaints against IMRO regulated companies. He is also a former chairman of the International Association of Gaming Regulators
“I am delighted that Peter Dean has agreed to conduct the review,” continued Wilsenach. “He has many years of experience at the top of the British Gambling Commission and commands wide respect from operators and regulators alike. He has been asked to review fully the actions taken by AGCC in respect of FTP and to focus specifically on the appropriateness, timeliness and fairness of those actions.”
Dean will present a final report and recommendations to the Commission by the end of March 2012.
December 01, 2011
PokerStars buys Cara de Poker
Ahead of early Spanish regulation in 2012, PokerStars has increased its presence with an acquisition of the Spanish iPoker skin Cara de Poker. According to the announcement on the CaraDePoker.com website posted yesterday, player accounts – including their funds and VIP points – are to being moved over the PokerStars platform.
“[Beginning next year] only license holders will be permitted to offer poker games and tournaments to Spanish players, significantly reducing the number of games available,” explains the official statement on the website, referring to the new regulatory system in Spain that will segregate the player pool and create a regulated dot.es market.
“Only the largest room in the world and in Spain will be able to offer the number of cash tables and tournaments needed to provide a superior experience,” continues the statement, titled “PokerStars, The Best Possible Choice.”
The Cara de Poker iPoker skin has closed, and customers who start the software are greeted with a message informing them that an account migration to PokerStars is in progress. It’s been reported that PokerStars is certainly well positioned to capitalize on a new Spanish regulated market, assuming regulation proceeds as planned and the poker room receives a license.
“[Beginning next year] only license holders will be permitted to offer poker games and tournaments to Spanish players, significantly reducing the number of games available,” explains the official statement on the website, referring to the new regulatory system in Spain that will segregate the player pool and create a regulated dot.es market.
“Only the largest room in the world and in Spain will be able to offer the number of cash tables and tournaments needed to provide a superior experience,” continues the statement, titled “PokerStars, The Best Possible Choice.”
The Cara de Poker iPoker skin has closed, and customers who start the software are greeted with a message informing them that an account migration to PokerStars is in progress. It’s been reported that PokerStars is certainly well positioned to capitalize on a new Spanish regulated market, assuming regulation proceeds as planned and the poker room receives a license.
Forced into online black market gambling?
A review of the £1.7 billion British online gambling market is set to be reviewed in early December. It’s been reported that a secondary licensing fee on offshore gaming companies operating in British markets could be on the cards. The shakeup means that the government could close tax loopholes taken advantage of by offshore online gambling operators. Most of the top 20 operators in the UK market operate from offshore locations and do not pay taxes or horseracing levies in Britain. William Hill, in particular has voiced themselves on the issue.
It’s been reported that William Hill is the gambling group most likely to be affected by the secondary license fee. It has more than 10% market share and operates offshore. It commissioned professional business services provider Deloittes to carry out a review.
Deloittes concludes that secondary taxation at the point of consumption could lead to an exodus of the more reputable online gambling operators, forcing an estimated 40% of the players to shift to unauthorized and untaxed operators. This would result in the growth of a black market in online gambling. A spokesman for William Hill told The Independent newspaper, “The question for the Government is, should it introduce policy which distorts markets?”
The drastic proposal was aired by Tory MP Matthew Hancock and would involve taking tax from where a bet is placed as opposed to the physical location of the company. It means companies that decided to buy up a money-saving sun-haven need a UK Gambling Commission license. An Independent article quotes the Deloitte report as saying “a 15 per cent tax could mean two-fifths of legitimate firms leaving the UK market.” Hancock wants to determine where online gambling is taking place in an annual Finance Bill.
Changes are expected to come into force this time next year. The UK remains one of the world’s best licensing regimes and companies – private or public – will always be attracted to a country that has the centre of the iGaming universe, London, at its core.
It’s been reported that William Hill is the gambling group most likely to be affected by the secondary license fee. It has more than 10% market share and operates offshore. It commissioned professional business services provider Deloittes to carry out a review.
Deloittes concludes that secondary taxation at the point of consumption could lead to an exodus of the more reputable online gambling operators, forcing an estimated 40% of the players to shift to unauthorized and untaxed operators. This would result in the growth of a black market in online gambling. A spokesman for William Hill told The Independent newspaper, “The question for the Government is, should it introduce policy which distorts markets?”
The drastic proposal was aired by Tory MP Matthew Hancock and would involve taking tax from where a bet is placed as opposed to the physical location of the company. It means companies that decided to buy up a money-saving sun-haven need a UK Gambling Commission license. An Independent article quotes the Deloitte report as saying “a 15 per cent tax could mean two-fifths of legitimate firms leaving the UK market.” Hancock wants to determine where online gambling is taking place in an annual Finance Bill.
Changes are expected to come into force this time next year. The UK remains one of the world’s best licensing regimes and companies – private or public – will always be attracted to a country that has the centre of the iGaming universe, London, at its core.
November 24, 2011
Playtech’s £100m plan
Online gaming software company Playtech is aiming to raise £100m by issuing 46.5 million shares at a 2.5% discount on yesterday’s closing price in London. The world’s biggest provider of online gambling software said it would raise the money in the discounted offering to finance acquisition opportunities and investments in new joint ventures.
The placement of about 46.5 million shares would be priced at 215 pence each, representing a 2.5 percent discount to the stock’s closing market price on Tuesday, Playtech said.
Billionaire Israeli founder Teddy Sagi holds a massive 40% stake and said it had identified a number of acquisition opportunities in regards to expanding its existing technology and product offerings.
The Estonia-based company operates a joint venture with Britain’s biggest bookmaker William Hill and provides software to Paddy Power, PartyGaming and Gala Coral.
The placement of about 46.5 million shares would be priced at 215 pence each, representing a 2.5 percent discount to the stock’s closing market price on Tuesday, Playtech said.
Billionaire Israeli founder Teddy Sagi holds a massive 40% stake and said it had identified a number of acquisition opportunities in regards to expanding its existing technology and product offerings.
The Estonia-based company operates a joint venture with Britain’s biggest bookmaker William Hill and provides software to Paddy Power, PartyGaming and Gala Coral.
November 22, 2011
Scots punter wins £132k on £1 bet after correctly predicting 18 football results.. but he needed last minute Arbroath penalty to clinch it
A punter has scooped £132,000 from a "miracle" £1 bet on football results.
The Scots gambler correctly predicted the winners of 18 matches in Scotland and England.
But his accumulator was only sealed by a 94th-minute penalty from Arbroath's Paul Sheerin.
It gave his side a 1-0 victory over Keith and completed the punter's dream line, which included another three Scottish matches and English teams such as West Ham, Leeds, Cardiff and Charlton.
The winner, who wants to remain anonymous, struck his bet at a Coral shop on Paisley Road West in Glasgow on Saturday.
And his payout capped a "devastating" weekend for bookies, who lost around £20million as a host of footie favourites won.
Last night, Coral spokesman David Stevens said: "In 10 years of working ... this is the most extraordinary tipping performance I have seen.
"It's hard enough finding one winner but to get 18 in one day is nothing short of miraculous. We're delighted that this customer has hit the jackpot in time for Christmas.
"It just goes to show you don't have to stake big money to win big money."
Stevens added: "We are still counting the cost of the weekend but we think the results have cost bookmakers about £20million.
"We also had a £48,000 winner south of the Border and lots of smaller wins of a few thousand.
"But the £132,000 winner was the biggest by far.
"And the difference between his win and the rest was that he didn't back top-flight teams - the big guns who people usually back first. That's what makes it so special."
The payout is a latest big-money win for Scots punters. In May, a Glasgow gambler scooped £353,000 on a £1 seven-horse accumulator.
And in August, Dumfries grandad Stuart Smith, 58, became Scotland's first betting shop millionaire, landing the jackpot on the 49's lottery game.
The Scots gambler correctly predicted the winners of 18 matches in Scotland and England.
But his accumulator was only sealed by a 94th-minute penalty from Arbroath's Paul Sheerin.
It gave his side a 1-0 victory over Keith and completed the punter's dream line, which included another three Scottish matches and English teams such as West Ham, Leeds, Cardiff and Charlton.
The winner, who wants to remain anonymous, struck his bet at a Coral shop on Paisley Road West in Glasgow on Saturday.
And his payout capped a "devastating" weekend for bookies, who lost around £20million as a host of footie favourites won.
Last night, Coral spokesman David Stevens said: "In 10 years of working ... this is the most extraordinary tipping performance I have seen.
"It's hard enough finding one winner but to get 18 in one day is nothing short of miraculous. We're delighted that this customer has hit the jackpot in time for Christmas.
"It just goes to show you don't have to stake big money to win big money."
Stevens added: "We are still counting the cost of the weekend but we think the results have cost bookmakers about £20million.
"We also had a £48,000 winner south of the Border and lots of smaller wins of a few thousand.
"But the £132,000 winner was the biggest by far.
"And the difference between his win and the rest was that he didn't back top-flight teams - the big guns who people usually back first. That's what makes it so special."
The payout is a latest big-money win for Scots punters. In May, a Glasgow gambler scooped £353,000 on a £1 seven-horse accumulator.
And in August, Dumfries grandad Stuart Smith, 58, became Scotland's first betting shop millionaire, landing the jackpot on the 49's lottery game.
November 18, 2011
Bernard Tapie Signs Deal with DOJ to Acquire Full Tilt Poker
Players holding out hope that their money on Full Tilt Poker would be returned to them sooner rather than later got some great news on Thursday. CNNMoney.com first broke the story that Groupe Bernard Tapie had signed a deal to purchase the assets of Full Tilt Poker for $80 million US.
As part of the deal Full Tilt Poker agreed to surrender its assets to the Department of Justice. The DOJ was then able to sell those assets to GBT. American players will be paid back by the Department of Justice while GBT assumes all debts for players outside the United States. Estimates put the the amount owed at $390 million with $150 million being owed to U.S. players.
The deal still needs approval of 2/3 of Full Tilt Poker shareholders.
The deal between GBT and the DOJ is expected to be officially announced by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, on Friday. The story which ran on CNNMoney and Yahoo! Finance was done so ahead of an embargo which should have seen the story made public Friday morning at 6:45 ET.
According to CNN Money, “the government plans to dismiss the civil forfeiture proceedings. This will have no impact on individual proceedings, but it removes a potential liability for shareholders, as it removes all pending proceeding against Full Tilt”. In August, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst were added to the forfeiture and civil money laundering complaint brought by Bharara’s office that originally only named Ray Bitar. All four are members of the board of directors for Full Tilt Poker.
As part of the deal Full Tilt Poker agreed to surrender its assets to the Department of Justice. The DOJ was then able to sell those assets to GBT. American players will be paid back by the Department of Justice while GBT assumes all debts for players outside the United States. Estimates put the the amount owed at $390 million with $150 million being owed to U.S. players.
The deal still needs approval of 2/3 of Full Tilt Poker shareholders.
The deal between GBT and the DOJ is expected to be officially announced by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, on Friday. The story which ran on CNNMoney and Yahoo! Finance was done so ahead of an embargo which should have seen the story made public Friday morning at 6:45 ET.
According to CNN Money, “the government plans to dismiss the civil forfeiture proceedings. This will have no impact on individual proceedings, but it removes a potential liability for shareholders, as it removes all pending proceeding against Full Tilt”. In August, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst were added to the forfeiture and civil money laundering complaint brought by Bharara’s office that originally only named Ray Bitar. All four are members of the board of directors for Full Tilt Poker.
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