Simple Sparrow

Betting Exchanges 2016

Betting Exchanges are fairly popular compared to online sportsbooks. A few have opened in the past year including Smarkets and SpiffX. In 2016 they will only get more popular as more players start to choose betting exchanges because of the peer to peer betting capabilities plus the fact that more players are on the system meaning more action.

Smarkets

Smarkets is about 2 years old but they are still considered very new in the world of betting exchanges with their other newest rival being Matchbook. Smarkets has a clean interface and has a unique story of how they launched by getting venture capital funding with a strong business plan to grow the site into a legitimate business which it is. 

SpiffX

SpiffX is also relatively new to the scene. They are licensed in just Malta and not in the UK which is a bit of a letdown for UK players. Despite that, the site has more work to do to earn the confidence of punters wanting to test out their site and odds. 

Matchbook

Matchbook is definitely a contender for best betting exchange around. If you like casino games, they have a casino on the side which most top bookmakers do have so this is almost standard. Some players like it, others hate the fact the have it as it's a distraction from betting on sports. Matchbook holds UK licenses and more, they are a serious bookie. 

Betfair

Betfair is considered by many as the first real legitimate betting exchange. They did it when a few others have tried and failed so the fact they have lasted for this long tells us they have done something right. As a sportsbook on it's own, they are ok and their casino is very good. 

Betdaq

Betdaq was a popular up and coming betting exchange, so popular that Ladbrokes decided to buy them out completely. 

In terms of making a decision on which betting exchange to pick, our top choices are Smarkets and Matchbook. Both sites have licenses by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and they have their operations nailed down solid, treat players good, always pay and on time, decent odds and competitive commission rates to not get in the way of the marketplace. 

 

Rugby World Cup 2015

The Rugby World Cup 2015 culminates to an eventful final in England as the teams are being decided at the moment of whom goes to the knockout round stages. Of course England are out of the tournament with a poor showing throughout and there have been other storylines to follow. South Africa are looking good after opening with a huge upset loss to Japan. New Zealand and Australia are looking like the dominant teams so the odds are really split between these 2 nations of who's going to win the tournament. 

At Smarkets betting exchange the current outright odds to win the tournament are as follows:

• New Zealand 2.26
• Australia 4.2
• South Africa 8.4
• Ireland 12
• France 14
• Wales 23

On Guts.com sportsbook you can bet on the individual matches as well. 

 

Australia

While most people have their eyes on New Zealand, Australia are just dominating their opponents. Mind you they have had some easy games but Australia is just too strong of a rugby nation and they are showing it too. 

New Zealand

Rugby and New Zealand are really synonymous with each other. Not winning the tournament is simply going to be chalked up as a failure even if it means losing in the finals. The team are on form and are looking strong and sharp. 

Wales

They are the team that are capable of knocking out any top team when they are on their game. If they get a good matchup against a giant like Australia or New Zealand then I think we'll have a competitive match that isn't exactly predictable either. 

Premier League Betting Tips & Guide

The English Premier League might not have the best players in the world without Messi and Ronaldo but the entire league itself is considered the best in football and that is what makes that league more exciting. You never know which team is going to win the league title and any team can be upset at any time.

In England, fans to crazy betting on football as they have all sorts of betting shops everywhere and seems like every street has either a William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral or Bet365 shop somewhere. Most fans either bet on a favourite team or player, or they might have such a strong hunch on who is going to win a match they'll just bet money on it without any consideration of the odds.  Then there are the other punters that search for football betting tips for the purpose of trying to gain an edge to turn a profit. It is always more fun to bet on sport when you are making money and winning more than you lose. Finding a good tipster isn't easy and doing the analysis yourself most of the time isn't a fun task either. 

Tips on betting on the English Premier League

Sometimes making the right picks on matches is not easy. It helps to have a tipster you can trust or to read the reviews and picks up a few quality tipsters. What you want is to make sure you are not overlooking vital information that you should take into consideration when placing a bet. For starters one of the most obvious things to consider is fan favourite. The population always bets on the favourite so the bookmakers need to lower the payout knowing that many players will bet on the match regardless if the payout is say 10% or 20% but for you, that is a significant difference. 

So a few pointers you should take into consideration when betting on any match:

• Are any players nursing injuries or not playing well? 
• Is a favourite struggling going into a match?
• What are the historical matchups of the teams?
• What is the record of the away team?
• Does one team have a style or formation that can expose their opponents?

Bets to avoid

Anytime you have a literal coin toss bet, avoid at all costs. Also picking exact scores is pure gambling so if you love to gamble, these bets are definitely fun but are not wise betting options unless you can predict something as accurate as a very low scoring affair for example. 

The e-sportbets website also offers a lot of cool features for players:

• Betting Articles & Glossary
• Free bets on football
• live streaming information to watch football
• Sportsbook Reviews
• £10.00 free every week to one lucky newsletter subscriber

They don't just cover the English Premier League but also touch up on some of the other stronger leagues in Europe including German Bundesliga and Spanish Liga. 

Of course the league that seems to draw the attention of fans around the globe is the UEFA Champions League which features the best teams from the top European football leagues and always draws in a huge audience. Of course you can always get coverage and betting tips on some of the other major football tournaments around the world like the Euro championships, World Cup, African Cup and the Copa America. 

You can get latest premier league betting tips at e-sportbets.org which is a website dedicated to football and betting on the sport. You can follow them on their Facebook page to get every game they cover and to join the discussion on football tips and picking your winners. 

Join them at facebook.com/Esportbets

World Cup arenas in Brazil 2014

The world cup in Brazil

Brazil is prepared to host the 2014 World Cup the most prestigious football event. Thousands of travelers are heading to Brazil for this tournament to watch some of the most thrilling games. There will be 32 countries taking part in the world this year, including the host country Brazil. This is the second time Brazil will be hosting the first time being 1950. The World Cup will be hosted in 12 cities across Brazil. The cities are the capitals of their states. The construction of new stadiums and the repair of the existing ones has had an enormous budget of one billion US dollars. Brazil is a famous football nation and has had a record of winning five world cup titles.

 

Certainly the World Cup will not only get a lot of people watching the event but many people betting on football. 

The world cup in Brazil will be hosted in the following stadiums in twelve cities:

The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro

The Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro is magnificent and it will be the stage for the finals, quarter final, round of 16 and 4 group stage matches. Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s second largest city and is popular for its beautiful waters the Copacabana beach. Other popular sites include ancient neighborhoods and museums. The Maracana stadium is an epic venue and has a history of hosting the World Cup Final in 1950 the same year it opened. July 13^th is the date for this year’s final and thousands of fans will throng the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo

The Arena Corinthians in Brazil’s largest city Sao Paulo will be the stage for Semi Final, Round of 16 as well as the opening game for the 4 group stage matches. In the entire globe Sao Paulo is currently the seventh largest city. The 2014 FIFA World Cup opening game on June 12th will be hosted at the Arena Corinthians.

The National Stadium in Brasilia

The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. The stadium Estádio Nacional Mane Garrincha was built in 1974. It borrows its name from the famous and legendary Brazilian footballer Garrincha. The 3^rd place match, the quarter finals, Round of 16 as well as 4 group stage matches will be held at this wonderful stadium.

The Mineirão in Belo Horizonte

The Belo Horizonte city is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. The city is bordered by Mountains and has amazing architecture with a blend of classical and modern buildings. The Mineirão stadium was constructed in the year 1965. It has a capacity of 67,000 attendants and is only second to the Maracana in terms of size and capacity. It has undergone major renovations and will host a Semi Final, Round of 16 as well as 4 Group stage matches.

The Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador

Salvador is the capital of the Bahia state. Much renowned for its street carnivals and outdoor parties it is referred to as Brazil’s capital of happiness. The Arena Fonte Nova was constructed for this year’s World Cup and will host a Quarter final, a round of 16 as well as 4 group stage matches.

Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza

The Fortaleza City is the capital of the Ceara state in Brazil. It is a popular tourist destination. It has exceptional sandy beaches. The Castelao stadium was constructed in 1973. It is also referred to as the Estádio Plácido Aderaldo Castelo. It will host Quarter final, Round of 16 as well as 4 Group stage matches.

The Arena Pernambuco in Recife

The state of Pernambuco has its capital at Recife. Recife is a key port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Arena Pernambuco stadium was constructed for this year’s World Cup and will host one round of 16 as well as 4 Group stage matches.

The Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre

The state of Rio Grande do Sul has its capital at Porto Alegre. This is one of the major economic, political and cultural center in Brazil. The Farroupilpha Park, Piratini Palace is among the many tourist attractions in Porto Alegre. The Estadio Beir-Rio stadium was constructed in 1959 and has undergone major renovations to be among the host stadiums for the 2014 World Cup. It now has a capacity of 56,000 attendants. It will host Round of 16 matches as well as 4 Group stage matches.

Arena das Dunas in Natal

The state of Rio Grande do Norte has its capital in Natal City. The city is considered the safest in Brazil and has a rich history and several museums. The stadium the Arena das Dunas is an architectural masterpiece. It will host 4 Group stage matches.

The Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba

The state of Mato Grosso has its capital in Cuiaba city. The City of Cuiaba has several parks and trees and is referred to as the Green City. It is at the heart of South America. The stadium the Arena Pantanal was constructed to host this year’s World Cup and has a capacity of 43,000 attendants. It will also host 4 Group matches.

The Arena de Baxaida in Curitiba

The state of Parana has its capital in Curitiba City. The city is renowned for its ecological urban development and is considered the best city to reside in. The Paço Municipal and the Japan Square are some of the major landmarks in Curitiba City. The Arena de Baxaida stadium has a capacity of 43,000 attendants and will host 4 Group stage matches.

The Arena de Amazonia in Manaus

The Amazonas state has its capital in Manaus City. It is found adjacent to the Amazon rain forest. The Arena de Amazonia stadium has a capacity of 43,000 attendants and was constructed for this year’s World Cup. It will also host 4 Group stage matches.

NFL 2013/2014 Season

The 2013/2014 NFL season has been a surprising one so far. There have been quite a few story lines that many are hoping will translate into an exciting playoffs. 

Denver Broncos - Peyton Manning is having possibly his best season ever. His offence is just ripping apart the defences they fast game in game out. He is also turning his receivers from no-namers and turning them into household names, well at least for Denver fans.

Andrew Luck for Indianpolis is having an impressive 2nd season and although it hurts Indy fans to see Peyton Manning playing better than before, at least they have solice in knowing that Luck is a great young quarterback who will be with the team well long after Manning retires, whenever that happens.

Robert Griffin III has recovered well from injury and is also showing that he is going to be a start for a long time to come. RG3 is giving Washington Redkins fans hope that they can compete for a SuperBowl in the near future. 

Meanwhile the New England Patriots are still being competitive despite losing way too many players to injury. It is surprising the team has been able to put up this many wins along the way and that is something Patriots fans have got used to over the years throughout their dynasty. They are always considered one of the strongest teams around and who knows how many more seasons Tom Brady has in him.

Who will win the SuperBowl?

The Kansas City Chiefs have yet to lose a game this season. They appear to be the real deal with a 7-0 record. 

The New Orleans Saints are marching along to a strong start to the season. The Cincinatti Bengals are also having a strong start to the season. 

Defending champions the Baltimore Ravens are off to a losing record at 3-4 which the team is coming off Ray Lewis retiring and Joe Flacco getting a cool $20 million per season. 

The Seattle Seahawks are having a strong season as well and look like a team that could go all the way.

So who do we think will win the Super Bowl?

It won't be the Patriots, the Colts or the Ravens.

It will be a toss up between the Saints, Broncos and the Chiefs. These 3 teams look like they are on another level than anyone else.

Canadian Grand Prix

The Canadian Grand Prix is here in Montreal as we have cold weather and rain.  At least there are no student protests happening to get in the way of enjoying the race weekend.  Instead it will be more than cool temperature and the possibility of rain for the entire weekend.

http://f1-bettings.com/races-results/grands-prix/canadian/

The sad thing about this race is there are rumors that this could be the last race in Montreal.  The city of Montreal is in complete disarray having to deal with a massive corruption inquiry.  These days Bernie Ecclestone is more concerned about getting paid rather than satisfying the needs of F1 fans.  To date his biggest revenue earnings appear to be Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.  

Fans love the Montreal race which for a while used to be the only event in North America.  Thankfully there is the United States Grand Prix to balance things but the Montreal race really needs to stay.  If it doesn't there is talk about having F1 in other parts of Canada namely British Columbia, Alberta and even in Ontario. A Toronto grand prix would be a marquee event and something any city in Canada should fight over having.

A rainy race won't be good for fans. It might become even more boring to watch with bad tyres already ruining the 2013 season and tickets are far from being sold out which is a real shame.  

Next race is the British Grand Prix. 

Aston Villa trying to avoid relegation 2012-2013

In the midway point of December Aston Villa are way too close for comfort and are very dear towards getting relegated. With 16 games played and only 15 points this is not the season this team was looking to have. Their team on paper looks decent but they are certainly finding ways to lose and they simply cannot afford to be any wear near regulation.  The amount of financial damage it would cause to the club would be nearly irreparable. 

Aston Villa have an upcoming match against Liverpool FC. A loss here would be a big blow to the club and Liverpool have enough star power to secure a victory. The odds on the Liverpool Aston Villa game are heavily against Aston Villa but if you pick Villa for an upset win then you should see a decent payout on the bookies. It is probably good expected value if you pick Villa over Liverpool but not to kid ourselves Liverpool should be destined for a win in this match. A tie is probably unlikely but you can expect that both teams will be fighting for a victory as both are in need of one. That's what makes the English Premier league so exciting to watch. You can almost bet that every game will be ultra competitive and every game actually means something.  This is why compared to other leagues like La Liga or Serie A that people say EPL is the best in the world because every challenge means something and players have to actually play football and spend less time acting and flopping around the pitch like wankers.

Some of the other odds offered include man of the match where the usual suspects will be in the spotlight.

Expect to see a continuation of the Luis Suarez show as he is nearly leading the league in goals and could actually be the league goal scorer provided that he doesn't earn himself too many suspensions unlike last season. Either way he has scored amazing goals this season and fans have almost forgotten about his racism events from last season and are focusing on what people should be doing of Suarez, that is his football and scoring prowess. 

Yes Villa do have a few options at the striker position but this game will most likely be determined by Suarez alone. If he scores the team will probably win, if he chokes that might be the reason why they would lose or tie on this match. 

Singapore F1 races at night

The night race in Singapore is by far the most entertaining race of the season. The images of the cars racing at night could have never been perfected in the past but were now living in the future and this race has become one of the fan favourites ever since they launched the first night race 5 years ago. Perhaps the reason for wanting a night race was the wrong reason, which is to get another grand prix in Asia where the sport is hugely popular but be on at a decent time where Europeans and the British can watch the race at a reasonable time. The end result is the accidental best idea ever.

At F1-bettings.com the latest odds suggest Fernando Alonso probably can't be caught for the title race at the end of the season. The RedBulls although have had a few wins this season, are really just sitting ducks in water. The only title threat is going to be from Lewis Hamilton and the constructors championship is only going to be between McLaren trying to chase RedBull Racing which doesn't look too difficult of a challenge. 

Perhaps the quietest driver of the year has been Kimi Raikkonen. He is a fan favourite for being one of the true bad boys of F1 racing as he truly is the Iceman, not because he is from Finland but because he never lets any emotion out and some wonder if he even has a sense of humour. He is 3rd place and 1 point behind Lewis Hamilton for 2nd place. If he can win a few races at the end of the season, he actually has a very real chance of catching Alonso and surpassing Hamilton. 

Didier Drogba leaves Chelsea on highest note

Didier Drogba: Whenever the topic of football comes to play, it’s inevitable to hear the word Didier Drogba being mentioned. He currently plays for Chelsea in the center forward position and has proved to be one of the world’s best player in this position. He is ranked as the forth best highest goal scorer in Chelsea and with an inevitable promise of beating the record next season. Having his roots in West Africa (Ivory Coast), Drogba has risen to be a champion to reckon with in the football arena.

He started his career at a tender age under the influence of his uncle who was a football coach. He moved from Ivory Coast to France where he joined Dunkirk in 1988 to pursue his career. Things didn’t work as he expected and he moved to various clubs in such of greener pastures. However it wasn’t long before he joined Guingamp that he came to the limelight after scrolling a maximum of 17 goals. After this he was recruited by Marseille and his prowess was further discovered and it was during this time that Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho came hunting for him offering a deal worth £24 million. This was the year 2004; little did he know that Chelsea was to be his home to date. Chelsea’s achievements can be credited to Didier Drogba.

Having seen Chelsea win over Bayern Munich on Saturday news are that this was probably his last final game for the Blues as he has intentions of renewing his contract with the club which expires on June 30th. Drogba made history after helping Chelsea win two consecutive premier league titles in 2006. During this time he also won the African footballer of the year award after seeing the Elephants to the finals. This was the peak of his career.

Drogba has left Chelsea just days after an epic Champions League final where on the final play of the game, he scored a penalty to win. It is probably better to leave in this manner than to age and wonder about playing time.

A Manchester Race For The Title

A Manchester Race For The Title

With nine rounds left in the Premier League, the battle for the title will be between two rivals, two neighbors, two teams from Manchester: Manchester United and Manchester City.

Currently with 73 points the Red Devils are enjoying the top spot, with three points lead to Manchester City, who have recently stepped down on spot two. And while Manchester United has won 12 title since the creation of Premier League, with the most recent one, last season, Manchester City hasn’t won one since season 1967-68, or over 54 years.

City’s defensive midfielder Patrick Vieira had called United, ‘desperate’ last week from bringing Paul Scholes out of retirement and back to the team. Of course manager Alex Ferguson’s response was just as teasing, replying that he doubts that brining the best midfielder in Premier League back is desperate, but bringing back a suspended player (Carlos Tevez) after 5 months of punishment is.

This is just the beginning of what’s coming up, and perhaps all ends on April 30^th 2012, when Manchester City will meet Manchester United on Etihad Stadium, and the title will most likely be decided there, if both teams continue to win match after match.

Manchester United Advantages: Best attack in the league with 74 scored goals. Wayne Rooney in exceptional shape with 21 goals in the season so far. The best visitor in Premier League with 36 points so far.

Manchester City Advantages: Best defense in the league so far with only 22 conceded goals in 30 games. Almost as good attack as United, with 72 goals scored. Sergio Aguero has a great season with 17 goals scored in the league so far.

Manchester United Disadvantages: Problems with injured defensive players. Naïve mistake from goalkeeper De Gea, could cause problems for the team.

Manchester City Disadvantages: Lack of creativity in the second half of the season. The performance drop of David Silva is noticeable, and has an impact on the overall game.

Both teams are out of all tournaments at this point, as both teams dropped out of Champions League, after the group stage, and out of Europa League in the elimination stage. In addition both teams were knocked out of FA Cup and Carling Cup.

However one of these teams will call it a season, and will triumph with the title.

Got a favorite or a hunch on who is going to win this season? Choose from a variety of free bets and back your winner today. Visit e-sportbets.org that has information on how to get your Betfair free bet to bet on the matches. 

Meanwhile get the lastest news on bbc football here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/