Britains first Betting Shop Millionaire
February 25, 2008 by Robert
William Hill have reported that one of its punters is Britains first betting shop millionaire following a successful eight horse accumulator bet on placed in the company’s Thirsk, North Yorkshire branch on Friday 22nd February 2008.
The lucky punter, believed to be in his 50’s has been placing the same type of bet for years without much luck. However, he will never need to place another bet in his life following winning the biggest amount ever claimed in a British betting shop. A William Hill spokesman said “the punter want to keep a low profile following his win. he didn’t realise that he had won until he came to place his bets on Saturday, when shop staff informed him of his luck. He still placed £2.50 worth of bets but didn’t have the same luck”
The customer’s winning selections were -
Isn’t That Lucky - 2.55pm Sandown (8/1)
Mutamarres - 3.05pm Nad Al Sheba (7/2)
Mutasallil - 3.40pm Nad Al Sheba (11/2)
Racer Forever - 4.15pm Nad Al Sheba (4/1)
Ede’s 4.50pm - Warwick (10/1)
Rio L’Oren - 7.50pm Wolverhampton (15/2)
Guadaloup - 8.20pm Wolverhampton (11/2)
A Dream Come True - 9.20pm Wolverhampton (5/2)
BBC Racing Presenter Statto Brankrupt
February 16, 2008 by Robert
BBC’s gambling expert and TV pundit Angus Loughran, better known as Statto thanks to his appearance on 90’s cult TV show, Fantasy Football, has been declared bankrupt.
It has emerged that Loughran has been unable to pay his creditors and was declared insolvent at a hearing at Manchester County Court on February 4. Details of how much he owes, and to whom, were not disclosed and it remains unknown whether he declared himself bankrupt or if it followed a petition from someone he owes money to.
Loughran’s work includes being a racing correspondent at BBC’s coverage of race meetings, which include the Grand National and Epsom Derby. He also writes a weekly betting column in the Daily Telegraph and commentates regularly on football matches covered on Eurosport.
Customer Attempts to Sue William Hill for Gambling Losses
February 15, 2008 by Robert
British Bookmaker William Hill is being taken to court by a former customer who intends to sue the betting company for the gambling losses that he incurred whilst betting in the company’s betting shops, believed to be in the region on £2million.
The customer, Graham Calvert of Sunderland, was a successful Greyhound Trainer before he lost everything through gambling. Calvert claims that William Hill failed in their duty of care towards him after he underwent the self exclusion process from the comapny’s chain of shops but was still able to go and place bets. Calvert said “If I’d known I had the problem and didn’t do anything about it, I would see myself as being 100 per cent responsible. However, I did try to go through the right procedures and I was let down by William Hill.”
It emerged that Calvert used to bet in large stakes and was responsible for placing the largest bet ever on Golf, when he placed £350,000 on The USA to win the 2006 Ryder Cup Golf Odds.
The case will go to court in the next couple of weeks.
Fallon to join forces with Sir Michael Stoute
February 7, 2008 by Robert
Former Champion jockey Kieren Fallon, who recently received a worldwide ban from racing for failing a drugs test, will join his former boss Sir Michael Stoute ahead of the forthcoming flat season. It is believed that the former six times champion jockey Fallon, will be work riding for Stoute during his 18 month ban, but their are rumours that he could become the assistant trainer at Stoute’s Newmarket stables.
Fallon said during an interview “We have been very, very lucky together. I thought riding out at his yard would just get me back into the game and give me the feeling again, because the last three and a half years have been a nightmare.” And racing fans will be hoping that the partnership can sparkle once again during the 2008 flat season, who have enjoyed multiple Group and Classic successes together, most notable, Golan in the 2000 Guineas, Russian Rhythm in the 1,000 Guineas and Kris Kin and North Light in the Epsom Derby.
Record Number of Bets Placed on Superbowl
February 7, 2008 by Robert
A record $10 billion was wagered on this year’s Superbowl, which took place in Glendale Arizona on Sunday 3rd February 2008. The game, which was between the unbeaten favourites the New England Patriots and New York Giants attracted the interest of people all over the world, with a record 107 million viewers watching the game in America alone.
The 42nd Superbowl, played once a year, is always a big betting event, but the estimated $10 Billion wagered on the game this year is a record amount, the majority of which was wagered online. Interest in the betting on the game was thought to have been increased by the fact that the New England Patriots were so stongly fancied, so when the 9/2 New York Giants upset the odds, it was a winning day for bookmakers around the world.
British bookmakers also reported record figures on this year’s Grid Iron showcase, much of which is thought to have been down to the game being shown on both BBC 2 and Skysports. Viewing figures in the UK stood at over 1 million people for the first time ever.
