Sports Then and Now

The initial press conference between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor illustrates that the draw for their August 26th fight will be as much about hype and fighting skills.

The fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor was confirmed in June this year, and is set to take place in Las Vegas on the 26^th of August.

Fighters Have Fun on Social Media

Mayweather confirmed the fight with a social media post in June, with strident Irishman, Conor McGregor, jokingly posting a photo of himself with Floyd Mayweather Sr., the boxing legend’s father, minutes before the official announcement was made.

It’s Been a Long Time Coming

This supreme money fight and crossover boxing match between the UFC champion and undefeated boxer was in the works for more than a year, but it has finally become a reality, and supporters are going wild. When the betting markets opened it was no surprise that Mayweather was the favorite, coming in at -2250, with McGregor coming in at +950. When the official fight announcement was made Mayweather’s odds slipped to -800, and McGregor came back at +500. The odds continue to move as the fighters spar through the media and the hype builds.

One Totally Triumphant Athlete vs. Another

Floyd Mayweather, at 40-years old, won 49 bouts before he retired in September 2015, and is widely held to be one of the finest defensive fighters in history. He prides himself on being able to evade the punishing blows of his opponents by skillfully moving around the ring, and is excellent at making whatever adjustments are required in order to best his adversary on the fly.

Conor McGregor, whilst being the first UFC fighter to hold two belts at the same time –when he knocked Eddie Alvarez out in New York in November 2016 for the lightweight championship – and being both the reigning lightweight champion and former featherweight champion, has never boxed in either a professional or amateur capacity. He is also as well known for his bravado as he is for his volatile knockout power inside the MMA octagon, however, and has remained a firm favorite with the best bets NZ bookmakers offer punters. Read the rest of this entry →

Make no mistake about it … online gambling and bingo have become huge business. Billions of dollars in revenue is now being generated online, and it’s not just with basic apps that rely on advertising; it’s in direct wagers and betting from players. There’s a massive market for companies and merchants to tap into, as long as you hit the right market.

Knowing the Market

Anyone worth their weight understands how important it is to know the market. A football league isn’t going to be targeting a general audience who has no interest in this or other sports.

The online gambling world is massive and it draws in a wide range of people from all walks of life and from around the world and that can make it seem as though marketing to such a wide audience would be difficult, but think about this: they love games, they love competition, and they’re a captive audience. What’s not to love about that?

Sponsorship Deals

When you have a sports league, like football (soccer to those fans across the pond), you drive business by sponsorship deals. When you have the name of your league, team, or even a favorite player front and centre, it gets people thinking about that sporting event.

Nothing really goes together better than sports and online gaming and bingo. That’s because many of the people who love these online games also have a thrill for either watching and cheering on a favorite team or placing some well thought out wagers on an upcoming game.

Sky Bingo is one of those online gaming sites that draws in thousands of fans every day. These men and women are riveted to their computer screen, tablet, or even their smartphones while engaged in some heated bingo. They wait almost impatiently for the next number to be called, checking their cards, and waiting for that precious word ‘bingo’ to be highlighted on the screen.

But a person isn’t going to just be staring at the numbers … they’re going to be looking around that screen and that’s where these sponsorship/advertising opportunities are so powerful. Read the rest of this entry →

Sports betting is an art to predict the outcome of a game or competition.  It seems to be as simple as winning the bet by intuition; however, it is not always clear for everyone how the winning amounts and odds are spread.  To make an efficient bet, one has to be aware of the current sports events and have good analyzing skills. The understanding of odds and chances is also necessary. The knowledge of basic math will be helpful there as well.

Types of bets

Different bookmakers offer various types of wagers. Here are the most common ones:

• Spread betting
• Fixed odds betting
• Live betting
• Pari-mutuel betting

Spread betting is not a simple win-or-lose wager. This type of bet depends on the accuracy of the prediction. In the recent the spread betting has become more popular in the UK than ever before, reaching almost one million of sports bet gamblers. This type of wager is applied not only to sports but also to financial betting, regulated by Financial Conduct Authority.  In Spread betting, the bookmaker suggests the point to be spread for the result of a match. It works as follows:  for example, the suggested point is 3. The gambler will wager on team A:

If the score is A-7, B-9, 7+3 = 10, which is more that B’s result. This means that the gambler wins.

If the score is A-7, B-15, the gambler loses, as B’s result exceeds the sum of A’s outcome and the spread (7+3 = 10)

Fixed-odds-betting is still favourite wager for many gamblers, in particular beginners. It has simple rules and is based on the simple win-lose prediction. Live betting may be an exciting process, as the odds change during the match or race, fitting to the current result. Pari-mutuel betting is similar to pull in the lottery: a group of gamblers unite and settle different wagers. After the win, the amounts will be distributed proportionally to the wagers and the winning gambler is paid from the common pull. Read the rest of this entry →