2010 World Cup the biggest for Punters yet

Bookmakers around the world are relishing the thought of unprecedented betting action on the 2010 World Cup, which kicks off in South Africa this week.
Football teams and spectators have been arriving in the country for the past week or more, and the local population is already creating a major vibe before the first match even starts.
Agence France Presse reports that developments in betting technology and massive interest in world soccer’s greatest competition are making the championship the biggest-ever betting event in Britain, and probably other countries too.
Bookmakers said Wednesday, that turnover is likely to exceed one billion pounds sterling, breaking all records, with the growth of online and mobile gambling attracting more punters and increasing overall wagering.
“It’s huge, really surging this week and going into a World Cup frenzy for football fans,” Darren Haines, a spokesman for bookmakers Paddy Power, told AFP.
“We anticipate one-billion-pounds being gambled industry-wide, and the further England go in the tournament, the more likely it is that this figure will be comfortably surpassed.
“It will be the biggest betting event in British history, without a doubt.”
Betting shop chain William Hill also predicted a one-billion-pound World Cup turnover for the industry in Britain.
“This is the World Cup in which Internet betting has really come into its own,” spokesman Graham Sharpe told AFP.
“We have online clients in 188 countries who are betting on the World Cup, which dilutes the impact of everyone betting on England.
“If England reach the final and lose on penalties to New Zealand, that would be perfect for us.”
Other factors for the predicted record betting beside the growth of online gambling include the scheduling of matches, which will see games televised from South Africa at evening peak times.
Ladbrokes predicted that it could take up to 100 bets per second during England’s opening game against the United States in Rustenburg on Saturday.
It said in-play betting had seen a rapid growth and would likely account for a third of all betting turnover, while gambling via mobile phone devices would probably break all records.

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