Sports911com Monitors Betting on the 2005 UK General Elections



April 30, 2005 -- With the UK general elections only days away, betting on the political race has practically become a bigger event than the actual election itself.

Based on current betting trends, online betting exchange, BetFair, seems to indicate that Tony Blair will be returned to power - albeit with a vastly reduced majority from 166 seats in the 2001 election to fewer than 60 seats this time around. There is also heavy money on a majority of 61 to 80 seats.

Labour is the closest thing to a lock, so much so that most of the bookmakers feature odds of 20 to 1 or worse.

Sports911.com endorsed Sports Interaction, a North American-based wagering firm, has also gotten into the act, offering odds on both the UK General Election Total LIB DEM seats and the total Tory seats.

"Betting on national elections has turned into big business for the bookmakers," commented Thomas Jensen, Marketing Director for Sports911.com. "Already, the United Kingdom's second biggest bookmaker, William Hill, has told the press they've taken bets up to 100,000."

Bookmakers across the board indicated to 911 that the millions of dollars were wagered on the United States Presidential race this past November, making it the biggest single non-sporting betting event in North American history. An exact figure cannot be placed on how much will ultimately be gambled on the May 5 UK general election, but like the United States Presidential election, citizens of other countries, including the U.S., are likely to get into the act.

"Sports Interaction is based out of Canada and caters heavily to the North American sports betting market," Jensen explained. "They also serve as an example of bookmakers overseas looking to cash in on what appears to be a mini phenomenon in Great Britain, and quite possibly throughout Europe when all is said and done."

Sports911.com has recently launched an aggressive and highly targeted online marketing campaign in the United Kingdom. At the present time, Great Britain makes up approximately 3% of 911's overall readership. Sports911.com anticipates between 6% and 7% of its audience originating from the UK over the next three months. Just over 50% of 911 readers reside in the United States.

A recent bill passed in the United Kingdom parliament will now permit online gambling firms to operate from within Great Britain. A number of Caribbean and Central American based betting firms are already in the process of applying for bookmaking licenses in the UK.

911 has already announced plans to focus heavily on the upcoming cricket match up between the United Kingdom and Australia, which commences July 21.

For more information visit www.sports911.com.





Sports911com Monitors Betting on the 2005 UK General Elections