The gloves are off in the race for the Democratic Nomination for President and the two remaining candidates, Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton have accused each other if negative campaigning in last night’s TV debate. Political betting fans are aware of the crucial importance of the forthcoming primaries in Ohio and Texas and if Hilary loses in these two states, we may well see her withdrawal from the contest.

Barack has won the last eleven primaries and caucuses and. To the untrained eye, he may well seem to be on an unstoppable roll. Shrewd adherents of sports betting, however, will have spotted a new force emerging; the phenomenon of what has been called the ‘Baracklash’.

It is entirely predictable, these days that, once a new star has been created by the media, that same media will then begin a process of dragging down their hero. Suddenly the flaws in BarackÂ’s character and experience are being noticed and a slip, albeit a small one, is emerging in his ratings.

Polls show that Barack will have a clear majority against John McCain when it comes to the presidential Election. This may well be pushing some democrats in his direction. However, public opinion is more complex than that and, should Hilary become the choice of the Democrats, the public will reassess their voting inclinations and she may well emerge as President when the dust settles.

Because of these polls and because Barack is the current front runner you can currently get from 7/2 to 9/2 on Hilary emerging as President. It might be time to take up a few of those free bets and place your faith in her.

The crucial final One-Dayer in Christchurch was finally lost to the rain and the unfathomable Duckworth-Lewis method which granted a win to New Zealand (who were actually) looking like losing, simply because it rained.

One day I’ll try to grasp the ins and outs of their bizarre equations and attempt an explanation for all you baffled cricket betting fans. Mind you, it’s too early to feel a lot of enthusiasm for the prospect of the England team in the looming test series after seeing their low key performance in such a vital game.

It was a vital game because it needed to be the confidence boosting springboard that England craves to enter this test series with more than a wing and a prayer for success. After a promising start, England fell short of a respectable score by about thirty or forty runs.

As usual they blamed a wicket that the New Zealanders subsequently seemed to have little problem with. It looked like they would cruise home but suddenly, thanks largely to Sidebottom, wickets fell and the home team were looking at forty runs with stacks of overs but only four wickets left. Then the rains came and Duckworth-Lewis dictated the result.

The thing is, this England team has the components to succeed at the highest level. They have the bowlers, the batsmen and the fielders and when they all play well together they win matches. The real problem is with the consistency of the batting and this causes a sense of insecurity in this area which they counter by bringing in an extra bat at the expense of a bowler which would have been, in the case of Christchurch, a spinner to vary the pace of the game.

Online betting buffs recognise that, until England can stabilise the mindset of the top five batsmen and make them as reliable as a Boycott, Barrington or Botham then we will continue to struggle and be forced into decisions we would rather not have to make.

 Final Match at Christchurch Sat 23 Feb / Forthcoming Test Series first match Tue 4 March

Saturday 23rd February is a critical moment for England in the RBS Six Nations tournament this Saturday. Up against top-of-the-table France, England will need to shake off the second–half decline that has characterised their last two appearances against Wales, where they lost, and Italy where a comfortable first-half lead was squandered in a display of headless chickenry that has left commentators, coaches, six nations betting enthusiasts and players dumbfounded about where to go from here.

Captain, Paul Vickery, in an admirable address to his players, has called an end to blaming everyone else and declared that ‘It’s time to take ownership and responsibility for our own performance’. Sports betting fans will join me in feeling how true this and how refreshing to it is to hear. 

Vickery was the man whose inspirational pre-match words roused the troops into battle at the Stade de France just four months ago when the English crushed the French team during one of the most memorable and satisfying periods of English Rugby in a long time. Vickery and England need to find this resolve again to pick themselves up from their disappointing performances thus far to take on a France which will undoubtedly be seeking revenge for the England triumph over them in the semi-final of World Cup 2007. ItÂ’s another daunting fact that the last time England beat France in the Six Nations, at the Stade de France, was in the year 2000.

Wales have yet to be beaten in the competition and should dominate in their home encounter with Italy. Rugby Union betting buffs should note that a win from them, earlier in the day, will put further pressure on England who have a late, 20.00 GMT, start in France.

Ireland against Scotland… well, you’d have to go with Ireland here. Apart from a brief flourish in the World Cup qualifying rounds last year, Scotland seem to succumb to defeat at every opportunity these days and the team should, perhaps, be forced to watch ‘Braveheart’ before the match. Either that or hurry up and opt for an independent Scotland and start building a new national identity and thus a stronger self-belief.

The controversy surrounding the athlete, Dwain Chambers, has once again raised the question of the place that drug use has or has not got in sport. This subject must be of interest to sports betting because the use of drugs by some sports competitors distorts the information used by punters in gauging the likely outcome of an event.

There are those who say that the subject of drugs in sport is a complicated one, but really it is quite simple. You either permit their use or you donÂ’t. While some commentators and athletes advocate their free use, the predominant position is that drug use should not be allowed. This latter view primarily takes into account the harmful side effects that almost all drugs have on the human body. Why, it is argued, should athletes have to risk damage to their physical well-being in order to compete effectively against those with an irresponsible willingness to jeopardise their health?

If there is a complication itÂ’s in the question of how to deal with those found to have broken the rules. Do you adopt a policy of zero tolerance, as many propose, or should recognition of human fallibility be applied and room given for rehabilitation of offenders?

Clearly there are those who, young and impressionable, fall foul of pressure from unscrupulous coaches or an immature tendency to take short cuts and perhaps sympathy should be extended to them in the form of a second chance. Without this leniency, many future titans of sport might be sidelined before even reaching their prime. On the other hand, as has happened with the Tour de France, a sport can suffer to such a degree under the weight of mass drug use that it loses all credibility amongst competitors, spectators and online betting enthusiasts.

How must a non-drug-using athlete feel to have pushed themselves, for months and years, to the limit on the training ground and having sacrificed many of the normal pleasures of youth to even suspect that the athlete edging past them in the peak contests of their sport, is doing so because they took the easy route of ingesting a performance enhancing drug?

I know where I stand. And I believe most genuine sports betting fans stand with me.

It’s the Second Round for Champions League betting on Tuesday and Wednesday and, after the turmoil of the FA Cup 5th Round at the weekend, which saw Liverpool mauled by Championship underachievers Barnsley and Arsenal playing like they had lost the will to live, sports betting fans will be scratching their heads and wondering where we go from here.

ItÂ’s becoming increasingly clear that the FA Cup is losing its stature, at least in the eyes of some managers, and lesser sides are being put forward to save key players for the more lucrative and higher stature Champions League matches, but does this go all the way to explain these poor performances?

In the case of Liverpool, we have to look at the recent collapse in their achievements and wonder if team morale can recover from the effects of management uncertainty and doubt over the future ownership of the club. Football betting enthusiasts will eye their meet with Serie ‘A’ leaders, Inter Milan at Anfield on Tuesday knowing it will certainly reveal the depths of their capacity to overcome deep troubles and, indeed, the security of tenure of manager, Raphael Benitez. It’s make or break time for Rafa.

That other lot from Milan, AC, square up to Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday and director, Umberto Gandini is under no illusions about ArsenalÂ’s weak effort against Manchester United on Saturday. WengerÂ’s resting of Adebayor and Massini from his FA Cup team clearly indicate the real ambitions of Arsenal and Gandini knows his club could not have had a worse draw than the Gunners.

Alex Ferguson, manager of ArsenalÂ’s weekend tormentors, rested Ronaldo, Giggs and Tevez on Saturday but sports betting buffs would hardly have known it. After his disappointing solo stint up front for England, Wayne Rooney, sole striker again, capitalised on quality feeds, and thus revealed the weaknesses in the national midfield. This team is rampant and all-conquering right now and WednesdayÂ’s hosts, Lyon, will have to dig deep to have any hope of progression in this tournament.

ChelseaÂ’s visit to Athens on Tuesday should be interesting. Ex-Newcastle and Portsmouth and now Olympiakos striker, Lomana Lualua, warns that the passion and sheer noise of the fans in their stadium is enough to put anyone off. Top of their table, Chelsea will be tough contenders though and, like Manchester United, have the advantage of playing their second legs on their home grounds.

All sixteen ties in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup were decisive leaving eight clear-cut ties in the Fifth Round draw. This is the first time in fifty years that there have been no Fourth Round replays and shrewd participants in football betting might also note that this is the first Fifth Round where only six Premiership sides remain standing.
 
Two of these are Manchester United and Arsenal who meet at Old Trafford this coming Saturday. This will be an enthralling encounter and online betting sites are already reporting huge interest. This match, between the top two teams in the league, will surely be a master class of the best that English football can offer and the good news is that it’s on the BBC at 5.15pm. Bookies are favouring the home side at 6/5 while Arsenal are given 5/2 – surely not a bad bet. It’s time to take up those free bets offers for new customers on many online sites.
 
There’s lots of opportunity for the spread betting fans at this stage of the tournament with all manner of bets on offer. Bristol Rovers will be relaxed at home against Southampton and an upset is not out of the question. You can get 33/1 on Huddersfield playing Chelsea at the Bridge but I wouldn’t go there if I were you – go for the draw at 7/1 if anything. West Brom should rule at Coventry and offer a good opportunity to top up the coffers while Middlesbrough are given a surprisingly tempting 7/5 chance away to Sheffield United.

2nd match Tue 12 Feb : After their resounding successes in the opening two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand last week, it came as a bit of a shock to cricket betting fans when England were thrashed in the first one-dayer at Wellington last Saturday.

Captain, Paul Collingwood, put it down to a misreading of the pitch. He thought it looked firm but it turned out to be soft. He claimed it was difficult to score on. Not so for the New Zealand team, written off by their own home press after the opening games, who managed a respectable six wicket win, accomplished before the floodlights had even begun to warm up.

Enthusiasts of online betting will form their own opinions but none will exclude criticism of tactics in the One Day team. OK, with specialists in each of the three formats, Twenty20, One Day (50 over) and Test, itÂ’s becoming difficult for captains to quantify expertise in their available players, especially when injury and form come into the equation. There are basic tactical rules, however, and the England team has to take a more aggressive stance in the One Day Matches. Early snatched singles add up and take the pressure off the batsmen to take dangerous risks in later overs.

Thankfully, we can feel good about our bowling and the fielding was sharp and impressive. LetÂ’s hope our batsmen can get it sorted for TuesdayÂ’s meet in Hamilton.

Six Nations Free Bets abound this weekend and rugby union betting enthusiasts will have spotted that things didn’t go quite according to plan last week. Well, England’s plan anyway. A smooth and expected early lead was achieved over the Welsh and England sauntered into the half-time dressing room with a comfortable 16-6 margin in the bag. Then, with depressing predictability, in the second half the English malaise kicked in and Wales calmly ended a twenty year wait to put the Hoorays in their place. Under the pounding of the Welsh attack, England succumbed to a total breakdown of confidence and were reduced to a pack of headless chickens.
 
Online betting fans will look at the table and see only two of the expected three teams nestling comfortably at the top. After last yearÂ’s World Cup, it was always going to be an England/France thing with Wales snapping at their ankles while Ireland, Scotland and Italy scuffled to avoid the Wooden Spoon. This Saturday and Sunday should see France and Wales with comfortable wins and, thankfully, England have the chance to work through problems with their Italy encounter.
 
Much wringing of hands has occurred since last Saturday and calls for Wilkinson to be replaced by Cipriani resound in the press . . .  youth must be brought in to counter the arrogant presumption that England will always rule etc etc. There’s some truth in this but, for me, watching the England display was reminiscent of Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters when he broke down on the back nine on the last day.
 
Analysts need to look into the reasons why our nation produces teams and individuals who crack under any sign of strain. Football, tennis, cricket – whatever the sport we watch and wait for the collapse. Until we grasp the implications of that, it is not a new manager or coach that’s needed in the dressing room but perhaps rather Paul McKenna; sports betting devotees will continue to suffer a peculiarly English disappointment.

Twenty20 cricket betting fans saw the England cricket team overcome their jet lag and intensive training in New Zealand to thrash the home team by 38 runs in Monday’s Twenty20 match, in front of a 45,000-strong Auckland crowd. This offers good omens for the rest of the series.

Sports betting fans will recall the unexpected One Day Series win against Sri Lanka at the end of last year and know that this England team is brimming with confidence.

Man of the Match, Dimitri Mascarenhas powered England to their victory with a useful 31 and a couple of critical mid-order New Zealand wickets. Mascarenhas is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He holds the record for most runs for England in an over in a One Day International with 30, scored against India off of Yuvraj Singh on 5 September 2007, at The Oval, London.

Online betting enthusiasts will be relieved to hear that Kevin Pieterson is back in form, making 43 in a characteristic, superb display of batting. The whole team is on an up and talking about how cohesive they feel as a side. As Paul Collingwood observed, “We should gain a lot of confidence from this and you want to get on a roll. It’s been a good first week, we put in a lot of hard work in Christchurch and the boys are looking in confident form. Every aspect of our game was pretty good today.”

The Twenty20 format has revitalised interest in cricket but letÂ’s not forget the forthcoming One Day matches and Test Series which will certainly provide a mouth-watering feast of opportunity for some exciting wagers and the many offers of free bets for new customers of online betting sites must be very tempting.

The contest to become presidential candidate is becoming tenser as ‘Super Tuesday’ looms this week when 24 states vote for their choice of both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Political betting sites are buzzing under the weight of wagers in what has become the sort of fascinating contest that only happens every twenty years or so.

The reasons for this are many. People are weary of the incumbent administration and there is a sniff of radical change in the air. This lends an air of confidence to the Democrats but times are hard in America and the world in general and people usually turn to the Right when they want tough decisions made. At the same time, there is the difficult-to-resist offer of a black man or a woman as potential President – something new to Americans. Many will be fascinated to see what such a change might bring.

Furthermore, the battle between the black man, Barack Obama and the woman, Hilary Clinton has become an intriguing one for betting punters. Prejudice, both racial and gender, abounds in America and each candidate has had to transcend this by presenting themselves as especially remarkable candidates. This has not been impossible because the American Dream encourages and wants people to be remarkable and to transcend difficulties. Online betting fans will have a field day in considering all these factors before making their choice.

The contest has boiled down, realistically, to four hopefuls with Obama and Clinton in the Democratic camp and Romney and McCain for the Republicans. ItÂ’s been an up and down ride for Obama and Clinton, with Hilary currently the bookies favourite at around 4/7. Obama is around 5/4 but a good speech or a bad mistake either way and these odds could easily change. McCain is serious Republican favourite at 1/8 with Romney 9/2. ItÂ’s hard to see McCain slipping from this position and the more interesting bet has to be with the Democrats.