Man Booker Prize Betting 2009

Man Booker Prize betting markets have opened up like never before in the last few years, as more and more people look to the popular pastime for either a bit of fun on the side or 'a nice little earner'; again, on the side. Probably because as we all know, all the best things in life are normally prescribed, 'on the side'. A gamut of internet betting sites (provided as ever by our friends at the UK's leading bookmakers) have sprung up making the whole interactive gambling experience far more approachable and understandable than at any time we've ever known. Certainly seemingly preferential than the spectre of darkening the doors of the high street bookmaker that precededits advent, giving the chattering classes - who perhaps previously frowned upon betting elements - carte blanche to now dabble as much as the traditional punter; only in absolute anonymity.

And naturally, the broader interests generated by a new audience ensure that the online bookies account for and accommodate all internet Awards Betting tastes. This theory goes some way to explain the increase in initial interest, sustained website traffic and consequent interactive betting on more leftfield gambling disciplines, for example the annual Nobel Peace prize, Mercury Music Awards, Turner Prize and this, the Man Booker prize. And not before time in our book. Why should the exciting world of online betting simply be the preserve of those who list horse racing, football and greyhound betting under the 'hobbies and interests' section of their CV. Virtual betting is for everyone, and whilst it's a birthright rather than a privilege shouldn't stand in the way of the privileged having the right. If you get the gist? Anyway, we're digressing.

Many Leading Online Bookmakers Offer Latest Odds On Outcome Of Man Booker Prize 2009

To give it its full title, The Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been honouring authors since its inception back in 1969, and offers a cash prize (as opposed to a book voucher redeemable in WHSmith's before anyone asks) of some £50,000 this year. The judging criteria is relatively complex, and starts in earnest when a Man Booker advisory committee is formed, which supports the inclusion of an author, two publishers, a literary agent, a bookseller, a librarian and a chairperson appointed and overseen by the umbrella group - and guardians/treasurers of the Booker's legacy - the Booker Prize Foundation. Then the baton is passed to this advisory committee to determine a judging panel for the year ahead and to see them through the process of nominations and shortlisting. These judges are hand-picked from high profile and respected literary critics, writers, academics and notable public figures in the main, whose undertaking it is to sift through the nominees.

With the winner of the Man Booker prize almost guaranteed a lifetime's worth of best-sellers after their moment in the literary spotlight, even being mentioned in the long-list at the outset of nominations is generally regarded as door unlocking in the world of hard and softback publishing. 2008 winner, Aravind Adiga - awarded the Man Booker prize for his debut novel entitled, The White Tiger - was the most recent recipient of an honour that can be bestowed upon authors who pen a full-length novel (in the English language) and are citizens of either the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland and Zimbabwe.

Online Betting Irregularities Ahead Of Naming 2009 Man Booker Prize Winner

As for 2009, and controversy is shrouding the run-up to the main event this year as (until recently) 12 - 1 shot, British author Hilary Mantel has now been installed as overwhelming - and newly odds on - favourite (2 - 1) to secure the title of Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner at London's Guild Hall on Tuesday October 6th. Leading online bookmaker William Hill concurred that it had seldom witnessed a betting pattern like what has emerged lately, going as far as to muse that Mantel's novel - Wolf Hall - was effectively being considered as the only one in the running according to punters. Worried that they'll report a five figure loss if the support is backed up by an eventual win at this current price, William Hill noted that usually the Man Booker prize is notoriously difficult to call, and that it's only in September - when the shortlist is made public knowledge - that interest burgeons to this unprecedented fever pitch.

Apparently just days after this years long-list of 13 title were published - whittled down from some 132 potential contenders - a flood of bets were received on Mantel's book that's set during Henry VIII's reign. Although puzzled as to the background for this sudden gathering of betting momentum on the one title, William Hill stopped short of suggesting anything untoward being the cause and concluded that it was nigh on unheard of to see this type of gamble. The other contenders for the title in 2009 include;

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall - (2 - 1 Favourite)

Colm Toibin - Brooklyn - (4 - 1)

Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger - (4 - 1)

JM Coetzee - Summertime - (6 - 1)

James Lever - Me Cheeta - (6 - 1)

AS Byatt - The Children's Book - (10 - 1)

William Trevor - Love And Summer - (12 - 1)

Ed O'Loughlin - Not Untrue And Not Unkind - (14 - 1)

Simon Mawer - The Glass Room - (14 - 1)

Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze - (16 - 1)

Sarah Hall - How To Paint A Dead Man - (16 - 1)

Samantha Harvey - The Wilderness - (16 - 1)

James Scudamore - Heliopolis - (16 - 1)

Internet Betting Now Allows Literary Fans To Gamble On Favourites For Man Booker Prize 2009

Usually comprising names only familiar to their close family and friends - OK, and bookworms - very rarely are they the sort of heavyweight tomes that you grab at an airport's departure lounge shop and pore over on a beach holiday as above testifies. And that's because they're proper reading matter. Insightful, impeccably researched and beautifully constructed pieces of literature, penned by people who really applied themselves at school and beyond. With due respect to editors the country over, these titles aren't forged by folk who usually busy themselves observing the finer points of Katie Price and Peter Andre's divorce. Or whether Kerry Katona's weight has rocketed again. Which essentially means you're like us, and probably not exactly au fait with the names shortlisted in 2009.

That said, past winners of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction include names familiar to most, whether fans of the written word or not, and include the following; Salman Rushdie, Kingsley Amis, Roddy Doyle, Ian McEwan, Penelope Lively and Iris Murdoch.