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Betting on Australia's two largest football codes is set to double over the next five years to $3.3 billion, driven by strong growth in online gambling on sports, a Deloitte report says.
The report, commissioned by online bookmaker Sportsbet-com.au, found annual betting on the AFL had reached $900 million, with $750 million wagered on the NRL. This is forecast to rise to $1.8 billion (AFL) and $1.5 billion (NRL) in five years.
Deloitte found total turnover on sports betting has grown more than 13 per cent a year, driven by strong growth in online sports wagering of 28 per cent.
But overall sports betting remained significantly smaller than racing; $3.3 billion at present compared to $20 billion.
Read more: AFL and NRL betting tipped to reach $3.3 billion
The report, commissioned by online bookmaker Sportsbet-com.au, found annual betting on the AFL had reached $900 million, with $750 million wagered on the NRL. This is forecast to rise to $1.8 billion (AFL) and $1.5 billion (NRL) in five years.
Deloitte found total turnover on sports betting has grown more than 13 per cent a year, driven by strong growth in online sports wagering of 28 per cent.
But overall sports betting remained significantly smaller than racing; $3.3 billion at present compared to $20 billion.
Read more: AFL and NRL betting tipped to reach $3.3 billion
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The wagering world online and otherwise starts in earnest this fall as the American football season begins and Major League Baseball turns the corner. It may be a trying time for sports fan’s wives that can’t seem to get their mates attention during the season where a lot of men are glued to the screen.
Wagering on professional sports is illegal in most of the USA but Fantasy Sports Pools are going strong and are advertized as a great deal. The Fantasy Draft for the 2012 season is about to begin and workers in offices and construction locations as well as many educational institutions are putting their fantasy teams and players on paper. The drafting of the teams and their players is like a well oiled battle plan that people who have the itch to play in the fantasy sports come armed to the teeth with magazine articles and web site locations spouting the latest statistics on player health and strategy.
There is an actual Fantasy Sports Trade Association that claims that there are as many as 32 million fans who played fantasy sports in 2010. Football garners the biggest percentage at 90% of Fantasy players with an estimated 19% of American males engaging in the fun.
Read More: Fantasy Sports Boosts Gaming Spend by Four Billion Dollars
Wagering on professional sports is illegal in most of the USA but Fantasy Sports Pools are going strong and are advertized as a great deal. The Fantasy Draft for the 2012 season is about to begin and workers in offices and construction locations as well as many educational institutions are putting their fantasy teams and players on paper. The drafting of the teams and their players is like a well oiled battle plan that people who have the itch to play in the fantasy sports come armed to the teeth with magazine articles and web site locations spouting the latest statistics on player health and strategy.
There is an actual Fantasy Sports Trade Association that claims that there are as many as 32 million fans who played fantasy sports in 2010. Football garners the biggest percentage at 90% of Fantasy players with an estimated 19% of American males engaging in the fun.
Read More: Fantasy Sports Boosts Gaming Spend by Four Billion Dollars
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Wheelchair-bound physicist Stephen Hawking challenged athletes to “look to the stars” on Wednesday as he helped open a record-setting Paralympics Games that will run for 11 days in near sold-out venues. Close on the heels of the hard-act-to-follow London 2012 Olympics, thousands of dancers and stunning fireworks added to the good cheer on the opening night for an audience of 80 000.
Hawking, diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21 and told in 1963 he had two years to live, began the ceremony by reading from the stage.
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious,” Hawking said from his wheelchair, speaking through his famous computerised voice system for communication.
The London Paralympics will host the biggest number of athletes since their official birth in 1960 at the Rome Games, with 4 280 competitors representing 164 nations compared to 400 participants from 23 countries in the Italian capital.
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, who became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics earlier this month, and was a flag-bearer for the Paralympics opening, told a news conference earlier he had seen a shift in interest towards disabled sport.
The rising interest has been reflected in ticket sales, with a record 2,4 million of the available 2,5 million sold, and the remaining 100 000 released in batches of 10 000 each day.
More than 50% of the tickets sold for 10 pounds ($15,83) or less, Olympic and Paralympic organisers LOCOG said.
Read More: Hawking and Pistorius open London
Hawking, diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21 and told in 1963 he had two years to live, began the ceremony by reading from the stage.
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious,” Hawking said from his wheelchair, speaking through his famous computerised voice system for communication.
The London Paralympics will host the biggest number of athletes since their official birth in 1960 at the Rome Games, with 4 280 competitors representing 164 nations compared to 400 participants from 23 countries in the Italian capital.
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, who became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics earlier this month, and was a flag-bearer for the Paralympics opening, told a news conference earlier he had seen a shift in interest towards disabled sport.
The rising interest has been reflected in ticket sales, with a record 2,4 million of the available 2,5 million sold, and the remaining 100 000 released in batches of 10 000 each day.
More than 50% of the tickets sold for 10 pounds ($15,83) or less, Olympic and Paralympic organisers LOCOG said.
Read More: Hawking and Pistorius open London
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South African Oscar Pistorius, who became the first ever double amputee to take part in an Olympic Games last month, has sparked debate over whether it's fair, or indeed practical, for Paralympians to do the double and compete in the Olympics as well.
Are Paralympians entitled to take part in an Olympic Games?
For
Why should a disabled person be denied the opportunity to compete on sport's biggest stage if their performances are up to standard with their able-bodied counterparts?
From the knees down, Pistorius had his legs amputated within a year of being born. He's only ever known life as a disabled person, but that didn't stop his quest to become the best among able-bodied individuals.
Disabled athletes who match it with able-bodied rivals like Pistorius should be lauded and encouraged, and given the opportunity to fulfil their dream.
The achievement of Pistorius to triumph over adversity and compete at the highest level in his chosen discipline despite his disability not only embodies what the Olympic spirit is all about, but it serves as an inspiration to others around the globe with disabilities that what was seemingly impossible is now achievable.
Read More: Should Paralympians be doing the double? - News - BigPond Sport
Are Paralympians entitled to take part in an Olympic Games?
For
Why should a disabled person be denied the opportunity to compete on sport's biggest stage if their performances are up to standard with their able-bodied counterparts?
From the knees down, Pistorius had his legs amputated within a year of being born. He's only ever known life as a disabled person, but that didn't stop his quest to become the best among able-bodied individuals.
Disabled athletes who match it with able-bodied rivals like Pistorius should be lauded and encouraged, and given the opportunity to fulfil their dream.
The achievement of Pistorius to triumph over adversity and compete at the highest level in his chosen discipline despite his disability not only embodies what the Olympic spirit is all about, but it serves as an inspiration to others around the globe with disabilities that what was seemingly impossible is now achievable.
Read More: Should Paralympians be doing the double? - News - BigPond Sport
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Fernando Alonso has a big lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship right now, and he'll be looking to expand that advantage on Sunday when the circuit gets back in action at the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
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Ferrari's Alonso leads F1 with three victories so far in 2012, taking the checkered flag in Malaysia in March, in Valencia in June, and in Germany in July. That has him 40 points ahead of nearest rival Mark Webber of Red Bull in the current driver standings – Alonso sits at 164 points on the season, while Webber is back at 124.
So Alonso is the 1/1 favorite on the Formula 1 futures at Bovada to win the drivers’ championship this year, followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at 11/4, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at 6/1, Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen at 11/1, and Webber at 12/1. Vettel has 122 points this season, Hamilton has 117, and Raikkonen has 116.
For Sunday, though, it's Hamilton as the 5/2 favorite on the Formula 1 odds to pick up the race victory, as he looks to make a move in the driver standings. Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix back in 2010, but an accident knocked him out the race in 2011.
Vettel, who won the Belgian Grand Prix in 2011, is next at 4/1 odds for this weekend, with Alonso at 11/2; he was fourth at this race last season. Raikkonen rounds out the top contenders for Sunday's race at 6/1 odds and he's a four-time winner at Belgium, taking the checkered flag at the event in each of the 2009, 2007, 2005, and 2004 seasons.
Longer odds for Sunday are held by Lotus' Romain Grosjean (9/1), McLaren's Jenson Button (10/1), Webber (11/1), and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher (33/1). Schumacher has won at Belgium six times in his career, but his most recent win there was in 2002.
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Ferrari's Alonso leads F1 with three victories so far in 2012, taking the checkered flag in Malaysia in March, in Valencia in June, and in Germany in July. That has him 40 points ahead of nearest rival Mark Webber of Red Bull in the current driver standings – Alonso sits at 164 points on the season, while Webber is back at 124.
So Alonso is the 1/1 favorite on the Formula 1 futures at Bovada to win the drivers’ championship this year, followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at 11/4, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at 6/1, Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen at 11/1, and Webber at 12/1. Vettel has 122 points this season, Hamilton has 117, and Raikkonen has 116.
For Sunday, though, it's Hamilton as the 5/2 favorite on the Formula 1 odds to pick up the race victory, as he looks to make a move in the driver standings. Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix back in 2010, but an accident knocked him out the race in 2011.
Vettel, who won the Belgian Grand Prix in 2011, is next at 4/1 odds for this weekend, with Alonso at 11/2; he was fourth at this race last season. Raikkonen rounds out the top contenders for Sunday's race at 6/1 odds and he's a four-time winner at Belgium, taking the checkered flag at the event in each of the 2009, 2007, 2005, and 2004 seasons.
Longer odds for Sunday are held by Lotus' Romain Grosjean (9/1), McLaren's Jenson Button (10/1), Webber (11/1), and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher (33/1). Schumacher has won at Belgium six times in his career, but his most recent win there was in 2002.
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With the Chase for the Sprint Cup getting underway on September 16 there are only two races left before the NASCAR playoffs begin – including this weekend's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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And with the start of the Chase looming there's precious little time left for drivers to move into a playoff position – and give themselves a chance to pay off on the NASCAR futures.
As it stands, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart hold down the Top 10 spots in the driver standings, and if the Chase started today they would be the automatic qualifiers.
Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch then sit in the two Wild Card positions for the Chase; Kahne has more wins than any other driver outside the Top 10 with two, and he's also just 16 points behind Stewart for 10th place in the standings heading into Atlanta. Busch has just one win this season, but sits 13th in points on the season.
That leaves 12th-place Carl Edwards as the driver most desperate for a win on Sunday – he can take over Busch's Wild Card spot with his first trip to Victory Lane of the season this weekend. Edwards has won at Atlanta in the past – in 2008, and twice back in 2005.
14th-place Jeff Gordon and 15th-place Ryan Newman will also be gunning for the win on Sunday to try to catch Busch for a Wild Card berth. Gordon is the defending champion at the AdvoCare 500 and has won five times at Atlanta overall. Newman has taken the pole at Cup events in Atlanta seven times in his career but has no victories on the track.
On the Sprint Cup futures right now it's Johnson as the 9/4 favorite at Bovada to win the title this year, followed by Earnhardt Jr., Biffle, and Stewart at 8/1, Keselowski and Kahne at 9/1, Hamlin at 10/1, and Kenseth at 12/1. Busch sits at 14/1 on that list, with Gordon at 18/1, Edwards back at 40/1, and Newman at 50/1.
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And with the start of the Chase looming there's precious little time left for drivers to move into a playoff position – and give themselves a chance to pay off on the NASCAR futures.
As it stands, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart hold down the Top 10 spots in the driver standings, and if the Chase started today they would be the automatic qualifiers.
Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch then sit in the two Wild Card positions for the Chase; Kahne has more wins than any other driver outside the Top 10 with two, and he's also just 16 points behind Stewart for 10th place in the standings heading into Atlanta. Busch has just one win this season, but sits 13th in points on the season.
That leaves 12th-place Carl Edwards as the driver most desperate for a win on Sunday – he can take over Busch's Wild Card spot with his first trip to Victory Lane of the season this weekend. Edwards has won at Atlanta in the past – in 2008, and twice back in 2005.
14th-place Jeff Gordon and 15th-place Ryan Newman will also be gunning for the win on Sunday to try to catch Busch for a Wild Card berth. Gordon is the defending champion at the AdvoCare 500 and has won five times at Atlanta overall. Newman has taken the pole at Cup events in Atlanta seven times in his career but has no victories on the track.
On the Sprint Cup futures right now it's Johnson as the 9/4 favorite at Bovada to win the title this year, followed by Earnhardt Jr., Biffle, and Stewart at 8/1, Keselowski and Kahne at 9/1, Hamlin at 10/1, and Kenseth at 12/1. Busch sits at 14/1 on that list, with Gordon at 18/1, Edwards back at 40/1, and Newman at 50/1.
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In 2004, Lance Armstrong sat in a press conference at the start of the Tour de France in the Belgian city of Liège, a week or so after the first serious allegations that he had used performance-enhancing drugs had appeared in the book LA Confidentiel, written by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester. Armstrong looked straight at Walsh, who was sitting in the front row, and said: "Extraordinary allegations require extraordinary evidence." That settled the argument. For a while.
Some credit should go to Walsh and Ballester: they initiated the long, contorted process of revelation that has led the United States Anti-Doping Agency to handing Armstrong a lifetime ban and strip him of his seven Tour titles.
The process reached a watershed last Friday morning when Armstrong conceded that he did not wish to confront evidence that had been put together by the agency from accounts provided by 10 former teammates, which had led it to charge Armstrong with blood doping, the use of erythropoietin, testosterone and other substances.
Had he conceded that the case should go to arbitration, he would have had to face those charges in a public forum. The evidence could have been "extraordinary", but Armstrong chose not to find out what it was. It is rare, possibly unprecedented, for Armstrong to withdraw from any combat. Fighting is his way and always has been. But steering away from exposure of that evidence is the only outcome that permits him to maintain any semblance of control over proceedings and cling on to any scraps of the myth he has built around himself.
But he does so with all the credibility of one of those fabled Japanese soldiers who hid on the Pacific islands convinced that World War II was still being fought. By avoiding having to give formal answers to the detailed allegations of his teammates, he can continue to contend that the process was flawed and that the agency had indulged in a witch-hunt. And he can state until he is blue in the face that he has never tested positive.
In 2000, at the start of a Tour de France stage, a close associate of the Texan told me emphatically that he would never, ever test positive. How right he was. But how pointless the notion. Those arguments are now simply countered: If he has never used drugs, why did he not argue against the point in a formal setting? He has done that before, notably in the case against his insurers, SCA.
Read More: Lance Armstrong's loss is win for clean cycling | News | Sport | Mail & Guardian
Some credit should go to Walsh and Ballester: they initiated the long, contorted process of revelation that has led the United States Anti-Doping Agency to handing Armstrong a lifetime ban and strip him of his seven Tour titles.
The process reached a watershed last Friday morning when Armstrong conceded that he did not wish to confront evidence that had been put together by the agency from accounts provided by 10 former teammates, which had led it to charge Armstrong with blood doping, the use of erythropoietin, testosterone and other substances.
Had he conceded that the case should go to arbitration, he would have had to face those charges in a public forum. The evidence could have been "extraordinary", but Armstrong chose not to find out what it was. It is rare, possibly unprecedented, for Armstrong to withdraw from any combat. Fighting is his way and always has been. But steering away from exposure of that evidence is the only outcome that permits him to maintain any semblance of control over proceedings and cling on to any scraps of the myth he has built around himself.
But he does so with all the credibility of one of those fabled Japanese soldiers who hid on the Pacific islands convinced that World War II was still being fought. By avoiding having to give formal answers to the detailed allegations of his teammates, he can continue to contend that the process was flawed and that the agency had indulged in a witch-hunt. And he can state until he is blue in the face that he has never tested positive.
In 2000, at the start of a Tour de France stage, a close associate of the Texan told me emphatically that he would never, ever test positive. How right he was. But how pointless the notion. Those arguments are now simply countered: If he has never used drugs, why did he not argue against the point in a formal setting? He has done that before, notably in the case against his insurers, SCA.
Read More: Lance Armstrong's loss is win for clean cycling | News | Sport | Mail & Guardian
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The 17-year-old triumphed in five minutes 19.17 seconds to beat the record by more than five seconds.
The previous record had been held by 17-year-old American Victoria Arlen, who was overhauled by Simmonds in the final 100m to finish second in 5:20.18.
"I just wanted to go out there and retain my title and win a gold medal," a delighted Simmonds told BBC Sport. "My coach said I was capable of a 5:19 race but I wasn't thinking about that. I was quite nervous leading into it because Victoria has been in such good form leading into the Games."
Arlen broke Simmonds's world records in the 100m and 400m freestyle at the US trials in June, but earlier this week she was told she was ineligible to compete at the Paralympics.
She successfully appealed and, after Saturday's 400m heats, the International Paralympic Committee said Arlen could keep her S6 classification until August 2013, although she will be assessed in the breaststroke event this week.
Simmonds, who set a new Paralympic and European record of 5:24.64 in the heats, trailed Arlen up to the 350m mark.
However, she edged ahead in the final 50m, cheered on by the majority of a 17,000-strong crowd at the Aquatics Centre.
"When I came out and there was a massive roar it gave me a massive buzz. In the last 50m I gave it my all and when I touched the wall I had nothing left," Simmonds added.
Read More: BBC Sport - Paralympics 2012: Ellie Simmonds wins gold in world record
The previous record had been held by 17-year-old American Victoria Arlen, who was overhauled by Simmonds in the final 100m to finish second in 5:20.18.
"I just wanted to go out there and retain my title and win a gold medal," a delighted Simmonds told BBC Sport. "My coach said I was capable of a 5:19 race but I wasn't thinking about that. I was quite nervous leading into it because Victoria has been in such good form leading into the Games."
Arlen broke Simmonds's world records in the 100m and 400m freestyle at the US trials in June, but earlier this week she was told she was ineligible to compete at the Paralympics.
She successfully appealed and, after Saturday's 400m heats, the International Paralympic Committee said Arlen could keep her S6 classification until August 2013, although she will be assessed in the breaststroke event this week.
Simmonds, who set a new Paralympic and European record of 5:24.64 in the heats, trailed Arlen up to the 350m mark.
However, she edged ahead in the final 50m, cheered on by the majority of a 17,000-strong crowd at the Aquatics Centre.
"When I came out and there was a massive roar it gave me a massive buzz. In the last 50m I gave it my all and when I touched the wall I had nothing left," Simmonds added.
Read More: BBC Sport - Paralympics 2012: Ellie Simmonds wins gold in world record
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Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has concluded a smart partnership with Argentinean football legend Diego Maradona to enhance Dubai’s status as the capital of sports worldwide.
“From this tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, we are delighted to join hands with the highest summit in the hierarchy of football on earth to promote our city around the globe,” said Dr. Ahmed Saad Al Sharief, secretary general of DSC during the signing ceremony of a one-year contract with Maradona on Sunday morning. And while Al Sharief declined to reveal the exact amount of the contract, it was reported that Maradona will be staying at a high-end villa which has been leased for him in Dubai, from which he will also discharge his new responsibilities as honorary ambassador of Sports in Dubai. “I have decided to take a short break before returning back to my original job as a coach,” Maradona said.
Read More: Sport - Maradona’s new role
“From this tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, we are delighted to join hands with the highest summit in the hierarchy of football on earth to promote our city around the globe,” said Dr. Ahmed Saad Al Sharief, secretary general of DSC during the signing ceremony of a one-year contract with Maradona on Sunday morning. And while Al Sharief declined to reveal the exact amount of the contract, it was reported that Maradona will be staying at a high-end villa which has been leased for him in Dubai, from which he will also discharge his new responsibilities as honorary ambassador of Sports in Dubai. “I have decided to take a short break before returning back to my original job as a coach,” Maradona said.
Read More: Sport - Maradona’s new role
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YESTERDAY THE Irish boccia team at the Paralympic Games found themselves facing elimination in the mixed team event. The team, comprising captain Gabriel Shelly, Bobby Connolly, Pádraic Moran and Tom Leahy, were beaten 14-3 in their first match by world number one South Korea. They faced Brazil needing to win well to qualify for the next round. Boccia, a game of bowls for disabled people – its name rhymes with “gotcha” – is unique to the Paralympics. Whatever team or individual gets closest to the jack with the leather balls they throw, scores. Each game consists of six ends.
Every Paralympian is disabled but those who compete in boccia are among the most severely disabled. Most have the worst forms of cerebral palsy.
To qualify for boccia, participants must be wheelchair users and have a neurological condition. Most frequently this condition is cerebral palsy but people with muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and high-level spinal cord injuries also compete.
Within boccia there is a spectrum of disability. Competitors in the categories BC1 and BC2 can throw balls themselves. Those in category BC3 do not have the necessary co-ordination to throw the leather balls. Instead, they propel the balls by flicking them from a head pointer and a ramp which is operated by an assistant.
Boccia originated as a form of rehabilitation for those who have cerebral palsy but is now recognised as an elite sport.
Read More: Elite sport of boccia unique to Paralympics - The Irish Times - Mon, Sep 03, 2012
Every Paralympian is disabled but those who compete in boccia are among the most severely disabled. Most have the worst forms of cerebral palsy.
To qualify for boccia, participants must be wheelchair users and have a neurological condition. Most frequently this condition is cerebral palsy but people with muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and high-level spinal cord injuries also compete.
Within boccia there is a spectrum of disability. Competitors in the categories BC1 and BC2 can throw balls themselves. Those in category BC3 do not have the necessary co-ordination to throw the leather balls. Instead, they propel the balls by flicking them from a head pointer and a ramp which is operated by an assistant.
Boccia originated as a form of rehabilitation for those who have cerebral palsy but is now recognised as an elite sport.
Read More: Elite sport of boccia unique to Paralympics - The Irish Times - Mon, Sep 03, 2012
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South African "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius has unleashed a debate about disabled sport with an emotional claim that a rival in the T44 200 metres final at the London Paralympics beat him thanks to longer prosthetic legs.
Pistorius had not been beaten over 200m for nine years, but the result of Sunday's final was less of a shock than the post-race outburst of a man who is the face of disabled sport partly thanks to his dignified campaign to be allowed to challenge able-bodied runners at the Olympics.
"The size of some of the other guys' legs are unbelievably long," Pistorius told Britain's Channel 4 television.
"We're not racing a fair race. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have the regulations, but the regulations allow the athletes to make themselves unbelievably high."
Besides detracting from the victory of Brazil's Alan Oliveira, it was a surprising rant from a man who had convinced sports administrators that his own carbon-fibre blades gave him no advantage over able-bodied runners.
So can Paralympic medals be decided by the length of an artificial leg? And where does that leave a branch of sport striving to be taken as seriously as able-bodied sport?
SLIPPERY SLOPE
If Pistorius has a case, it is certainly not that Oliveira's longer blades give him a longer stride.
South African-based sports scientist and coach Ross Tucker pointed out on his blog "The Science of Sport" that Oliveira took 98 strides to Pistorius's 92.
John Brewer, Director of Sport at the University of Bedfordshire in Britain, said the advantages of longer blades were not clear.
Read More: Pistorius shows disabled sport can stand controversy | Sport | The Guardian
Pistorius had not been beaten over 200m for nine years, but the result of Sunday's final was less of a shock than the post-race outburst of a man who is the face of disabled sport partly thanks to his dignified campaign to be allowed to challenge able-bodied runners at the Olympics.
"The size of some of the other guys' legs are unbelievably long," Pistorius told Britain's Channel 4 television.
"We're not racing a fair race. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have the regulations, but the regulations allow the athletes to make themselves unbelievably high."
Besides detracting from the victory of Brazil's Alan Oliveira, it was a surprising rant from a man who had convinced sports administrators that his own carbon-fibre blades gave him no advantage over able-bodied runners.
So can Paralympic medals be decided by the length of an artificial leg? And where does that leave a branch of sport striving to be taken as seriously as able-bodied sport?
SLIPPERY SLOPE
If Pistorius has a case, it is certainly not that Oliveira's longer blades give him a longer stride.
South African-based sports scientist and coach Ross Tucker pointed out on his blog "The Science of Sport" that Oliveira took 98 strides to Pistorius's 92.
John Brewer, Director of Sport at the University of Bedfordshire in Britain, said the advantages of longer blades were not clear.
Read More: Pistorius shows disabled sport can stand controversy | Sport | The Guardian
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In Uglies, a novel set 300 hundred years hence, the government decide how people should look. As one literary critic noted: “When everyone is equal, beauty loses its meaning.”
The Paralympics erase difference by making success in sport a universal possibility regardless of physical condition. But they also allow each physical being his or her unique place in the human carnival.
Everyone is equal and different in the best possible senses.
This clever trick was apparent when Simmonds stood for photographs here with her third medal of the Games alongside two rivals in wheelchairs: Holland’s Mirjam de Koning Pepper and Victoria Arlen of the USA, who took gold and silver to Simmonds’ bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle S6.
The billboard star of Britain’s paralympic team reads a lot. In the Scott Westerfield novel that fills her time between world records and visits to the podium, the world is divided into “pretties, uglies, middlies and crumblies.” At 16 each citizen undergoes an operation to determine their appearance.
Read More: Paralympics 2012: the Ellie Simmonds' legend continues to grow with bronze to add to her collection - Telegraph
The Paralympics erase difference by making success in sport a universal possibility regardless of physical condition. But they also allow each physical being his or her unique place in the human carnival.
Everyone is equal and different in the best possible senses.
This clever trick was apparent when Simmonds stood for photographs here with her third medal of the Games alongside two rivals in wheelchairs: Holland’s Mirjam de Koning Pepper and Victoria Arlen of the USA, who took gold and silver to Simmonds’ bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle S6.
The billboard star of Britain’s paralympic team reads a lot. In the Scott Westerfield novel that fills her time between world records and visits to the podium, the world is divided into “pretties, uglies, middlies and crumblies.” At 16 each citizen undergoes an operation to determine their appearance.
Read More: Paralympics 2012: the Ellie Simmonds' legend continues to grow with bronze to add to her collection - Telegraph
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As president of a company that just came out with a game on Facebook called "Sports Casino," Matthew Cullen is surprisingly OK with the prospect that the U.S. is not likely to see legalized online gambling anytime soon.
Cullen's company, RocketPlay does, however, has put money on the odds that sports betting will be very popular on Facebook and other social platforms. That's because their game is free to play and involves betting with virtual currency, not the real kind.
In many other respects, however, "Sports Casino" resembles many real-money online betting services that operate legally in the United Kingdom, where RocketPlay is based. Players can place bets on the outcome of hundreds of sports matches in college and professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball. (The company plans to add auto racing, cricket, rugby and other sports.)
They can also place bets while a game is happening. Will Matt Kemp hit a home run at his next turn at bat? Will USC score a touchdown during its next drive? RocketPlay's betting system calculates the odds for each bet in real time, adjusting its payouts to the moment-to-moment action in the game.
In Europe, where these types of play-by-play bets are much more common than in Las Vegas, about 80% of overall bets are placed after a game kicks off, said Cullen, who knows this because he previously worked as a vice president of Betfair, a real-money online betting company in the U.K.
Once players run out of virtual currency, they can wait for the currency to slowly replenish over time for free. Or they buy more currency with real money, which is how RocketPlay plans to generate revenue.
“Sports Casino” is part of a suite of games in which betting is one component. In between sports matches, RocketPlay offers its players five other casino games to fill the idle time and keep its customers engaged.
Read More: Virtual sports betting comes to Facebook - latimes-com
Cullen's company, RocketPlay does, however, has put money on the odds that sports betting will be very popular on Facebook and other social platforms. That's because their game is free to play and involves betting with virtual currency, not the real kind.
In many other respects, however, "Sports Casino" resembles many real-money online betting services that operate legally in the United Kingdom, where RocketPlay is based. Players can place bets on the outcome of hundreds of sports matches in college and professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball. (The company plans to add auto racing, cricket, rugby and other sports.)
They can also place bets while a game is happening. Will Matt Kemp hit a home run at his next turn at bat? Will USC score a touchdown during its next drive? RocketPlay's betting system calculates the odds for each bet in real time, adjusting its payouts to the moment-to-moment action in the game.
In Europe, where these types of play-by-play bets are much more common than in Las Vegas, about 80% of overall bets are placed after a game kicks off, said Cullen, who knows this because he previously worked as a vice president of Betfair, a real-money online betting company in the U.K.
Once players run out of virtual currency, they can wait for the currency to slowly replenish over time for free. Or they buy more currency with real money, which is how RocketPlay plans to generate revenue.
“Sports Casino” is part of a suite of games in which betting is one component. In between sports matches, RocketPlay offers its players five other casino games to fill the idle time and keep its customers engaged.
Read More: Virtual sports betting comes to Facebook - latimes-com
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Jesus Christ is the star of a new spot for online gambling company Paddy Power, which is hoping controversy will make the brand famous in the Italian market, where football is the only sport to attract significant betting activity. Italian football has been dogged by match-fixing and corruption--two issues that Jesus is brought in to resolve in the ad by Crispin Porter & Bogusky London and directed by Hungry Man's Brian Billow.
The bookmaker's long-running U.K. campaign, based around the idea of listening to fans, uses the line, "We hear you." Its first Italian ad is presented as a response to a Facebook fan, Luca Pagni, who posted, "Betting on this football? Only if a miracle heals it."
Coming from a predominantly Catholic country, Ireland's Paddy Power knows a thing or two about offending fellow Catholics in Italy. Jesus is shown performing some of his most famous miracles: healing the sick (footballers who are faking injury), filling empty stadiums, and using a baseball bat to expel the match fixers from the temple (the men's toilets). The endline is, "Bet on a resurrected football."
Another spot responds to another fan's complaint that overpaid footballers sit on the bench doing nothing most of the time. It shows players cleaning toilets and selling hot dogs in the stadium in an attempt to merit their enormous salaries.
Read More: Paddy Power Taps Jesus Christ for Italian Debut - Behind The Work - Creativity Online
The bookmaker's long-running U.K. campaign, based around the idea of listening to fans, uses the line, "We hear you." Its first Italian ad is presented as a response to a Facebook fan, Luca Pagni, who posted, "Betting on this football? Only if a miracle heals it."
Coming from a predominantly Catholic country, Ireland's Paddy Power knows a thing or two about offending fellow Catholics in Italy. Jesus is shown performing some of his most famous miracles: healing the sick (footballers who are faking injury), filling empty stadiums, and using a baseball bat to expel the match fixers from the temple (the men's toilets). The endline is, "Bet on a resurrected football."
Another spot responds to another fan's complaint that overpaid footballers sit on the bench doing nothing most of the time. It shows players cleaning toilets and selling hot dogs in the stadium in an attempt to merit their enormous salaries.
Read More: Paddy Power Taps Jesus Christ for Italian Debut - Behind The Work - Creativity Online
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The queues for the first-come-first-served seats were already in the hundreds hours before what has been dubbed the rock'n'roll of the Paralympics was under way.
The lucky crowd of around 10,000 who made it under the jagged white tarpaulin of the Basketball Arena for the opening match of the wheelchair rugby tournament, also quaintly known as murderball, were not disappointed. Great Britain lost, in the end, and by a fairly sizeable margin, to the USA, the world’s best team, but the game certainly had everything it had promised, if not the desired result.
In a loud, and edgy atmosphere, the two teams emerged to face and testily stare each other down, before the playing of the national anthems, and the score was already e1-1 even the first nine seconds.
“We came out hard. The crowd was loud. The Americans looked a bit shaken,” was the verdict of Great Britain’s Kylie Grimes, a giant Union Flag shaved, and dyed, into the side of her head, one of only two girls playing in the entire tournament. At the end of the first quarter Great Britain had a two point lead, but it wasn’t to last.
Read more: Paralympic 'murderball' whips crowd of 10,000 into frenzy - Paralympics, Sport - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
The lucky crowd of around 10,000 who made it under the jagged white tarpaulin of the Basketball Arena for the opening match of the wheelchair rugby tournament, also quaintly known as murderball, were not disappointed. Great Britain lost, in the end, and by a fairly sizeable margin, to the USA, the world’s best team, but the game certainly had everything it had promised, if not the desired result.
In a loud, and edgy atmosphere, the two teams emerged to face and testily stare each other down, before the playing of the national anthems, and the score was already e1-1 even the first nine seconds.
“We came out hard. The crowd was loud. The Americans looked a bit shaken,” was the verdict of Great Britain’s Kylie Grimes, a giant Union Flag shaved, and dyed, into the side of her head, one of only two girls playing in the entire tournament. At the end of the first quarter Great Britain had a two point lead, but it wasn’t to last.
Read more: Paralympic 'murderball' whips crowd of 10,000 into frenzy - Paralympics, Sport - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
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The field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup will be finalized at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, with auto racing bettors getting another event on Sunday as the drivers of Formula 1 hit the pavement at the Italian Grand Prix.
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Two of the 12 Chase berths are still up for grabs as NASCAR offers up the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday, with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch in the driver's seat for those two spots in the playoffs. Kahne and Busch currently hold down the two Wild Card berths in the standings.
Six other drivers could still push their way into the Chase field, however, if things go their way on Saturday – Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. They'll be looking for nothing short of a win.
With the Chase getting underway next weekend Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart have already punched their tickets to the postseason.
Johnson leads all drivers at 2/1 on the NASCAR futures at Bovada to win the Sprint Cup this season, followed by Earnhardt Jr. at 8/1, Keselowski and Kahne at 9/1, and each of Biffle, Stewart, and Hamlin at 10/1.
Hamlin will be looking for his third win in a row on Saturday; he took the checkered flag in Bristol two weeks ago and in Atlanta last week. Hamlin has also won twice at Richmond in the past three years, with Busch winning on the track in each of 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Harvick won the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond last September.
On the F1 circuit on Sunday it's McLaren's Lewis Hamilton listed as the 11/4 favorite on the auto racing odds at Bovada to win the Italian Grand Prix, followed by Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen at 4/1, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at 9/2, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Jenson Button both at 5/1.
Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix last season, with Button finishing second and Alonso ending up in third place. Hamilton was fourth that day; he's never won this race.
Sign up at Bovada NOW and deposit for your 50% Free Bet Bonus up to $250.
Two of the 12 Chase berths are still up for grabs as NASCAR offers up the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday, with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch in the driver's seat for those two spots in the playoffs. Kahne and Busch currently hold down the two Wild Card berths in the standings.
Six other drivers could still push their way into the Chase field, however, if things go their way on Saturday – Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. They'll be looking for nothing short of a win.
With the Chase getting underway next weekend Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart have already punched their tickets to the postseason.
Johnson leads all drivers at 2/1 on the NASCAR futures at Bovada to win the Sprint Cup this season, followed by Earnhardt Jr. at 8/1, Keselowski and Kahne at 9/1, and each of Biffle, Stewart, and Hamlin at 10/1.
Hamlin will be looking for his third win in a row on Saturday; he took the checkered flag in Bristol two weeks ago and in Atlanta last week. Hamlin has also won twice at Richmond in the past three years, with Busch winning on the track in each of 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Harvick won the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond last September.
On the F1 circuit on Sunday it's McLaren's Lewis Hamilton listed as the 11/4 favorite on the auto racing odds at Bovada to win the Italian Grand Prix, followed by Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen at 4/1, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at 9/2, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Jenson Button both at 5/1.
Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix last season, with Button finishing second and Alonso ending up in third place. Hamilton was fourth that day; he's never won this race.
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Humour can be the best medicine for many issues facing an increasingly problematic world. Gambling is not supposed to be stressful but when your team is not winning and there is a little money riding on the outcome things can get a bit tense.
Paddy Power the iconic bad boys of the advert world have once again brought everyone to their knees after their latest pitch to Italian punters has caused a stir resulting in a ban of the ‘Jesus’ advert in that particularly sensitive country.
Paddy Power has pulled out all the stops on this one with ‘Jesus’ miraculously finding the football injury fakers and match fixers and the suggestion that He is dealing with the fixers with a baseball bat. This the first advert for television produced for the Italian market by Crispin Porter & Bogusky London and it is in keeping with Paddy Power’s slogan campaign “we hear you” tagline. An Italian Facebook user was quoted as saying , “Betting on this football? Only if a miracle heals it.” Well the advertising firm saw that as a challenge and produced the slot disregarding how Italian’s feel about their religious icons.
The slot was banned in essence by the media carriers who refused to air the controversial and irreverent Paddy Power advert. The internet however still has the show up and running which gives the advert a shot at fame and a chance to get the message out regardless of religious views. Three major broadcasters have already given Paddy Power’s scandalous Jesus advert the boot. Italy’s two main free-to-air national television stations, the state-owned RAI and Mediaset, which was founded by Silvio Berlusconi, as well as Sky Italia.
The humour is great in most of Paddy Power’s campaign but in this case the hero is just way too powerful for most conservative punters. The attention garnered from being banned is worth the price of admission, go for it Paddy Power, we want more of the same, more laughing out loud.
Online Sports Book Paddy Power Advert Banned in Italy
Paddy Power the iconic bad boys of the advert world have once again brought everyone to their knees after their latest pitch to Italian punters has caused a stir resulting in a ban of the ‘Jesus’ advert in that particularly sensitive country.
Paddy Power has pulled out all the stops on this one with ‘Jesus’ miraculously finding the football injury fakers and match fixers and the suggestion that He is dealing with the fixers with a baseball bat. This the first advert for television produced for the Italian market by Crispin Porter & Bogusky London and it is in keeping with Paddy Power’s slogan campaign “we hear you” tagline. An Italian Facebook user was quoted as saying , “Betting on this football? Only if a miracle heals it.” Well the advertising firm saw that as a challenge and produced the slot disregarding how Italian’s feel about their religious icons.
The slot was banned in essence by the media carriers who refused to air the controversial and irreverent Paddy Power advert. The internet however still has the show up and running which gives the advert a shot at fame and a chance to get the message out regardless of religious views. Three major broadcasters have already given Paddy Power’s scandalous Jesus advert the boot. Italy’s two main free-to-air national television stations, the state-owned RAI and Mediaset, which was founded by Silvio Berlusconi, as well as Sky Italia.
The humour is great in most of Paddy Power’s campaign but in this case the hero is just way too powerful for most conservative punters. The attention garnered from being banned is worth the price of admission, go for it Paddy Power, we want more of the same, more laughing out loud.
Online Sports Book Paddy Power Advert Banned in Italy
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What will London 2012 leave behind? This Paralympics has been feted as having the potential to create a legacy far beyond sport but, once the Olympic Park falls quiet tomorrow, will any of it really take root? The Independent on Sunday examines what difference the Games made and what needs to happen to make them a catalyst for change.
Sporting heroes
David Bowie's song "Heroes" boomed out in the stadium during the Paralympics, as Britain pulled in gold upon gold. Now the country has a second wave of sporting giants to add to Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Sir Chris Hoy – and the crowd's cheers for Jonnie Peacock, Hannah Cockcroft and Sarah Storey were just as deafening.
Seeing home-grown Paralympians display world-class athleticism can hardly fail to inspire. But Bowie's celebratory words also contain a warning for overnight sensations such as Peacock and Cockcroft – without continued support from fans and sponsors, and reports about them in the media, there's a risk they will be heroes "just for one day".
Read More: Will these Paralympics make a real difference? - Paralympics - Olympics - The Independent
Sporting heroes
David Bowie's song "Heroes" boomed out in the stadium during the Paralympics, as Britain pulled in gold upon gold. Now the country has a second wave of sporting giants to add to Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Sir Chris Hoy – and the crowd's cheers for Jonnie Peacock, Hannah Cockcroft and Sarah Storey were just as deafening.
Seeing home-grown Paralympians display world-class athleticism can hardly fail to inspire. But Bowie's celebratory words also contain a warning for overnight sensations such as Peacock and Cockcroft – without continued support from fans and sponsors, and reports about them in the media, there's a risk they will be heroes "just for one day".
Read More: Will these Paralympics make a real difference? - Paralympics - Olympics - The Independent
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As the summer days come quickly to an end we celebrate the last days of summer with family, friends and campfires sharing fond memories of our sunny highlights. This week has brought some highlights as well for the online gaming industry so it is with great enthusiasm I bring to you CS Reports weekly recap of news, reviews and previews.
A name that seems popular these days with the term online gambling or “real money gambling” is Zynga. This week the social media giant hired online gambling expert Maytal Ginsburg Olsha a former senior vice president at 888 Holdings. Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus told analysts, “We are developing a new growth opportunity in real-money gambling to build on our strong casino presence with Zynga Poker – the world’s largest free play poker game – and our hit bingo and slots games.”
The Belgian Gaming Commission continued adding to their blacklist of banned operators; meanwhile Nevada Gaming Control Board Thursday recommended approval of applications for interactive gaming licenses for gaming device maker WMS Gaming Inc. and Nevada brick-and-mortar casino outfit American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (ACEP).
As of Thursday, Las Vegas-based Bally Technologies Inc., Global Cash Access Holdings Inc. and Shuffle Master Inc., along with International Game Technology and Monarch Interactive Inc. of Reno have been licensed.
Read More: Real Money Gambling, NJ Sportsbetting Woes and Online Casino Bonuses | Casino Scam Report
A name that seems popular these days with the term online gambling or “real money gambling” is Zynga. This week the social media giant hired online gambling expert Maytal Ginsburg Olsha a former senior vice president at 888 Holdings. Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus told analysts, “We are developing a new growth opportunity in real-money gambling to build on our strong casino presence with Zynga Poker – the world’s largest free play poker game – and our hit bingo and slots games.”
The Belgian Gaming Commission continued adding to their blacklist of banned operators; meanwhile Nevada Gaming Control Board Thursday recommended approval of applications for interactive gaming licenses for gaming device maker WMS Gaming Inc. and Nevada brick-and-mortar casino outfit American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (ACEP).
As of Thursday, Las Vegas-based Bally Technologies Inc., Global Cash Access Holdings Inc. and Shuffle Master Inc., along with International Game Technology and Monarch Interactive Inc. of Reno have been licensed.
Read More: Real Money Gambling, NJ Sportsbetting Woes and Online Casino Bonuses | Casino Scam Report
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But that does not worry Jane Jones at the British Paralympic Association.
"People may come because they just want to go to the venues," she says.
"They may come because they missed out on getting tickets to the Olympics."
She also notes that people may go along because it is actually cheaper to go to the Paralympics.
"All those [reasons] are fine by me as long they leave having understood and appreciated the quality of the sport that they will see," she says.
"And I remain confident that they will."
Read More: BBC News - Selling the Paralympic Games as an elite sporting event