Readers er punters, Spain may be your new FIFA world champions, but that's not the end of the story. The sports business world, namely the sports betting world, legal eagles and TV networks are counting numbers and political and legal repercussions continue to play out in quite a casino economy - roller coaster like fashion. Looks like former Australian prime minister John Howard will not be scoring a FIFA (nor cricket or NRL) role at the time of publication. Who wants Johnny? Media Man and Gambling911 play bean counter as we crunch some numbers so you don't have to...
By all accounts most sports betting companies did very well out of the world cup, and Betfair, Tabcorp, Centrebet, Ezybet and SportingBet were in the Aussie top ten. Not all the firms are ready to release their numbers into the public domain quite yet, however Media Man and Gambling911 have been able to obtain some early numbers...
Tabcorp Holdings (TAH AU): The soccer World Cup increased sales at Australia’s biggest gambling company by 20% to A$120 million, compared with the previous event in Germany four years ago. The stock climbed a modest 0.2% to A$6.47 at time of publication.
FIFA World Cup TV Audience...
A worldwide television audience of more than 700 million people was expected to have watched Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over the Netherlands in the final, according to FIFA.
FIFA Legal VS Fairfax Media (The Age)...
FIFA powers that be were not at all happy with newspaper The Age, who published articles last week covering a number of serious allegations towards FIFA regarding corruption. The court case is being conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Don't expect to see Fairfax roll over and leave it alone. Fairfax Media have been instrumental in the downfall of many brands and companies over the years, in recent years known for blowing the whistle on "eco fuel performance booster" Firepower. Insiders say Firepower was "greenwashing on steroids" in an Enron scale disaster!
Read some of The Age coverage of FFA and FIFA here
'FFA take legal action over bid claims' (The Age)...
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/ffa-take-legal-action-over-bid-claims-20100706-zxsb.html
'Frank Lowy spitting chips over FIFA scoop' (Crikey)
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/07/07/frank-lowy-spitting-chips-over-fifa-scoop-as-the-age-waits-on-writ
'FIFA Investigates Australia Bid Officials, FIFA Vice President' (Gambling911)
http://www.gambling911.com/fifa-world-cup/fifa-investigates-australia-bid-officials-fifa-vice-president-063010.html
World Cup Traffic Increases (Hitwise)
http://weblogs.hitwise.com/heather-dougherty/2010/06/world_cup_traffic_increases_1.html
Wrap Up...
Yep, Aussies have further cemented their claim as some of the world's biggest and most passionate punters, both online and offline. How much did you spend on the World Cup having a punt, and did you listen to Paul The Psychic Octopus? Tell us in the forum. As always, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun...oh, and well done to our Spanish matador like readership. Watch out for bull horns.
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a bakers dozen of sectors they cover. They also offer political commentary and analysis.
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