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Spread betting
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
Spread betting is a form of gambling on the outcome of any event where the more accurate the gamble, the more is won and conversely the less accurate the more is lost. A bet is made against a ‘spread’ (or index), on whether the outcome will be above or below the spread. The amount won [...]
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History of baseball
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
The New York Giants baseball team, circa 1910. Origins of baseball The distinct evolution of baseball from among the various bat-and-ball games is difficult to pin down. However, it is mainly agreed that modern baseball is an American development from earlier British games, such as rounders, with possible influences from cricket. 1886 baseball demonstration at [...]
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Betting scandals
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
Historically, sports betting has been associated with a number of unsavory characters, which has a lot to do with its desultory legal treatment throughout the world. Organized crime notoriously has relied upon sports betting for money laundering or funding purposes. The corruption or threat of a boxer to take a dive at the x round [...]
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Fixed-odds gambling: types of odds offered
Friday, January 16th, 2009
There are three widely-used means of quoting odds: Fractional odds Favoured by bookmakers in the United Kingdom, fractional odds quote the net total that will be paid out to the bettor, should he win, relative to his stake. Odds of 4/1 (read “four-to-one” or “four-to-one against“) would imply that the bettor stands to make a [...]
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Types of bets
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Aside from simple wagers–betting a friend that one’s favorite baseball team will win its division, for instance, or buying a football “square” for the Super Bowl–sports betting is commonly done through a bookmaker. Legal sports bookmakers exist throughout the world (perhaps most notably in Las Vegas). In areas where sports betting is illegal, bettors usually [...]