World Cup Could Put Bookies In The Poorhouse

READ MORE: Argentina, Betting, Cup", England, Michael Owen, Punting, World

Last weekend in England it was the perfect storm-type scenario for bookmakers as the heavily wagered weekend of football(soccer), rugby and cricket resulted in tons of . After the UK triumphantly won its football/soccer match against favored Argentina, the laddy bookmakers completely got housed. And it could get much worse.

According to The Sun, World Cup-crazy England fans will stake £1.5BILLION on their country winning the World Cup in Germany next year, where they currently sit at 7/1 to win it all. If they should win it,it could spell disaster for the bookmakers.

“If England win the World Cup we face a potential financial disaster,” according to Robin Hutchinson of Ladbrokes.

Yes, we just said that. Supporters have already staked nearly £500million on glory next summer — and hopes soared even higher after Saturday’s sensational 3-2 victory over Argentina.

Here’s a fun fact courtesy of Oddjack reader and happy Brit, Louis Cooke: The Brits will World Cup wagering will equal that of the GDP of Fiji(£1.52 billion), so there’s no need for metaphorical embellishment in that sense.

Put Shirt On Three Lions [UK Sun]

MLB Betting: Is There Any Reason At All To Bet on the Astros?

READ MORE: Betting", Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, MLB Betting, Series, World

Tomorrow night the Houston Astros are heavy -180 favorites against the Chicago White Sox, which seems like a generous number for a team in a death spiral. The number is for Roy Oswalt( the sexiest man alive)and the utter dominance he’s displayed so far in the playoffs. But, given that it seems like everything is going the White Sox way this post-season, we’re a little skeptical about overpaying that much for Oswalt so far. Right now, 55% of the betting public is throwing money at the White Sox which, in most cases, gives the Astros a little bit of an edge. But Jeez, can anybody trust Byung Hyun Lidge anymore? Will Garner pull a Bob Brenly and trot Lidge out to face anybody in clutch situations just because he’s supposed to? We’ll wait and see and, right now, we think it seems pretty obvious we’ll bet on the White Sox, but we’ll see if the number comes down at all tonight and decide tomorrow.
Asros in Deep Hole At World Series After Lidge Loses Again [Covers]