Online bookies: The real World Cup winners?

Taking money from the cash rich but time poor during June has the online bookies very excited. Will Sturgeon recently caught up with one of them and looks at the business and technology tactics for successfully taking World Cup bets...

The gambling industry is expecting to see in excess of £200m wagered on this summer's World Cup in the UK alone. As much as 10 per cent of that will be placed via online bookies.

However, while the online betting industry is blossoming this figure is unrepresentative of online's market share.

In fact, while most of us are bemoaning the unsociable times of matches taking place eight time zones away in Japan and Korea, the online bookies are rubbing their hands in glee.

Picture the scene. The alarm clock beside your bed says 06:30. You made a point of setting it so early because you don't want to miss a minute of the England v Nigeria game. Kick off is in an hour and last night you hatched a get-rich-quick scheme involving Michael Owen scoring first as England go on to triumph 4/1 and you want to place a bet in good time.

You work out you can get to William Hill's on the high street and be back in your armchair in time for kick off. Or at least you could if it wasn't for the fact that William Hill's won't be opening for several hours. Ladbrokes? Coral? Afraid not - they're all shut. Which brings us back to these gleeful online bookies.

Ed Pownall, a spokesman for pure-play dot-com bookie Blue Square, told silicon.com: "Because of the timing of the matches the internet will get a much bigger slice than it normally would."

Of course the major players mentioned above aren't going to miss out - they all have their own online divisions - but for Blue Square this provides a realistic opportunity to win some market share as the early kick offs take the high street out of the equation for those critical hours prior to kick off.

True, if you fancy a punt a week before - or are organised enough throughout the tournament - you will still be able to pop into the nearest high street bookie in advance of match day and place a bet but the circumstances are at least forcing the UK betting public to look at online alternatives.

And it's not just the early shift which will be swelling online bookies' coffers. Currently most bets are placed between 2pm and 4pm - suggesting many of Blue Square's punters are office workers logging on from their desks. Many will be getting itchy fingers in the mid-afternoon but at this point getting out of a chair and walking around the corner to the betting shop would be a little obvious, while logging on to the web and spending five minutes browsing speculative bets would go pretty much unnoticed in most modern offices.

And with an increased number of platforms available - including WAP, web, phone betting and interactive TV - it is becoming easier and easier to place bets wherever you are, whenever you like.

But what of these technologies? Which are the most popular and how do betting trends vary across the different platforms? Or, to put it another way, in 2002, does anybody really still bother with WAP?

"In a word, 'no'," says Blue Square's Pownall. "That's why we set up telephone betting. The idea was to have a three-tiered betting service: internet, TV and WAP but because WAP is so slow we had to use the more traditional telephone betting to complete the triangle.

"The internet is still far and away the most used with interactive TV taking about one third of the total. That said our telephone betting is the fastest growing because it's so new." (It was launched in October 2001).

The actual sums wagered on these platforms also make interesting reading. The average bet size on the internet is around £25, on the phone around £50 and on interactive TV around £10.

This suggests online consumers are still suffering a little from the fears of old. Those spending larger sums of money still prefer to do it over the phone, for the reassurance of a human voice at the other end - a mindset that has dogged ecommerce in the past and still looks set to do so.

But however the money is placed, betting is still big business. Ever since David Beckham scored that goal against Greece - hot on the heels of the historic defeat of Germany in Munich - the UK public has been showing growing interest in the rejuvenated England team's fortunes. Just look at the hype surrounding Beckham's second metatarsal.

As such, more people than ever before will be tempted to chance a fiver on England lifting the trophy this summer - and many won't fancy rubbing shoulders with the clientele of your average high street bookies. It's a sign of the times perhaps that for many the internet is less alien territory than the good old betting shop.

But remember, never wager more money than you can afford and always bet sensibly. The GamCare helpline is 0845 6000 133 if things get really out of hand.

And with regard to betting sensibly, while I have the attention of a betting industry insider it would be foolish not to press him for a few tips. But there are few surprises in Pownall's predictions. His tip for the trophy are currently Blue Square's joint favourites at 4/1.

"Argentina look to have it all - they qualified so easily and have skill pouring out of everywhere."

And what chances England - being offered at 10/1 at the time of writing?

As ever with England these odds do not reflect the team's actual chance of winning. Pownall admits they are kept lower than they should be by the sheer amount of money being placed on them by patriotic punters in the domestic market. Realistically England's odds would be much longer but with millions likely to be wagered on them in this country, it would be a gamble too far for any bookie should England actually go on to triumph in the Far East.

Those looking to show faith in England by wagering a few quid may have more joy with the other gong handed out at Fifa's quadrennial footy-fest - the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer.

Pownall says: "You want to choose a good side but one which is over-reliant on one player - like Michael Owen for instance."

For more on online betting and some World Cup predictions from the team who brought you silicon.com's World Cup Hot Topic,