Europe-based bettors would do better without the gambling monopolies.

Right To Bet:

RIGHT2BET has exclusively revealed that throughout the World Cup European state betting monopolies offered their customers, on average, 32% worse odds than those available with private betting companies.

Monopoly customers wishing to back their home nation in South Africa were subjected to 35% worse odds than those being offered by the EU-licensed private sector operators that their governments do not allow them to use.

The startling figures have been revealed in the Right2bet World Cup Report which analysed the odds offered on every World Cup match by seven of Europe&#8217-s biggest betting monopolies, before comparing them to the equivalent prices being offered by other licensed European operators.

The aim of the report was to investigate whether or not Europe&#8217-s betting monopolies were short-changing their customers via the help of legislation which protects their existence and market dominance.

Right2bet is campaigning for the right of all European consumers to be able to bet with the licensed operator of their choice, regardless of the Member State in which they are based.

Right2bet spokesman Ari Last said: &#8220-The figures emanating from this report are quite shocking. Millions of EU consumers who wanted to bet during the World Cup were subjected to hugely inferior prices by the monopolies that their governments strive so hard to protect.&#8221-

&#8220-The protectionist behaviour of certain Member States when it comes to online gambling is a situation that does not conform to the ethos of the single-market, and we hope that the findings of this report will highlight what is undoubtedly an unjust reality.&#8221-

Right2bet World Cup Report key points:

• Monopolies offered their customers 32% worse odds than licensed private operators
• The &#8216-Perfect Bettor&#8217- forced to bet with a monopoly would have made €629 less than they would have done if they were allowed to bet with other EU-licensed operators in the private sector
• On average, a monopoly customer choosing to back the &#8216-favourite&#8217- throughout every one of the 64 tournament matches would have received 38% less value, while one who chose to back the &#8216-outsider&#8217- throughout each game of the tournament would have received 35% less value
• Monopolies offered customers wishing to back their home nation 35% worse odds than private operators
• It is clear from the results published in this report that consumers using online gambling services in the EU are receiving significantly lower value when forced to use a state monopoly provider

Country breakdowns:

• Germany: 48% worse off
• Sweden: 40% worse off
• The Netherlands: 35% worse off
• France: 31.5% worse off
• Greece: 31% worse off
• Denmark: 14.4% worse off

Mark Davies leaves BetFair -but the SEO cretins stay.

One month ago, I reported that BetFair silenced their PR chief (Mark Davies) by moving him to regulation affairs and asking him to shut up his voluble gob. Office politics played against him. Too bad.

Well, as Mark Davies can&#8217-t live in the dark (away from the limelights), he has resigned, and started off his own company, Camberton &#8212-so as to do what BetFair was recently forbidding him to do (PR). I wish him good luck, with 2 caveats.

#1. Mark Davies&#8217-s true love is in fact journalism. But it doesn&#8217-t pay, unless you do TV prominently. If Mark had bollocks, he would go into journalism.

#2. Mark Davies is a SEO virgin (&#8220-Camberton&#8221- is of course notably absent from Google), who was taking tips at BetFair from the world&#8217-s crappiest SEOs. Mark Davies will have to learn web marketing. (I am not even sure Mark knows what &#8220-SEO&#8221- stands for.) And there&#8217-s the WordPress factor. Mike Robb got it, but Mark never did.

Leaving BetFair is a good thing &#8212-provided he can learn in the open what he couldn&#8217-t learn while at BetFair: Marketing 2.0.

BetFair: Residents of Monaco are allow to use Betfair and all the accounts from Monaco are still opened.

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BetFair stated to me that, &#8220-Residents of Monaco are allow to use Betfair and all the accounts from Monaco are still opened.&#8221- Monaco people using a French ISP might run into temporary problems, though.

So, it seems that the few Monaco people reporting problems to me are in the minority, and there is no BetFair policy blocking Monaco bettors. Good to hear.

BetFair withdraws from France… and Monaco. – [UPDATED]

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As you all know, BetFair have closed all accounts from France residents.

Strangely, they also closed accounts from people living in the Principality of Monaco (an independent country that is recognized by the United Nations). Bizarre. If you have insider info, send them in to moi. Thanks.

UPDATE: BetFair stated to me that, &#8220-Residents of Monaco are allow to use Betfair and all the accounts from Monaco are still opened.&#8221- Monaco people using a French ISP might run into temporary problems, though.

So, it seems that the few Monaco people reporting problems to me are in the minority, and there is no BetFair policy blocking Monaco bettors. Good to hear.

Pre-IPO BetFair silences its PR chief Mark Davies.

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Mark Davies:

The reason is that with my job at Betfair having recently changed so that I have responsibility for regulation but no longer for our public positioning, I have been asked not to blog about industry and company issues. Rather than stop writing completely, I have only been publishing things which cannot be construed to be a Betfair view.

Why did BetFair demote a brilliant spin doctor?

Makes no sense at all. Absurd.

The URLs of the UKs General Election 2010

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http://politics.betfair.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2010

Gordon Brown&#8217-s gaffe (&#8220-bigoted woman&#8221-, Gillian Duffy):