The 'Betting on Christmas' Thread

[stereoman]

Well you don't need me to tell you that betting on who'll get the Christmas Number One single's been no fun since Simon Cowell managed to con a gullible British public that his wares were worth buying.

...so what else is worth betting on? I'm not betting on it to snow in a certain parts of the UK!

Last year they were two 'huge' betting coups as The Vicar of Dibley managed to be BARB's most watched TV show on Christmas Day beating the 10/1 ON shot EastEnders, and FIFA 07 was named as ELSPA's top selling video game for Chirstmas usurping hot favourite Need For Speed: Carbon.

The Vicar of Dibley tops Christmas Day TV ratings
ELSPA: Press Office: Press Releases: CHRISTMAS 2006 VIDEO GAMES NUMBER ONE UNVEILED

There'll be a few more markets to bet on such as 'Who'll have this year's number one album on the 23rd December?' (probably William Hill will put that up) and what not.

Christmas Day is Tuesday this year and the single/album markets will be settled on Sunday 23rd December.

OT: I don't know how Simon Cowell will bag the Christmas number one single this year unless there's a double elimination along the line with the final being a three-handed affair on Saturday 15th December. It's surely the only way it can be done!?

[trickrick]

Well from my short straw poll of the kids I know and the present they want Santa to bring, by far the most popular is the Nintendo DS lite !! I know Bratz are big this year, but what the hell is the favourite - this Sqwakers Mccaw furreal parrot !?!?

I'd be siding with the DS if I had to choose, although no great confidence !!

[stereoman]

Hmmm. That's a bit of a weird market...what you're betting on is "What will be the best-selling toy this Christmas in Smyths Toystores Ireland?" I dunno. It could be anything and it might not even be on Paddy's shortlist of ten.

Here's what the Toy Retailers Association thinks the kiddies in the UK will want this year: Top 12 toys for Christmas 2007

I can't imagine the Doctor Who face mask voice changer thingy will be popular with Irish kids but who knows!?

Paddy's other Christmas markets since they've got into the spirit of things quite early:




It looks ominous that Need For Speed can make it four out of five years.



One for the royal insiders to bonk Paddy's over the head with.



Traditionally it seems EastEnders has a stranglehold on the Christmas Day TV ratings for whatever reason. It could be value but it'd depend on what ITV1 has up against it.

I'm not bothering to put up all those 'Will it snow in...?' markets.

[Beanie]

Lest ye forget the other betting coup last year - the pwning of the Queens Xmas Speech on TDP:

http://www.thedailypunt.com/forum/ot...ch-bets-2.html

Livened up Xmas day last year and will do so again this time

[stereoman]

Aye. A weird market that one was but hey, what a result!

I'm relenting about reports on betting on it snowing but I'm still not betting on it! Today's Bettingzone Market News:

1200: William Hill are expecting a record-breaking gamble on a White Christmas with snow on Xmas day likely to cost the industry over £1million.

At present, Aberdeen is the 7/2 favourite to see snow on the 25th with Glasgow offered at 4/1 and all other cities 6/1.

"The current cold snap has come at the perfect time for White Christmas Turnover and we are confident that we will see a record gamble this year," said Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.

William Hill White Christmas Betting: 7/2 Aberdeen (Pittodrie), 4/1 Glasgow (Cathedral), 6/1 Cardiff (Millennium), 6/1 London (Buckingham Palace), 6/1 Exeter (Met Office), 6/1 Manchester (Coronation Street), 6/1 Liverpool (Albert Docks), 6/1 Birmingham (Bullring), 6/1 Dublin (Airport), 6/1 Belfast (Airport).

[stereoman]

...some more Bettingzone Market News:

1300: With just a month to go before the Christmas No.1 is decided, William Hill are asking where are the challengers?

Hills have the X-Factor winner as their 2/7 hot favourite to win what was one of the nation's favourite flutters but which could be a damp squib with so many major artists ducking the challenge.

Currently the Sugababes are the 4/1 second favourite with internet sensation Soulja Boy offered at 7/1. By far the biggest mover in the field is Malcolm Middleton whose single "We are all going to die," has been cut from 1000/1 to 20/1.

"As far as we can tell our list includes all the tracks being released in the two weeks leading up to Xmas and it looks like no-one is prepared to take on the X-Factor juggernaut. Simon Cowell has killed off one of the great festive flutters," said Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.

Gennaro Castaldo, HMV Head of Press & PR, added: "Unfortunately, the huge power of the X-Factor has put off all the big-name stars throwing their hats in the ring as they once used to - as they realise they're on to a hiding to nothing. So it's down to a few novelty acts to take on the challenge - and if I had to pick a dark horse Shaun The Sheep would be the one to watch.

"The animated character is a big favourite with the pre-teens, and, as we saw with Bob the Builder in the 1990's, parents can sometimes find it hard to resist kids' pester-power, and will go out and buy the single for their Christmas stockings."

=============

Fairly sizable gamble over on the Betfair forums on Soulja Boy to win without the X Factor winner. Not to put the mockers on 'em but I hope it doesn't come off.

The 'out of nowhere surely it's got no chance!?' gamble this year though is on called Malcolm Middleton.

BBC Radio 1 DJs back Malcolm Middleton's Xmas Number One bid | News | NME.COM

I hate Scott Mills but he seems to manage to convince folks as he always champions at least one record a year and it does well in the charts.

[stereoman]

Hard to get excited about this kind of stuff even though we're almost in full Christmas spirit (it's as though I've had the stuffing knocked out of me in the last few weeks amongst other things). Paddy's and Skybet (finally a bookie's put up the top Christmas Day TV show market!) have one or two more markets up and have revised the odds in a couple of markets.

Need for Speed: ProStreet seems ominous to be the top selling video game.

Skybet almost take an opposing view as to what will be the top soap on Christmas Day. EastEnders 8pm show looks ominous as there's no Vicar of Dibley type show to upset the applecart...unless you think Doctor Who can provide that upset. Coronation Street has had 'EastEnders' generally by the knackers over the past year but Christmas time seems to be a weird anamoly in that Corrie doesn't do particularly well against 'EastEnders'...could it triumph this time!?

I've no idea what the Pope will say first in his speech!

[lephter]

nice thread

[Winrew]

Would you be trying to get 5 posts so that you can post a link to some spamming bollocks ?

[stereoman]

Aw fook it...not like there's too much action on the Christmas betting front. Christmas weather betting news from Bettingzone Market Moves:

1550: Despite weather forecasters suggesting there's not a snowball's chance in hell of a smidgen of Christmas snow this year, the recent cold snap has encouraged punters to bet on a white Christmas in London.

Bookie Paddy Power's odds would seem to suggest the meteorologists are right with Paddy Power quoting a measly 1/6 that there’ll be NO snow on Christmas Day but optimistic punters are snapping up the 7/2 on offer that a single snowflake will be registered at Heathrow airport, widely considered the official reference point for a white Christmas.

Darren Haines, spokesperson for Paddy Power, said: "The bets for a white Christmas have been coming in today, people are clearly being swayed by the recent cold weather."

Paddy Power lost £50,000 in 2004 when Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow. Luckily for the bookies snowfall wasn't recorded in London saving them from a massive payout of over £125,000.

A white Christmas this year would cost Paddy Power an estimated £100,000.

[ONEDUNME]

Strange that as I've heard on the radio today a 15% chance of snow quoted so not sure where the info comes from that forecasters are saying that it's not gonn happen.

Of course that means you really needs to be getting 6 or 7 to 1 to be getting a realistic price so the 7/2 for snow is bollox.

[slick]

Some more markets here..

Top Christmas Day UK TV Film 2007
Win Only
Shrek 2 1.44 Bet
Finding Nemo 5.00 Bet
Love Actually 5.00 Bet
Polar Express 34.00

I'd say Shrek looks pretty much nailed on there allthough Polar express is probably the best movie of the lot.

Top Christmas Day UK TV Programme 2007
Win Only
Eastenders (either show) 1.53 Bet
Coronation Street 3.75 Bet
Doctor Who 9.00 Bet
To The Manor Born 11.00 Bet
Strictly Come Dancing Special 21.00 Bet
Deal or No Deal Christmas Star 67.00 Bet
Catherine Tate Xmas Show 76.00 Bet
Emmerdale 81.00 Bet
Queen's Speech BBC1 3pm 101.00

Odds Bet365

[stereoman]

Just a round-up of what happened...

* EastEnders was the most watched TV show on Christmas Day and thus was the most watched soap opera. Shrek 2 was the most watched film on Christmas Day.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | EastEnders tops 2007's TV ratings

* Top selling video game was...FIFA O8!

Gaming - News - 'FIFA 08' best-selling game of 2007 - Digital Spy

* 'Holy' was the 6/1 winner as to what the Pope would say first in his Christmas speech.

Urbi et Orbi - Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

* 'Iraq' was the 12/1 winner as to what the Queen would say first out of a selection of words and phrases, in her Christmas speech.

BBC NEWS | UK | Queen's Christmas speech in full

I've no idea what the best-selling toy in Ireland was.