Big Brother 8
Male to win Big Brother at evens on Betfair
As the summer silly season gets into gear, punters are assaulted with
Big Brother. The reality show dominates everything in its path, from newspaper columns to water-cooler conversations. There is no escaping it, so don't even try. In fact, don't even pretend to try. Just get sucked in like the rest of the country, and even if it turns out to be a damp squib, the shrewd bettor can keep it at least a little interesting by having a pop at the numerous markets that have sprung up around the two-monthlong event.
This year's show started unusually, with 11 women and no men, and quickly descended into puerile bitchiness. However, toward the end of July, it is likely to be the men who are in real contention for the win.
In seven previous seasons, a female has won the event only once, while males have taken the title five times, and a transsexual scooped the other. Most of the voters are women, and for whatever deep-seated psychological reason that Antepost dares not speculate on, the trend is for them to support dull but worthy blokes (Craig Phillips and Anthony Hutton) or quirky but sweet guys (Brian Dowling and Pete Bennett).
The prices may change drastically toward the culmination of the show, so keep your eyes peeled - as the bookies rarely get these markets wrong.
Cricket
First test at Lord's, England vs. India: England to win test at 1.9 on Betfair
Indian cricket is in disarray; a humiliating first-round exit from the
World Cup, shady backroom politicking, and the decline of promising talent such as Irfan Pathan indicate that, with home advantage, the first test in Lord's, starting on July 19, is England's to lose.
England's own form has been volatile: a 5-0 whitewash by Australia in the 2006-2007 Ashes, and a super-8-round exit in the
World Cup came after a one-day triangular win in Australia, its first since 1997.
At the time of this writing, England was 1.93 on Betfair, but a strong showing against the West Indies is likely to see this price drop significantly. England is desperate to bring to an end its torrid times of late, and whatever price it goes off at, it is likely to hold a significant edge over the Indians.
Financial
Buy IG Index shares for medium-/long-term hold
IG Index, the spread and binary betting market leader, is listed on the London Stock Exchange as part of the FTSE 250 Index. The company's main focus to date has been the UK, but it is rapidly expanding into Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and Sweden.
It is not a cheap share, trading at 22 times its forecast earnings for 2007; nor is it a spectacular performer, with dividend yield at around 2 percent, but its potential is colossal. It's EBITDA was up 44 percent in 2006, and with a compound annual revenue growth rate of 40 percent over the last eight years, it's a keeper.
As Antepost was studying the market, its share price stood at 308p, down from a high of just over 330p in early June.
Euro 2008
England to qualify for Euro 2008 at 1.7 on Betfair
The return of David Beckham to the England fold for the second half of qualifying may be the turning point in an otherwise undistinguished campaign.
In the June friendly against Brazil, in which England was cruelly denied victory in the dying stages, he was talismanic. In the subsequent 3-0 win against Estonia, he set up goals for Owen and Crouch, and a resurgent England, lying fourth in Group E as Antepost studied the form, should have enough grit to overcome its poor start and qualify for the world's second-largest football tournament in Austria and Switzerland next year.
England's unlikely to go on and win the tournament, and Antepost will lay them on the biggest stage, but for now, McClaren's men should sneak in, most likely in second place in the group, and are worth a ton of Antepost's hard-earned cash.
