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With real cash in my virtual pocket I set off
down to the electronic bookies, casinos, poker
rooms and financial betting sites for a day of
risk-taking. Can a surfing session really help
keep your bank manager at bay?
There are two types of betting
– the punt-and-sit-back
and the punt-and-lean-forward. With the first you
lay a stake on the predicted outcome of an event
the sit back and wait – such as betting on
sporting events with fixed odds.
The punt-and-lean-forward, or live action betting,
involves wagering then monitoring a fluctuating
situation, then having to decide the best time to
get out with the highest possible return on your
stake. Stock market investing is the most
obvious example here – timing becomes crucial.
For lifebyte I placed some sit back bets then went
to work with the live action in Vegas.
Two goods sites for static
sit-back betting are Bluesq
(say 'Blue Square') and William
Hill. Bluesq is my favourite for its wide
range of financial and special
bets – plus it has lower
tax than high-street bookies. I went for
Al Gore for President – £10 at odds
of 2.38 – and £10 on Margaret Atwood to pick
up the Booker Prize at 7/2.
I elected to pay tax on stake, not returns, so spent
£20.50. In Bluesq's financial section I found an
irresistible 7/4 bet on the FTSE 100 finishing the
day between 6450 and 6500 points and bet £10.25
with tax.
I left Bluesq to go to William
Hill for some nag wagering, going via SportingLife.com
for tips. Sporting Life offers a list of all the
daily papers' expert 'naps' for the day – a
'nap' being their top tip. I decided to go with
the horse that was napped by the most pundits,
My Emily in the 15:50 at Lingfield. William Hill
offered no odds so far before the race so I wagered
£10 at whatever the SP would be.
Time to wager on the live action bets. £59, my unwagered
balance, is not enough for financial
spread betting , so I took the cash to Vegas.
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