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Category: International

Where football betting meets political betting

Where football betting meets political betting

Is AC Milan’s George Weah the right man to become Liberia’s next President? Of the 22 candidates standing for President in the tiny West African country’s presidential election, few have anything like the name recognition of Liberia’s soccer legend and FIFA 1996 player of the year, George Weah. The former AC Milan striker won the nomination of his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) more than a month ago and is campaigning evergetically. In the UK the Spreadfair spread-betting exchange has…

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Markets open on the Berlin standoff

Markets open on the Berlin standoff

The bookie favourite is Anegla Merkel heading a grand coalition While Germany awaits confirmation of which parties will form their next government, Paddy Power have introduced two markets on what will happen next in Berlin. It has made a grand coalition the favourite with a price of just 1/2 that the CDU/CSU & SPD parties will rule together. The second favourite coalition grouping, at 2/1/ is an alliance between SPD, Green & FDP. On who the next Chancellor will be…

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Germany’s election – where did the polls go wrong?

Germany’s election – where did the polls go wrong?

What will be the eventual shape of the new parliament in Berlin? Today’s results from the German General Election have completely blown apart what the opinion polls were predicting. The final surveys had the CDU/CSU on 41.5-42% with the SPD on 32.5-33% and the FDP at 7.5-8%. Yet from the results that have been coming in all evening it looks as though the CDU/CSU will finish up on 35.4%; the SPD on 34.2% and the FDP on 10%. So for…

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Is it time to bet on Angela?

Is it time to bet on Angela?

Polls show it could still go either way With just one day to go before the Germans vote in their General Election a new poll shows that Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU might just get enough votes which when combined with the FPD could squeeze a majority by a whisker. Other polls have her just under-shooting and the final margin might be fractions of a point either way and there are still a lot of voters who are undecided. German opinion polls…

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Can Angela confound the pollsters?

Can Angela confound the pollsters?

Could her coalition win after all? When we first covered the German General Election just seven weeks ago everything seemed rosy for the former physicist turned politician, Angela Merkel. At the time her CDU/CSU grouping was scoring 44% in the opinion polls and she looked set to be the next Chancellor with a coalition deal with the FDP, then rating at 7%. At the time Schroeder’s SPD was languishing on 26% and everything appeared to be fairly settled. It was…

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Labour’s fight for a third term…

Labour’s fight for a third term…

…in New Zealand In Saturday’s article we mentioned Centrebet’s market on the 17th September general election in New Zealand. Paradoxically inspired by Matthew Parris’s downgrading of the globetrotting political columnist… It’s about the Game. It’s about jousting. It’s about personality, performance, plots, ploys and counter-ploys. With sinking heart I realise that I and my ilk are really no more than sports commentators of a rarefied sport. Adjust your settings and you can play it anywhere. …let’s try to handicap the…

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Saturday markets update, 20th August 2005

Saturday markets update, 20th August 2005

New, moving and interesting markets this week We haven’t seen too much dramatic action in the betting on British political events this week, so let’s take a weekend look further afield. Though when we mention Helen Clark on this site, we tend to be referring to the former MP for Peterborough, there is more betting interest in her antipodean namesake. New Zealand is less than a month from its general election, to be held on 17th September. Australian bookie Centrebet…

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Is it all going wrong for Angela Merkel?

Is it all going wrong for Angela Merkel?

After months in which her success in the German General Election was seen as almost a foregone conclusion things have started to go badly wrong for Angela Merkel. Heinrich Martz, who has become a PB.C regular, sent this tonight. All those who think the election is over had better take a second look. At the moment, the election is wide open. The CDU (42%) and FDP (6%) have a combined 48% of the vote. But the left-wing parties, the SPD…

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