WORLD CUP: The Trading Room

As part of our countdown to the Qatar World Cup we checked in with DAVE JOLLY, head of trading at starsports.bet and fired 10 questions to him on how the build up was looking in the trading room ….

1️⃣ So Dave, million dollar question – how do you think a November World Cup will compare to previous summer ones?
I think the level of performance could be higher, it certainly removes the age old English excuse of coming at the end of a long season. As for a betting proposition, the timings work well, and with the Premier League firmly established as the best in the world, most English club fans will have an interest in lots of games.

2️⃣ Star are best priced England – what’s the thinking there?
To be honest it was two fold, first I always think the patriotic support drives down the price to a false level and secondly I felt that we had gone backwards since the Euros last year and didn’t look as dangerous. That said I have noted improved performances by some of England players at club level recently, so a return to form at the right time is a strong possibility.

3️⃣ How is the ante-post book looking?
Interest has started to pick up in the last week (partially driven by our Money Back as Free bet if your team is eliminated before the quarter finals), we’ve seen steady money for England, Brazil and Argentina, however our book is currently dominated by the £100k we laid on Netherlands @ 12/1.

4️⃣ Apart from the England matches which other teams/games do you think will attract the most interest amongst starsports.bet punters?
I honestly believe we will see record bet numbers and interest in every game, this World Cup will have more recognisable names than ever before, for example up to 50% of the current Brazilian squad play in the Premier League! Also there are so many markets available on every match that everyone can find a bet that suits their view and pocket.

5️⃣ How about specials – what can starsports.bet punters look forward to?
We will have the regular Outright markets, Tournament winner, Top Scorer etc.. but in line with our Ante Post efforts over the last couple of years on the Premier League, we will look to have a few unique opportunities, such as Team Top Scorer, Team Goals Handicap, Scorer Match bets and our popular Goal Pairings, many are available now the remainder are all set for release once the squads are confirmed.

6️⃣ A couple of competitions too for punters to get involved in – what’s the deal?
Yes we believe that football is all about opinions, so based on this we will be offering the chance to win substantial amounts of Free Bets, with two Free to enter competitions, our Yes/No Predictions and our name Englands starting 11 for their first match against Iran on 21st November.

7️⃣ Is there a trend to more in-play betting on football?
At Star we have our Two Good offer, where we pay out on a team if they manage to get two goals ahead, irrespective of the final outcome, this encourages pre-play betting, however with a World Cup there is also a reduction in acca business due to the lack of daily fixtures, therefore I think we will see our In-play betting % continue to grow, with many larger stake bets being taken once the customer gets a feel for how the match is progressing.

8️⃣ Literally hundreds of markets on each match – which are the ones that are growing?
The traditional match outcome will still see our largest bets, handicap betting will be popular for some due the early one-sided looking matches, Correct Score, Goalscorer markets are great for the TV viewer and offer larger prices for those looking to have an interest in most games. Build-a-Bet will be available on every game and gives everyone the opportunity to increase their potential win by using their own insight and opinion.

9️⃣ Do you expect to see a renewed interest in the remainder of the Premier League season post World Cup or will football punters be fatigued out?
I think it makes for an unbelievable Boxing Day, however there are so many variables that could impact what happens for the remainder of the season and may throw up some unexpected results in the early weeks of return, injuries at the World Cup?, success at the World Cup?, number of players from each team going?.

🔟 And finally, what are your personal predictions?
I do like the form some of the England players over the last few weeks and feel they may do better than my initial thoughts, but currently I’d side with Argentina or Brazil. The groups (below) on the whole look like two horse races, however there are invariably a couple of surprises, I think Serbia could get through in Group G, and as I’m not convinced with Spain’s fire power maybe a big shock in Group E with Japan qualifying for the knockout stage?. I will be looking out for the Top Scorer by Team markets as there is often value with some of the lesser teams being topped with one or two goals, Jonathan David (Canada) and Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) to name a couple for interest. Finally my only bet so far has been Messi to be top scorer @ 14/1, he looks to have prepared himself well, nice introduction to the Tournament, penalty taker, bang in form and probably his final opportunity.