UK Bookmakers took a £15 million hit
All the tennis fans in Britain had the time to celebrate the historic win that Andy Murray pulled off in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic last Sunday. It was a pretty hectic championship right from the start when Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the very first round, and the wave of surprises just kept coming. One round at the time, most of the attention was focused on Djokovic as the whole world watched to see if the No. 1 seed was able to win the Wimbledon trophy once again.
Of course, the country hosting the event was not rooting for the Serb when one more Brit was still left standing, a Brit that went on to become the first male player to win a singles tournament at the all-England Club in a long period of 77 years. It was a momentous occasion for the country and for tennis fans around the world which were supporting the underdog. Needless to say that the win was celebrated throughout Great Britain, and for good reason, as a long history of despair had been thrown into the Channel.
Fans celebrate, bookmakers record big losses
While Britain was cheering for Murray, most of the fans were sure that Djokovic would take the win and this feeling also covered the large sportsbooks that placed him as a big favorite. When the final ball hit the court and Murray was given the trophy he has been waiting for his entire career, the UK bookmakers took a hit of about £15 million. At the time of making the betting odds, the bookies had no problem taking bets against the British player and the 77-year record certainly gave them confidence.
But, like we saw sometimes in basketball news, the team with no stars can take out the strongest opponent in the league and leave everyone speechless. Andy Murray did just that and while he is far from being unknown in the tennis circuit, his resume doesn’t quite stack up with the world number 1.
Ladbrokes, a huge bookmaker based in the UK, estimated that Murray’s win at Wimbledon set back the bookmakers a hefty eight-figure sum. In similar stunning fashion, Murray’s biggest opponents, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, got eliminated early in the tournament and more and more players jumped on the Murray train, which eventually rewarded them quite nicely.
To make it even worse for the bookmakers, the defending champion for women’s singles, Serena Williams, was also eliminated in an unexpected fashion. A spokesperson declared that the bookmakers were having the best Wimbledon ever until the finals. Many considered Williams to be unbeatable and the huge winning streak she was on certainly did a lot to back those claims up until she was eliminated from Wimbledon by 23rd seeded S. Lisicki from Germany.
Betting on basketball
If there is one thing that gamblers should learn from the 2013 Wimbledon, is that surprises can always take place, and this isn’t limited just to tennis. The same things can easily happen in the 2014 NBA Championship. While the Miami Heat are favored to win another consecutive title, the changes made by other top teams in the league have the potential to stop LeBron and his crew early on.
As any sports betting enthusiast would tell you, the odds are just a guideline of who the bookmakers think will win and while they are right quite often, a small surprise from the underdog in a decisive game can mean a very nice payday for the gambler. Taking some risks is what usually brings in the big wins and this is what makes sports betting so exciting. The predictions for the two Conferences in the NBA are out so players should also check out the latest changes for the upcoming season.
