Just for some context as to how badly CSA have decimated the global interest of SA cricket.
Todays CSA 50 over games are trading about a total volume of $30k on the largest European exchanges.
The CSA T20 in Potch traded about $4-6m a game, which was fair.
The T10 in Dubai are trading $30m a game
The T20 world cup games in Aus - $100m a game
It will be interesting to see the global reach of SAT20 - am sort of expecting $15m a game - CSA doesnt get money directly from these volumes, but the sponsors/TV rights holders need eyeballs, and the realty is, most eyeballs want to bet.
Wow, is that not indicative also if the local interest in sports betting? How does a sold out chiefs/pirates game compare to a mid range EPL fixture?
So the skeptics' view is that the big games are more likely to get leather jackets and shoeboxes for the players too, or have the players moved on from that devil work?
I'm not sure if someone has ever really looked closely into the local betting market, but it's nothing like the UK scene.
For years horseracing was entrenched as the only game in town as the lawmakers were far too busy at church on a Sunday to let our sporting heroes be tempted by the dark underworld of sports betting. Imagine Naas, an amateur player missing a kick or two for some bucks?
When we opened to the world the local sports betting did not flourish. In the end Hansie was taken in by international guys. Plenty of outfits tried (even supersport who had the monopoly on the eyeballs) but none seemed to stick.
I have no reason to think the current betting houses throwing money at it will survive, nothing has changed people would rather play the lotto.
Steven, please keep educating me. After three decades working in cricket, I'm still a complete novice at the betting side of things. Thank you for writing... neil@mwp.co.za
The majority of journalists really don't understand gambling, which is fair enough.
I occasionally asked ex-journalists who still travelled the circuit, if they wanted to help pay the expenses by providing weather pictures - literally maybe 6 photos of the skyline, an hr before the start of tests in far away places.
This would have been sufficient to v amply pad their income - but all declined, which I can understand.
People assume gambling has to be 'sneaky' to be profitable - but the reality is, the abscence of reliable data creates a vacuum which the knowledgeable can exploit.
I really hope to be able to buy you a coffee one day and discuss - purely hypothectically, as I have mostly retired.
Mike, many thanks for your feedback. Evebn after 30+ years in this game, I am a novice when it comes to the business of betting. I do enjoy a cup of coffee... where are you? Mine is an Americano with half a brown sugar and a dash of milk. If you're in Cape Town, let's do it... neil@mwp.co.za
Just for some context as to how badly CSA have decimated the global interest of SA cricket.
Todays CSA 50 over games are trading about a total volume of $30k on the largest European exchanges.
The CSA T20 in Potch traded about $4-6m a game, which was fair.
The T10 in Dubai are trading $30m a game
The T20 world cup games in Aus - $100m a game
It will be interesting to see the global reach of SAT20 - am sort of expecting $15m a game - CSA doesnt get money directly from these volumes, but the sponsors/TV rights holders need eyeballs, and the realty is, most eyeballs want to bet.
That sounds dismal. But is the size of 'the market' on a tournament indicative of the 'interest' in it? I guess it probably is...
Wow, is that not indicative also if the local interest in sports betting? How does a sold out chiefs/pirates game compare to a mid range EPL fixture?
So the skeptics' view is that the big games are more likely to get leather jackets and shoeboxes for the players too, or have the players moved on from that devil work?
I'm not sure if someone has ever really looked closely into the local betting market, but it's nothing like the UK scene.
For years horseracing was entrenched as the only game in town as the lawmakers were far too busy at church on a Sunday to let our sporting heroes be tempted by the dark underworld of sports betting. Imagine Naas, an amateur player missing a kick or two for some bucks?
When we opened to the world the local sports betting did not flourish. In the end Hansie was taken in by international guys. Plenty of outfits tried (even supersport who had the monopoly on the eyeballs) but none seemed to stick.
I have no reason to think the current betting houses throwing money at it will survive, nothing has changed people would rather play the lotto.
Steven, please keep educating me. After three decades working in cricket, I'm still a complete novice at the betting side of things. Thank you for writing... neil@mwp.co.za
The majority of journalists really don't understand gambling, which is fair enough.
I occasionally asked ex-journalists who still travelled the circuit, if they wanted to help pay the expenses by providing weather pictures - literally maybe 6 photos of the skyline, an hr before the start of tests in far away places.
This would have been sufficient to v amply pad their income - but all declined, which I can understand.
People assume gambling has to be 'sneaky' to be profitable - but the reality is, the abscence of reliable data creates a vacuum which the knowledgeable can exploit.
I really hope to be able to buy you a coffee one day and discuss - purely hypothectically, as I have mostly retired.
Mike, many thanks for your feedback. Evebn after 30+ years in this game, I am a novice when it comes to the business of betting. I do enjoy a cup of coffee... where are you? Mine is an Americano with half a brown sugar and a dash of milk. If you're in Cape Town, let's do it... neil@mwp.co.za