Betfair Does Well With Australian Big Bash Cricket League Taking Over $28 Million a Match

Added: January 30, 2014

The Australian Big Bash cricket league has been a very successful set of sporting events for sports book operator Betfair so far. The average for each match played in the Big Bash cricket league so far, that Betfair has taken from punters, is over £28 million a match. In contrast, Betfair only took around £6 million on the Melbourne Cup. There are 23 games in the Big Bash cricket league, and this totals up to over $590 million in revenue for Betfair for its sports book operation.

Daniel Bevan, a spokesman for Betfair, has said that in play bets made a significant contribution towards the amount wagered through its sports book for each match. In play bets allow punters to actually place sports book bets whilst the game is in play, but of course, with the odds shifting to represent the current state of the game. Daniel Bevan is quoted as saying, "For Betfair customers, it is the evenness and the intrigue of every contest. Momentum can shift so quickly, so it's encouraging people to stay and watch to the end. You almost have to stay and watch till the last ball each night. People can bet right up until the last ball and they do when it's so close."

The highest amount of money that Betfair took through its sports book during the Australian Big Bash cricket league games was when the Perth Scorchers played the Hobart Hurricanes. This game netted over $47 million for the Betfair sports book.

Betfair and other sports book operators have been singled out as possibly enabling unscrupulous punters to fix matches or bets. Mr. Bevan defends Betfair by saying that, "We're giving another weapon for integrity and transparency because they have access to every trade for Australian and international punters. Through onshore regulated operators like Betfair, those of us who play by the rules, we're delivering a financial return to Cricket Australia."

We agree with Mr. Bevan. Betfair offers a fantastic sports book service, one of the most secure around. We believe that Betfair has added significant value to the Australian Big Bask cricket league, by enabling punters to place in play bets. This adds to the excitement of the event, and as long as the Big Bash cricket league is focused on fair play itself, then sports book operators will naturally fall in to line.