GR88.com Bookmakers Back Barcelona to Extend Champions League Record

4 April 2014, London, UK (Press Release) -- With three of the Champions League quarter-finals delicately poised after the first legs, GR88.com bookmakers are backing FC Barcelona to reach a record seventh semi-final in a row.

The reigning Spanish champions are 2.14 to win away against La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid (3.20), with a draw available at 3.25. The first leg finished 1-1, with goals scored by Diego and Neymar, and a repeat scoreline in Madrid - taking the game to extra time - is priced at 6.40 by GR88.com (all odds are subject to change).

Next Wednesday's other game also sees two teams coming into the match level at 1-1 from the first leg, but Bayern Munich (1.25) are strong favourites over Manchester United (11.00) despite being without key players Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Chelsea (1.78) are favourites to win their second leg against Paris Saint-Germain (4.30) next Tuesday, however Javier Pastore's late goal means the English side need to win by 2-0 (8.20) or more.

And the final game comes from Germany, where Borussia Dortmund (3.15) suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat away to Real Madrid (2.08), but will still hold out some hope after putting four goals past the Spanish side in last year's competition.

There is every chance that one or more of the games will still be in the balance going into the closing stages, and GR88.com guarantees late goals won't ruin a successful betting night thanks to the Late Goal Refund promotion.

If a goal is scored in the 88th minute or later, all losing pre-match bets on the match result, correct score or last goalscorer will be refunded if they were winning before the goal went in. Full terms and conditions can be found at http://www.gr88.com/promotions/sports/21.

"We have already seen one very late goal in Paris, and the second legs are sure to be fiercely competitive," GR88 blogger Antony Jordan said.

"At this stage of the competition the margins are tight, and one goal in the final minute could change anything, so we're ready for more last-minute drama," he added.

GR88.com Sportsbook takes bets on more than 4000 live in-game betting events every month including all English Premier League and Champions League games, NBA basketball and ATP and WTA tennis matches. GR88.com Casino offers hundreds of games from Microgaming and Play’n GO. GR88 recently introduced Speed Poker in its newly improved poker room. Players can use the same wallet for casino, poker or sports betting.

180Vita Enters Social Sports Market With Tipday Launch

25 March 2014, Edinburgh, UK (Press Release) – 180Vita, the owner of igaming media and entertainment sites such as PokerTube, FootballTube and PokerVIP, has entered the realm of sports tipping with its new free betting site Tipday (www.tipday.com).

Tipday is now fully live after soft-launching earlier this year, and allows players to make predictions on thousands of sporting events from English Premier League football to NBA basketball.

Players can earn points for correct tips, and enough successful tips can see them earn ‘expert’ status on their preferred sports, all without risking a single penny. For those who want to progress to real-money betting, Tipday also promotes the best available odds on each event from a variety of different sportsbooks.

180Vita is confident that, as the site grows, it will be able to offer the world’s largest selection of sports betting tips in one place, with users able to pinpoint which tips have come from the most successful tipsters. Tipday will help users discover new tips and new sporting events to bet on, while giving them the chance to make some risk-free money with prizes for the most successful tipsters each month.

To mark the launch, Tipday is giving the users with the most-shared betslips on Facebook and Twitter respectively two free tickets each to the Premier League football game of their choice.

“With more and more people becoming interested in sports betting, we wanted to build the world’s largest sports tipping authority to help provide a fun and social way to learn how to make informed bets,” 180Vita founder Jamie Nevin said.

“Sports fans love showing off that they know more than their friends, and Tipday lets them show off their expertise and sporting knowledge without having to risk any of their money. Then, when they’re ready to make real-money bets, they will be in the best possible position to do so.”

In addition to the desktop version of Tipday, 180Vita expects to roll out iOS, Android and Facebook apps before the end of Q2 2014.

GR88.com Bookmakers Expect Real Madrid to End Barcelona’s Title Challenge in El Clasico

20 March 2014, London, UK (Press Release) – This weekend sees Real Madrid take on Barcelona in one of the biggest games on the European football calendar, and GR88.com expects league leaders Real to take a huge step towards a record 33rd La Liga title with victory in El Clásico.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are three points clear of city rivals Atlético and four ahead of Barcelona, and are favourites at 2.14 to beat the reigning champions (3.05) at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night, while the draw is available at 3.35 (all odds are subject to change).

A win for Real would all but end Barcelona’s title challenge, but victory for Tata Martino’s side would blow the race for La Liga wide open once again, and with both sides safely through to the Champions League quarter-finals it promises to be a tightly-fought encounter between two of the strongest teams in European football.

In order for Barcelona to close the gap they will need to end their opponents’ run of 16 straight home wins, but Real Madrid have won only two of the last 10 league meetings between the sides.

“Barcelona have struggled for league form recently, losing their last two away games, but they always seem to pull out a big performance in El Clásico,” GR88.com blogger Antony Jordan said.

“They know that defeat on Sunday will leave them with a mountain to climb, but Real Madrid will be tough to beat, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo on top form.”

The game will see a wealth of attacking talent on display, including La Liga top scorer Ronaldo, world record signing Gareth Bale and Barcelona’s superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar.

However if the fixture ends goalless, GR88.com will refund all losing pre-match Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bets as part of its Nil-Nil Money-Back Offer. The offer extends to all games in the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga and Champions League, and full terms and conditions can be found at http://www.gr88.com/promotions/sports/20.

GR88.com’s sportsbook offers more than 4,000 in-play betting events each month, including all Spanish La Liga, English Premier League and UEFA Champions League games, as well as NBA basketball and World Twenty20 cricket. GR88.com Casino offers hundreds of games from Microgaming and Play’n GO. GR88 recently introduced Speed Poker in its newly improved poker room. Players can use the same wallet for casino, poker or sports betting.

GR88.com Backs Manchester City to Get FA Cup Revenge Over Wigan

6 March 2014, London, UK (Press Release) – Manchester City will be out for revenge in this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals, and GR88.com bookmakers make them heavy favourites against the Wigan Athletic team that beat them in last year’s final.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side go into the game fresh from a 3-1 victory over Sunderland in last week’s League Cup final, and GR88 bookmakers have City as 1.15 favourites to see off a side which they beat 5-0 in September. Second-tier Wigan are 18.00 outsiders, with the draw at 7.60 (all odds are subject to change).

Sunderland (3.30) are also looking to move one step closer to a second cup final this season as they travel to Hull (2.06), while 10-time FA Cu p winners Arsenal (1.76) face five-time champions Everton (4.30) in a battle of the most-decorated sides left in the competition.

The final game of the weekend sees two sides from outside the Premier League go head-to-head, with Sheffield United (2.08) fighting it out with Charlton Athletic (3.25) for a place in next month’s semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.

GR88 is celebrating a week of exciting FA Cup action with a 10% Thursday Reload Bonus on its sportsbook. Any player who makes a deposit of £20 or more today will receive 10% extra in their account – absolutely free. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.gr88.com/promotions/sports.

GR88.com offers more than 4,000 in-play betting events each month, including all English Premier League, German Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League games, as well as ATP and WTA tennis tournaments. GR88.com Casino offers hundreds of games from Microgaming and Play’n GO. GR88 recently introduced Speed Poker in its newly improved poker room. Players can use the same wallet for casino, poker or sports betting.

GR88.com Expects Premier League Title Race to Remain Tight

20 February 2014, London, UK (Press Release) – The English Premier League is tighter than ever, with just four points separating the top four teams, and GR88.com bookmakers expect league-leaders Chelsea to extend their 11-match unbeaten run against Everton.

Chelsea are unbeaten at home this season and the London club are favourites to win the game at 1.55, with Everton 6.20 outsiders and the draw at 3.70 (All odds are subject to change).

The rest of the top four are also all at home, with second-placed Arsenal (1.30) welcoming struggling Sunderland (11.00) and Manchester City (1.17) remaining strong favourites to take all three points against Stoke City (17.50) on Saturday.

The following day sees Liverpool (1.28) play host to a Swansea City team (10.50) back in action just three days after their Europa League match against Napoli.

“None of the top four can afford to lose ground in the title run-in, especially at home to teams in the bottom half of the table,” GR88.com blogger Antony Jordan said.

“The season has had plenty of twists and turns already, but time is running out for teams at the top to position themselves for the home straight.”

With the top sides scoring freely against struggling opposition over the course of the year, further excitement can be expected this weekend. However GR88.com has a great money-back offer if the goals don’t flow as freely as expected.

If an English Premier League game ends 0-0, GR88 will refund any losing pre-match Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bets as part of their Nil-Nil Money Back Offer. Full terms and conditions can be found in the 'promotions' section of GR88.com

GR88.com Sportsbook takes bets on more than 4000 live in-game betting events every month including all English Premier League and Champions League games, ATP and WTA tennis tournaments and the Winter Olympics. GR88.com Casino offers hundreds of games from Microgaming and Play’n GO. GR88 recently introduced Speed Poker in its newly improved poker room. Players can use the same wallet for casino, poker or sports betting.

0% Commission on Soccer at Matchbook

3 December 2013, Cork, Ireland (Press Release) - Matchbook continue to build on their recent momentum with the announcement of a 4 month commission free period, across all soccer markets. 

The campaign is live from December and is open to both new & existing customers, across web & mobile platforms. The offer runs until the 1st of April 2014, covering the majority of the remaining European soccer season.

Matchbook recently completed a platform overhaul and re-launch of their underlying technology. This included the release of an upgraded web platform and iPhone app to support increased access to their growing liquidity pool. 

Mark Brosnan, CEO, explains: “The Matchbook product is our liquidity and concentration on our liquidity growth is our main focus. To show our commitment to a low-margin cost structure, we are offering users 4 months commission free trading, with the aim of driving long term volume to our platform.”

He continues: “We’ve built a really powerful exchange and we’re seeing huge growth in soccer as a sports segment. We’re confident that once users interact with our platform, they’ll want to take advantage of the great liquidity available on other major sports.” 

Brosnan concludes, “Through increased automation, our live offering will expand significantly in the new year, which we expect to further fuel the growth in our soccer product.”