Weekend Review: Wenger In for the bookies after another Arsenal defeat
Bookies enjoy a gilt-edged Oscars weekend as Arsenal’s shambolic season continues with a defeat at Brighton
What do UK bookmakers and Tottenham fans have in common? They are the only people hoping Arsene Wenger remains in charge of Arsenal after the Gunners slumped to yet another Premier League defeat this weekend.
Arsenal lost 2-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday to make it four defeats in a row, much to the bookmakers’ delight.
“There was a huge shock (well, probably not for Arsenal fans) as Brighton came out victorious against the Gunners at the AMEX Stadium to give us by far and away our biggest winning margin of the weekend,” said Kindred Group’s Ali Gill.
Betway’s Alan Alger said of the result: “Football results were generally kind and once again we were on the right side of another abysmal Arsenal performance.
“Some punters thought the Gunners drifting to evens was a gift, without realising how badly they are actually playing at the moment,” he added, while BetVictor’s Charlie McCann told EGR: “Arsenal are the club that just keep on giving- Wenger in!”
In the other big Premier League match-up this weekend, Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium in an incredibly one-sided affair. William Hill’s Rupert Adams said: “Even though the well-backed Man City beat Chelsea in the big game of the day, the 1-0 scoreline meant that we made a profit on the game.”
Hills’ turnover was however hit by a large number of postponements, both in the UK due to bad weather and in Italy following the tragic death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori.
On the City match, Kindred’s Gill added: “The solitary goal in Man City’s win over Chelsea drove a huge margin for us, helped by live betting figures as punters couldn’t believe a woeful Chelsea only conceded the one.”
Ladbrokes Coral exchange Betdaq also said the bad weather affected punting figures: “With jumps racing off, and a relatively quiet wider sporting weekend, there was plenty of interest in the Premier League and strong total stakes matched,” said LCL exchange director Shane McLaughlin.
“Almost £1.5m was matched in the big matches yesterday, with Man City v Chelsea seeing £734k and Brighton v Arsenal generating £747k.”
Away from the football, BetVictor took advantage of awards season in film and television. McCann said: “Great results for us overnight in Tinseltown.
“We kept the favourites on side in the Oscars except the Best Picture award, as we were very keen to take on Three Billboards in Ebbing Missouri with the Shape of Water.”