Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
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Australian bets on the soccer World Cup may reach a record A$300 million ($254 million), exceeding the annual take for the nation’s domestic football codes, according to bookmakers including Tabcorp Holdings Ltd.
The forecast for the tournament, which starts today, compares with turnover of about A$200 million four years ago, said Craig Nugent, managing director of sports betting at Melbourne-based Tabcorp, Australia’s biggest gambling company.
While betting, attendance and television viewership of domestic professional soccer lags behind Australian rules football and rugby league, the World Cup may overtake their takings this year as the competition draws those who don’t normally gamble, Nugent said.
Australia will play its first game of the tournament on June 13 local time against Germany. Other members of its group are Ghana and Serbia.
Should the Australian team, known as the Socceroos, make it to the second round and meet England, Nugent is expecting the match to be the most gambled on game in the country’s sports betting history.
“If Australia goes through their group and England win theirs, we would expect it would break all records,” he said.
Tabcorp today started an application for Apple Inc. iPhones to place bets.
Via businessweek.com
