IN AN exclusive interview, head of PR for StanJames.com Rory Jiwani gives Eastern Eye his views on all the top sporting action of the moment, and the best ways to try and make some cash…
What have you made of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season so far?
The IPL is a fantastic tournament which lends itself to exciting in-play betting. Twenty20 cricket is full of momentum shifts and it only takes a quick sequence of boundaries or flurry of wickets to change the state of the game.
So far, we’ve had our fair share of excitement but one of the big stories has been the wretched form of the Delhi Daredevils. They headed the pre-tournament betting along with Chennai Super Kings but, at the time of writing, Mahela Jayawardene’s men are rooted to the bottom of the table despite boasting players of the quality of David Warner, Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel.
The highlight of the IPL so far has been Chris Gayle’s brutal 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors. With him, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in such great form with the bat, Bangalore look sure to be in the all-important top four at the end of the league stage.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were rank outsiders before the tournament but Kumar Sangakkara’s men have been a revelation with Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra all performing with the ball. They are still 8/1 for the tournament, which looks big considering their batsmen haven’t clicked into gear yet.
Are there any other cricket tournaments betting fans can look forward to this summer?
Hot on the heels of the IPL comes the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales in June.
World champions India will be hoping to retain their status as one-day top dogs, although Australia are seeking to clinch their third consecutive crown. StanJames.com will have pre-match and in-play betting for every game. The same goes for this summer’s Ashes series, with England strong favourites to defeat Australia again.
Away from cricket, what are the other highlights from the rest of the sporting world?
As well as cricket, there is a huge amount of sport to get involved with over the coming weeks and months. In football, the Champions League and
Europa League reach their conclusions while matters will be decided at the top and the bottom of the Premier League with Manchester United having reclaimed the title. Horse racing’s first two Classics of the British flat season – the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas – take place at Newmarket this weekend and there is golfing action on the European and US PGA tours with StanJames.com leading the way for great golf offers.
Finally, how much of an impact has the internet had on the gambling industry?
The face of betting has changed massively over the years thanks to the rise in online gambling.
Now anyone can have a bet from the comfort of their own home or even on the move on their smartphones. StanJames.com on your iPhone or Android phone works exactly like an app and all our in-play markets are easy to access. As well as markets across a wide range of sports, you can also bet on politics and reality TV as well as play poker, casino and games on our website.
*Rory Jiwani is head of PR for the bookmakers StanJames.com. He appears on TalkSport radio every weekday evening giving the latest odds and betting news for a variety of sports and is a regular guest on the horse racing channel At The Races. StanJames.com is one of the leading online bookmakers and new customers get a £10 matched free bet after placing their first bet.
