Punters Rally To Desperate Dees
The Sunday Age
Sunday April 6, 2008
TWICE as much money has been gambled on Melbourne as Geelong in today's apparently one-sided clash at Skilled Stadium, with punters attracted by the huge odds on offer for the Demons and the big handicap line of 75 points.
The big interest has seen the Demons' odds cut from $12 to $9, while Geelong has gone from $1.02 to $1.04 with TAB Sportsbet.Darwin Sportsbet, having offered $34 for the Demons earlier in the week, has cut them to $16."Most of the money has been backing Melbourne, which is a bit of a surprise," said Anthony Mansfield of TAB Sportsbet, which holds $200,000 worth of bets on the Demons.Mansfield said that most of the betting for the game had been on the line bet, that Melbourne would lose by less than 75.5 points, a margin Mansfield said was the biggest he could remember. Five times as many people have bet that Melbourne would lose by fewer than the 75.5-point margin offered.The Demons have lost their last two games by a combined total of 199 points while Geelong is coming off a 99-point thrashing of Essendon.Geelong youngster Ryan Gamble, who is not allowed to bet, played down suggestions his team would romp in."It's just week-by-week, it doesn't matter who we're playing, if they're on the bottom of the ladder or if they've been beaten by 70 or 90 points," Gamble said. -- THOMAS ARUP
© 2008 The Sunday Age