Mobile Site Live
January 27, 2012
Have you ever found yourself stuck on a bus in rush hour, wishing you could place bets on Smarkets using your iPhone?
You’ll be happy to know that the beta version of our mobile site is now live and ready for use. Simply head to https://m.smarkets.com to check it out. The initial version allows users to place bets on football and tennis matches, and horse races. As always, we love feedback so please get in touch with recommendations for improvement.
We’re hoping that being able to surf on over to Smarkets will make your commute more bearable. Just don’t have too much fun, or you’ll miss your stop.
Super Mario
January 17, 2012
City striker Mario Balotelli sure gets a lot of press these days and it’s hard to know what to believe. But we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt and assuming he is just a nice, young guy who also happens to be exceedingly rich. Last week he paid a surprise visit to Manchester College where (after using the canteen toilet), he chatted with teachers and students.
The latest rumour flitting around the web is that Balotelli is going to buy struggling football team Darlington F.C. We’ve no idea if there’s any truth to this (and seeing that @SkySporksNews tweeted about, we’re leaning towards a ‘no’), but that shouldn’t stop you from having some fun with our market: Balotelli to Save Darlington
Balotelli did, afterall, buy a round of drinks at a pub and then donate £200 to a church over the holidays. And though we’re certain that saving a team like the Quakers will take more than a few hundred quid, miracles could happen.
Occupy Smarkets at our January Open House
January 12, 2012
To celebrate our new, lowered commission rate of 2% for all customers, we’re throwing our doors open! You are invited to come by our office to meet the Smarkets team and other like-minded people over drinks and snacks. If there is interest, we might move to a nearby pub afterwards.
This is also an opportunity for you to share with us what you’d like to see happen at Smarkets in 2012. We’ve read your comments and are working towards becoming the leading betting exchange in the industry. So whether it’s tennis, football or horse racing you fancy a flutter on, stop by our office to say hello!
This invite is open to all interested in Smarkets and betting – spread the word and invite your friends!
When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Thursday 26th January 2012
Where: Smarkets HQ
2nd Floor, White Bear Yard
144a Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DF
Please RSVP by January 24th to amita.parikh@smarkets.com
Australian Open – By The Numbers
January 11, 2012
As qualifying rounds for the first Grand Slam of the year get underway in Melbourne this week, we scoped out some facts and figures:
$25 million
Total prize money awarded (in USD) during the tournament
128
Number of players in the Men’s and Women’s singles draw (104 direct, 16 qualifiers)
16 years, 4 months
Age Martina Hingis was when she won the Australian Open, making her the youngest winner in the tournament’s history
4
Number of Australian Open titles Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have won (the most in the Open Era)
20+
Number of items that attendees are prohibited from bringing into stadium grounds. Among them: beach balls, fireworks, hampers and laser pointers
0
Number of Grand Slams top ranked female Caroline Wozniacki has won
Caroline Wozniacki hopes to win her first slam
$20,000
Amount (in Australian dollars) awarded to players who lose in the first round
6
Number of female players in the top 30 hailing from Russia
12-15
Age range kids must fall in before applying to be Ball Boys and Girls
$2,585
Cost of a ticket (in USD) in the lower seats to the Men’s final, as seen on eseats.com
£1,052
Cost of a round trip plane ticket to Melbourne from London (leaving tomorrow, on British Airways)
7
Number of consecutive years Australian tennis legend Rod Laver was ranked Number 1
2% commission effective today
January 9, 2012
A quick note to let everyone know that we have dropped our commission to a flat rate of just 2%!
A reminder that all bets moving forward will settle at 2%, regardless of when they were placed or matched.
With this new rate, Smarkets has positioned itself as the exchange with the lowest base-commission in the industry.
Happy punting!
Happy 2012
January 4, 2012
We’re expecting big things at Smarkets for 2012. The past year saw us implement many new features on our site. Among them:
- New sports pages and markets, including NFL, rugby and an expansion in football leagues
- An improved site search (you can find upcoming football matches and horse races easily)
- New chat (both support and site wide)
- Improved original editorial content on our blog
- A handy Smarkets arb tool that lets you find the best odds
- Moneybookers deposits and withdrawals
- New Account History
- Lays now show backer stake
- New JavaScript that updates your P&L as you’re entering your bet,
- New odds-feed, which has allowed us to start being featured on odds-comparison sites
In 2012 we’re introducing a flat commission rate of 2% (taking effect January 9th), working on a mobile site, implementing multi-currency and adding more markets for you to bet on.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2012!
The Smarkets Team
Happy Holidays from Smarkets
December 25, 2011
We like to think Christmas came early in the form of our new commission rate slated to take effect in the new year. But just because it’s the holidays we whipped up a Smarkets-themed poem (none of us majored in English, so be nice). We also took a little break from the office to celebrate a fantastic year as a team. Check out the photographic evidence below – and Happy Holidays to all!
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse.
Had all gone to bed
With visions of £20 notes
Dancing in their heads.But one bettor, Sam,
Remained wide awake,
Worried about the match
In which he had a stake.
He crawled out from the covers
And pulled on a sweater
Determined to stay up
Till he found odds that were better
Sam had heard about a site
Through one of his mates
It was called Smarkets
And was supposed to be great
Smarkets goes bowling
He went online to check it out
And was happy to see
That creating a Smarkets account
Was as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Once he’d deposited
And his account was approved
He started looking at the odds
And his mood instantly improved
Smarkets at the bowling alley
He could bet for or against
Almost any football match
With odds that were so good
Sam thought ‘I can’t believe there’s no catch.’
So who was behind
This gem of a site?
Sam had to read about the team
Even though it was the middle of the night
Jason and Hunter, Smarkets founders
We’re a small team comprised of
Ten boys and one girl
We’re a diverse bunch having come from
All over the world.
Smarkets wasn’t perfect
(Sometimes the liquidity would go)
But Sam felt good supporting a young group
And commission rates were so low.
He decided to bet for
Chelsea to win the match
And discovered he’d make more using Smarkets
Than on any other site – imagine that!
Sam glanced at the clock
It was a quarter to three
And he suddenly felt
Very tired indeed.
He shut down his computer
Climbed into bed,
And lay down on his pillow
To rest his sleepy head.
To all our customers
Whether you back or you lay
The small team at Smarkets
Just wanted to say
We love that you keep supporting
Our work and our site
Merry Christmas to all
And to all a goodnight!
Happy Holidays from the Smarkets team!
Lower Smarkets commission for 2012
December 20, 2011
Happy holidays and happy punting!
The Smarkets Team
Why gambling can be good for you
December 19, 2011
Smarkets CEO Jason Trost was asked to write a piece about online gambling for the inaugural issue of new UK technology magazine The Kernel. Jason’s op-ed piece appears in today’s digital issue – click on over here to read it.
Jason Trost's op-ed appears today in The Kernel
Results are in from the Feltham & Heston by-election and on a reduced turnout, Labour have held onto the seat by a mile. This will relieve some of the mounting pressure on Ed Miliband, who has been criticised by Labour insiders for failing to make an impact with the wider public.
What are the odds on a 2012 exit? Our market puts a 29% chance of the Labour leader being ousted next year. This may be a little pessimistic – if next year passes without improvement in the economy Miliband’s steady approach may yet bare dividends.
And with Cameron briefing his MPs to expect further pain next year, Miliband still has plenty of opportunities to find a message that resonates with the public.
But with the Labour party trailing the Tories by 2pts in the national polls you can be sure that the knives will be out for the Labour leader if his performance does not improve. This is certainly one to watch in 2012.
