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
