Local bookies crack R1.5bn turnover as Cup lures punters

Tournament attracts more than £10bn in bets around the world, write Simpiwe Piliso and Buddy Naidu

The final whistle for the 2010 World Cup will signal the end of South Africa's biggest gambling bonanza - with more than R1.5-billion having changed hands in the country over the month-long tournament.

At least R500-million more has been spent on illegal wagering.

Bookmakers across the country described the month-long tournament as a "jackpot" and the biggest splurge in their industry's history.

Bookmaker Hilton Hasson said: "Although I had expected the World Cup to dwarf any other event in the country ... it has been phenomenal."

Hasson, who runs gambling operation MBet, said most of the huge number of bets placed this week on the final ranged between R5000 and R20000.

The tournament overall, said Hasson, had dwarfed the next biggest gambling event, rugby's Super14, which racks up R100-million each year. The soccer has even eclipsed horse racing's premier event, the Durban July.

"These events have always been very big for betting ... but the World Cup has easily surpassed those figures," he said.

Bookmakers said a key factor in the windfall was the massive influx of seasoned international punters and soccer fans who placed bets locally.

This week the Department of Home Affairs said more than a million visitors had poured into the country between June 1 and July 1. According to SA Tourism, each visitor to the tournament conservatively spent R12000.

The highest number of visitors were from Southern African countries, followed by Britain, the US, Germany, Australia, Brazil and Mexico.

More than £10-billion in different currencies was wagered around the world on the tournament - at outlets ranging from betting shops to online gambling sites.

South African bookmakers said their associates in Britain alone handled more than £3-billion.

The UK's three largest bookmakers, Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power, this week estimated that each had handled more than £1-billion - with most of the money going on European champions Spain.

South Africa's Lance Michael Bookmaker (LMB) said several punters had each placed bets of "close to seven figures" on today's final.

Manager Ramon Zoghby said: "If our own figures are anything to go by we are talking millions and millions of rands already."

He added that most people placing bets with LMB were confident of the Netherlands lifting the trophy.

A number of bookmakers revealed that several of their South African punters stood to become instant millionaires if they won on today's game.

Zoghby said hundreds of punters put money on Bafana Bafana to progress from the group stages. One person lost R250000 on the national team.

Tyrone Dobbin, the managing director of GreatOdds, said: "We believe betting stakes and volume on this tournament will comfortably overtake the turnover of the traditionally popular events like horse racing."

He added that Bafana Bafana were "long shots" for the tournament and most customers had been wary about backing them.

"However, the long odds did not stop one customer from backing Bafana Bafana to pull off what would be have been the greatest shock in football history. If that happened, GreatOdds would have been pleased to pay him out over R600000," said Dobbin.

Another punter landed more than R250000 by backing New Zealand to secure an unexpected draw in their opening game against Slovakia.

"People used to associate gambling with grubby betting shops ... (but) since the opening match on June 11 we have seen an uplift of 55% in turnover and opened hundreds of new accounts for people looking to get involved in the excitement," Dobbin said.

Most bets placed with World Sports Betting are on the Netherlands to win - though manager Warren Tannous said a number of disappointed early punters had been behind Bafana Bafana.

Cape Town-based bookmaker Interbet International also received a number of "patriotic bets" for Bafana Bafana.

Manager Johnny Stark said one punter placed R22600 on Bafana to win the tournament, which would have seen a R2.9-million payout. Another wagered R10000 in a bid to scoop R1.2-million.

"Personally I haven't seen as much betting in the country on a single tournament before," he said.

During this past week, most punters at local bookmakers have been placing their cash on the Netherlands.

Besides straight bets on winners and losers, most bookmakers have offered a bundle of propositions - ranging from who will be the tournament's leading scorer and who will be ahead at a certain point in a particular game, to the time of the first goal scored and the first player to be seriously injured.