The Preakness Stakes 2008 will be held at the Pimlico Race Course, on the 17th of this month. This event first took place one evening in 1868, where a couple of sportsmen agreed to hold a special horse race to commemorate a honorable occasion, and this event then became the constitution for the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown.

Big Brown is the favourite to win a Triple Crown this year, and this has made the whole event gain a lot of popularity. Early odds had Big Brown at -300, requiring $300 bet in order to win $100. If Big Brown should win, that $300 is paid back. The next favourite horse in line is the Harlem Rocker, with a payout of $450 for every $100 bet.

Whether it is betting on television shows or competitions or simply soccer matches, the Spanish are well-known for their gambling preferences. It is the country that bets the most in Europe, a fact that is confirmed by the operating of the new sportsbook.

Spain has always been a hot point of gambling, and now that sportsbooks have been installed, the industry is expected to grow considerably. The famous bookmaking firm, William Hill, has already joined the Spanish gaming company Codere and is going to open the very first sportsbook in Madrid this week.

After announcing his retirement from professional tennis courts, Brazilian racket champion, Gustavo Kuerten, who has been affected with a chronic hip lesion that has impaired him to play regularly since 2004, said that he wants to intensely enjoy the last months of his career.

Kuerten’s professional tennis career started back in 1995 and reached the top at the Roland Garros tourney, when he became the champion of the French Open in 1997, 2000 and 2001. He won a total of 20 singles titles, the last of them in 2004 and in 2000 he became number one in the world tennis ranking.

If you enjoy doing sports while enjoying a cool beer and having a laugh, then Darts is the perfect game for you. It is very probable that at some point in a man’s life, he will probably have had a go at throwing a dart at a board at a pub somewhere.

The best part is that players are your average joe, simply enjoying a game of darts while (hopefully) making some dollars in the process.

The Daytona 500 betting is running at full speed. This season is considered to be one of the most anticipated in decades and the race is supposed to be a good one.

Daytona 500 betting has never been shy, and this year there is a feeling of extra excitement as a lot of off-season moves have been taking place. To begin with, the Tony Stewart-Kurt Busch argument that ended in a fight inside a NASCAR transporter a week before the Daytona betting occurred. This type of publicity is everyday news for NASCAR betting fans.

Although he is willing to play and win his 100th cap, English player David Beckham is not certain to take part in his national team’s friendly match next month against France. Coach Fabio Capello left him aside against Switzerland and recently declared that Beckham will not be selected unless he is absolutely ready.

“I've no match fitness,” the 32-year-old player explained. “All I've done is training. We're still two weeks into our pre-season routine and fitness-wise, we're getting there slowly. I would love to reach the 100 caps, but I have to be physically ready to be part of the team.”

The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) confirmed this week that, as announced in July 2007, those players who compete at the Beijing Olympics will be awarded ranking points. The granting of points to tennis Olympians started in 2000 with the Sydney Games and was repeated at the 2004 Athens Games, as a way to ensure top players took part in the games.

“The Olympic games remain an integral part of our sport's great story and are a welcome addition to this year's calendar,” Etienne de Villiers, ATP executive chairman, said. On the other hand, International Tennis Federation president Francesco Ricci Bitti confirmed that all the necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the 2008 Olympic tennis competition have the best field possible.

It was certainly a tough match for number two of the world Rafael Nadal who lost to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The Frenchman, who is currently in Nº39 of the world ranking, was untouchable and played an astonishing match to advance to the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

“I was playing fine,” Nadal commented after the match. “He played unbelievable. Congratulate him.” The second-ranked played well and had only 12 unforced errors, but this was not enough against the French player, who made it to the Open after struggling with several injuries.

Players are already guessing the sex of the baby she is having. Up until now, 63% thinks that the couple will have a boy, while the rest, 37%, believes that it will be the third girl. Besides from the sex, people can also bet on the weight the baby will have and how big he or she will be. About that, 91% thinks the baby will weight less than 3.6 kilograms. Then, there were an 80% of people who thought the baby would be born in March, even though the official communications said that it was due by middle April.
Princess Maxima has satisfied those who though that she wasn’t resting enough.

Tiger Woods' victory at the Open last week is said to have cost bookies in the region of £10 million, a record loss for any single golf tournament.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes paid out £50,000 on one each-way bet and another £50,000 on another to win bet after giving odds of 6-1 on the golf prodigy.