Good times aplenty for the religiously ambitious in 2013. Not only is the Chief Rabbi set to retire, but last month it was revealed that the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will also hang up his beard at the end of 2012.

It would certainly save both the United Synagogue and the Church of England a fair whack of money to combine the two jobs, but given the unlikelihood of that happening, the next Archbish will probably be one of the following two Christian gentlemen.

The favourite on the Betfair market is the Bishop of Norwich, Graham James (3.1). After the current incumbent’s controversial reign, James would be a sign that the Church fancy a quiet few years, with a man who won’t rattle any cages.

A bolder choice would be Jordan’s fellow columnist in the Sun on Sunday, John Sentamu. Third favourite and drifting at 6.4, the man from Uganda is a confident, outspoken self-publicist. One problem Sentamu may have is his age – at 63 he is younger than the chap standing down. A second issue may be he is quite religious (i.e. his recent aggressive stance against gay marriage.) And the last thing the Church want right now is somebody religious as Archbishop.

Whilst the next Pope is declared through the rising of white smoke, the British are slightly less dramatic. The Crown Nominations Comission suggest a name to David Cameron, who then goes to the Queen for her final approval. So what are you waiting for? Get right on it!!!

There are just four games left for some of the clubs in the Premier League this season and by the end of the weekend, Wolves could have three games left in the Premier League full stop. Whilst time is running out for the Molineux men, here are our picks this week.

Whilst Arsenal can still lay claim to having won nine of their last 11 League games, their performance against Wigan was as bad as they have been all season. Without Arteta they will lack creativity and even a Chelsea side that is likely to be changed from the XI that saw off Barcelona shouldn’t be underestimated. Drogba has a tremendous record against the Gunners and in the event he starts, 11/5 with Bet365 for him to score at anytime looks value. Chelsea have not conceded in the first half of their last 15 games, so our first bet is for them to continue that (Evens with Ladbrokes). Our second bet is take Chelsea or Draw at 4/5 with Bet365.

Newcastle play Stoke and we’re confident they can continue to put the pressure on the teams around them in the battle for 4th. Stoke have won just one of the last seven, whilst Newcastle are the most in-form side in the Premier League with five straight wins. At 37/20 with Bet365 we quite like Newcastle -1.5 on the handicap market, given their last four wins have all been by a two goal margin.

Blackburn’s hopes for survival are getting slimmer by the week after five successive defeats in a row and we don’t think it is going to improve at home to Norwich this weekend. Norwich’s last eight trips on the road have brought four wins and four losses and at 7/4 on the ‘Draw No Bet’ we’re happy to play. We fancy goals in this one - Blackburn have gone over 2.5 goals in four of the last five whilst Norwich have done so in all of their last five. It’s a 27/40 shot with Bet365.

Sunderland’s revival under Martin O’Neill ended some weeks ago and their drab 0-0 draw with Wolves suggested many of the players may already be thinking of their summer holidays. Aston Villa are still not out of trouble, but we think they will be after this game. Whilst they were well beaten at Old Trafford, they led against Stoke and Liverpool before drawing and should just edge this one. Sunderland haven’t won any of their last six away games and we like Villa at 7/5 with Blue Square.  

Many refer to the World Championship as the “marathon of the mind,” and with 17 days of intense action on the green baize, all sorts of things can happen. We think there is therefore some tremendous betting value to be found.

First up is a tip for a bet at the earliest opportunity of the tournament as Luca Brecel becomes the youngest ever participant aged 17 and 45 days when he faces Stephen Maguire in the first round. The Belgian impressed everyone by seeing off World Number 31 Mark King in his final qualifier whilst Maguire arrives in decent form having reached the final of the China Open Final. We think the value could be with a small bet at 4.8 on the youngster whose confident swagger should see him settle quickly.   

The market over whether there will be a 147 break during the tournament always attracts interest. It’s mainly priced up as 8/11 ‘No’ 11/10 ‘Yes’ and we are happy to back ‘No’ with Bet365. Interestingly there was a maximum break in qualifying last week, but there has only been a maximum during the World Championship tournament in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009 in the last fifteen years.

You can also have a bet on which player will win each quarter of the draw and make their way to the last four and we like the look of John Higgins to win the first quarter. He’s a 13/8 shot with Bet365 and we feel last year’s winner has the easiest of all the sections of the draw to navigate.

In the outright betting we’re happy to place our faith in Ding Junhui at 11/1 on Bet365. He played brilliantly last year before losing a sensational semi final to Judd Trump and we’ve already seen him lift the Welsh Open and Championship League this season. Most recently he bowed out of the China Open in the semi-final to eventual winner Peter Ebdon, but he did enough to convince us he’s good enough to last the distance.

Ding dong indeed.

The game has a standard video slot layout of 5 reels, with 3 visible symbols on each. Crime Scene has 15 paylines and the symbols are all associated with an investigation; from chalk outline J,Q,K and A; to fingerprints, guns, bloody footprints and of course a UV light + goggles set.

Crime Scene has an interesting take on its wild symbol – this is a police badge – and is “sticky”. Basically, if a wild appears in the playing area, it will stay there for up to the next 5 spins. The badge displays a number counting down the remaining spins.

Bonus Game

3 fingerprint bonus symbols will activate the bonus game. This is a ‘pick one of these’ type bonus, where you have a grid of 30 computer files to click on. As you reveal the contents of these, you’ll win rewards. Find some ‘evidence’ and you’ll have bonus points added to each prize that you uncover from that point on. You can also uncover other items such as a ‘second chance’ which does exactly what you’d expect! When you’re out, you’ll have a choice of 4 envelopes – these contain an additional prize, or may even return you to the bonus game.

Gameplay

Crime Scene is a basic video slot, but with a coin value ranging from 0.01 to 1.00, you can either dial down your bet to extend your play time, or crank it up and go for it. The sticky wilds can be useful, particularly if you’re lucky enough to get them in a good position, or more than one at the same time, however, the big wins will probably come your way from a good bonus round.

As you might expect, the amounts you can reveal in the bonus game are dependent on the level of the bet that activated the round – the higher the bet, the more valuable the prizes in this game. What you’re really hoping for is to find some good evidence early, which can result in some chunky amounts.

The game has the standard Net Entertainment interface, with the green spin button centrally located at the base of the screen, and the well thought out autoplay function.

Summary

Crime Scene is another in a great line of slots from Net Entertainment. Not one if you’re a fan of complicated bonus games and features, but if you prefer something a little simpler that’s been well designed and put together, then Crime Scene might be the game for you.

Four of the last six years have seen the side finish third in the Championship get promoted via the play-offs. West Ham United look most likely to find themselves in that berth this year, and we like the 11/10 generally available on their promotion. Expect perennial phone-in bothering West Ham fans to be talking Premier League football once more, in just a few months time.

Over in League One, Sheffield United look set to come second to Charlton and even at the short odds to get promoted of 1.15 (Betfair) we’d back Danny Wilson’s side to go up.

Rochdale, Exeter and Chesterfield look doomed down at the bottom of League One, but we don’t think a lay of Wycombe to be relegated at 1.1 on Betfair is the worst idea in the world. Wanderers have only lost one of their past nine matches. Whereas 20^th placed Leyton Orient have lost their last five. Wycombe’s fixtures look tough on paper, but they play already promoted Charlton and a Sheffield Wednesday side who by then should have one eye on the play-offs.

Finally in League Two, our tip is to back Crawley Town to complete their second successive promotion – at odds of 1.6 on Betfair. They are only three points behind third placed Torquay (with a game in hand) and given their recent form of five wins and three draws from their last eight, you have to think the momentum will carry them through, even if they do need the play-offs.

Chelsea may have benefitted from the “rub of the green” on Sunday with that extraordinary second goal against Spurs, but they haven’t always been so lucky with the men in black. Ahead of their Champions League semi-final showdown against Barca, we cast our minds back to the 2009 clash between the sides, when Drogba went mad, Barca went through and Tom Ovrebo went into hiding.

Following a controlled stalemate in the Camp Nou, Hiddink’s Chelsea knew only a win would do at the Bridge. With United steamrollering past Arsenal the night before, England expected another all-English final, indeed another Chelsea-United scrap as in ’08.

All looked as if it was going to plan, when Michael Essien smashed home an incredible volley inside the first ten minutes. But that was just the beginning of the evening’s drama. In the first half alone, Chelsea had two clear penalty shouts rejected by the referee, first when Alves dragged down Malouda, and then when Drogba was pulled back in the box by Eric Abidal.

With ten minutes to go came arguably the clearest penalty appeal of the lot, as Gerard Pique punched the ball inside the area, only for Ovrebo to wave away the protests.

Andres Iniesta may forever be remembered for his World Cup winning goal, but never has he stunned a stadium like he did that night. His equaliser in the final minute of added time was sensational, and was the away goal that sent his side through to the final.

To add insult to an already very bad injury, there was just time for Samuel Eto’o to handle again in the box, leading to the magnificent scenes of Michael Ballack harassing the referee, chasing him down the pitch.

Betfair offer 8/1 of a repeat 1-1 scoreline, whilst footage of that incredible night can be found below.

Stan James has recently re-done their website, and we have to say that it looks great! But it’s not just for show – as you’ll see as you read the review below, it’s backed up with substance. What we know is that the main software is Net Entertainment, but there are also slot games from the likes of Microgaming, Chartwell and Finsoft and we hear on the grapevine that IGT games are expected to be added to the site soon. All of this means Stan James is shaping up to be an excellent place to play, particularly if you’re a slots game fan!

Licencing and Security

As well as the warm and cozy feeling you might get from signing up with a name that you’re familiar with and has a good reputation, Stan James Casino is also licenced by Gibraltar – a highly respected gambling jurisdiction that is on the UK Government’s whitelist of approved gambling authorities, that is home to many other top notch casinos such as 32Red and Bet365, so they’re in very good company.

In addition to that, their software (Net Entertainment) has been independently tested in detail by Technical Systems Testing, so you can take comfort that their random number generator is fair.

Software

Stan James Casino has an excellent selection of games powered by the excellent, but not widespread Net Entertainment software. They have produced some really brilliant slots over the past few years (like Gonzo’s Quest), and only seem to improve with each outing. Not only that, but these are complemented by some of Microgaming’s best games (like Thunderstruck 2 for example). Needless to say, but all the standard table games that you would expect to find are also available to play.

There are also Live Dealers, with tables offering Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat for you to play on and although there is a mobile option, though this is just for betting, rather than playing casino games with.

Banking

As with most of the other more reputable casinos, the number of eWallet options available are fairly small, and instead the casino focuses on the mainstream payment methods. These include debit and Credit cards, Skrill (Moneybookers), NETeller, Paysafe Card and bank transfers. Withdrawal times depend on the method chosen, with those such as Skrill and NETeller being faster than a debit card (which takes 3-5 working days for your bank to process the transaction). As always, ID requirements apply, so don’t forget to take that into account.

Support

Support as you would expect are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year via email, free-phone number (there’s also a local rate number for mobiles in case your operator charges for 0800 numbers) and live chat. “Snail mail” is also available, if you like doing things the old fashioned way.

Summary

Stan James has an excellent online gaming offering, with perhaps only bingo and a mobile casino missing. That said, we’d also particularly recommend the casino to those of you that like your slots, as the combination of Net Entertainment and the best of Microgaming is not one you can find at many other online casinos (if at all!). All in all, Stan James is a great casino to play at, particularly if you like the occasional punt too!

Given the amount at stake, it should be a cagey, old affair, and we therefore like the 2.18 shot on Betfair that the scores will be level at half-time.

The other semi-final sees two clubs with violent supporters who will be drinking all day, descend into a small area late at night. Well done the FA. As the first team to win an FA Cup Semi Final at Wembley way back in 1991 (‘is Gascoigne going to have a crack? He is you know’ etc), Spurs will want to fare better than in their two other subsequent Twin Towers semi efforts (1993 defeat to Arsenal and 2010’s calamity against Pompey.) In their way stand di Matteo’s Chelsea – a man who knows all about FA Cup finals at Wembley. The two sides have drawn three of their last four meetings, so we fancy the 12/5 available at BlueSq on the fixture going to extra time.

Another bet that would have been a winner in three of their last four meetings is the under 2.5 market, and we also recommend having a tipple at that, available at 39/40 with our friends at Bet365.

There are some quick stats on the casino at the top right of this page, and you can use the links below to jump directly to a section…

Jump to…

Licencing and Security

As is common with multiple gambling threads, the different parts of Betfair’s site are licenced in different jurisdictions. Their online casino is licenced by the well-respected Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, so you’re well protected as a player on that front.

The company is also listed on the main London Stock Exchange – this probably won’t mean much to most people, but with this listing comes an additional level of assurance on the safety of depositing your money to play with Betfair. Not only can you look through their accounts (which go into a lot of detail about their plans and systems & controls that they have in place to run the company), but also there’s an annual audit, part of which includes the auditors signing off that they’re satisfied that the company can continue to run for at least the next year – not something you can say about many of the smaller casino operations out there.

If that wasn’t enough, in terms of your money, Betfair hold customer money in a separate trust fund, so that even if the worst were to happen to the company, your money would still be safe. You can even read the document that governs the trust on their website.

From a technical standpoint, Betfair use industry standard encryption tools to ensure that your data and transactions are safe. Additionally they have committed themselves to maintaining the standards set out by ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS security standards.

Finally, there’s the increased sense of security that you get with a familiar name/brand. There’s nothing tangible about this, but nevertheless, it exists.

Software

Betfair Casino’s main software is provided by Playtech, one of the leading casino software providers in the world. This is used to power their Downloadable Casino as well as many of the Instant Play games available on the site. Playtech also provide the dealers for Betfair’s Live Casino where you can choose from Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat. There is also a Mobile Casino available for both iPhone and Android smartphones.

However, like many of the larger online gaming operations, Betfair also have a selection of games available from other casino software makers – these are to be found on the “Arcade” and “Super Slots” tabs of their homepage menu. These include classic favourites such as Ca$hino, Cleopatra and many more.

You can also play Virtual Sports (Horses, Dogs and “World Cup Scores”). Betfair also have their own games which they call “Exchange Games” – these are games like Blackjack or Roulette, but instead of playing as a player, you only get to bet on the outcome, but it does mean you can back whoever you like.

While we’re here, let’s touch briefly on the other services that you’ll find on their website. Poker is provided via the Ongame Network which gives you access to plenty of other players to try your skills against.

Clearly the biggest focus on the site though is on the sports betting front. Betfair is different to other bookmakers in that instead of betting against the house and their team of experts, you are matched up with another punter who thinks the opposite of you. You can offer any terms that you like and if someone wants to take those terms, your bet is on. Similarly, you can browse through the exchange and see what odds other people have offered on massive range of sports and events.

There’s also in-play betting, which they’ve tied into the exchange with an innovative “Cash out” feature – this uses bets that are available in the in-play market to let you cash out before the end of the game. The amount that you can cash out will vary as the event unfolds, and there’s a total which is updated regularly. Click on the cash out total and you’ll close out your main bet and collect the total that was displayed when you clicked – useful if you lose your nerve halfway through a game!

Banking

As you would expect, Betfair supports the major payment methods, and doesn’t really have a large selection of the e-wallets available for use. Currently these include: VISA, VISA Electron, Mastercard, Delta, Solo, Maestro, PayPal, NETeller, Skrill (Moneybookers), Click and Buy, Western Union as well as standard bank transfers and cheques (no point using the American spelling since US customers unfortunately aren’t accepted here).

Processing times for both withdrawals and deposits, as well as minimum values and any fees that are payable are all set out in a nice table for you to compare all of Betfair’s Payment Methods in one go. Withdrawal times can vary from ‘Max 24 hours’ to ‘3-5 working days’, with the quickest options being as usual NETeller, PayPal or Skrill (Moneybookers).

Something to be aware of from their terms and conditions “We have a number of controls and checks that take place before any withdrawal request is processed by Betfair. These checks are part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the security of our customers’ funds. All withdrawals requests are therefore only processed after the expiry of a period of 12 hours from the withdrawal request being made.”

Support

Customer service, as you would expect is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, though it’s not always clear as to how to get in touch since I guess they’d prefer you to use their extensive FAQ first. Whilst these are extremely helpful, including videos and explanations as well as answers to many common questions, you might still want to get hold of someone.

First option is at the top right of the help screen – a link that says “Still need help? Contact Us”. This takes you to a text based form where they promise to get back to you within 4 hours. If you dig around for a bit though, you can find numbers and an email address for a helpdesk

UK: 0844 871 7000

Australia: 1300 238 324

Ireland: 1 800 944 000

International: +44 20 7074 7272

Email: arcade@betfair.com

Summary

Though perhaps accessing their customer service could be a little clearer, Betfair’s comprehensive casino offering means that all of your gaming needs can be catered for under one virtual roof. Add in the reputability and size of their company, and their excellent betting exchange, which often has the best odds available online (mainly due to you being able to bet against other punters rather than against the bookies themselves) you’ll be struggling for a reason not to try Betfair out, so head on over there and take a look now.

113 is the magic number. That’s right folks, there are just 113 days to go before the start of London 2012, the most amazing sporting event ever to take place in your back yard. 113 is also the phone number of the Iranian intelligence agency, should you ever be stuck in down-town Tehran and find yourself with some useful ‘information’. But what about betting intelligence? Is there any value to be found at this stage?

Bluesq are offering prices on all the major athletics events at the moment, as well as a market on just how many golds that scamp Usain Bolt will win.

Ladbrokes offer markets on the mens’ and womens’ tennis competitions, as well as some cycling odds. Our view however, is that to back anyone at this stage for any individual event is complete craziness, given how far away from race day we are. Unless the price is ludicrous value (Bolt not at odds-on for example), we advise you to keep cash in your wallet for better days ahead.

It is in the medal markets where we are interested however. With Clive Woodward in charge, Team GB will be well-prepared to say the least, with every single aspect of their performance no doubt diligently planned in advance. We like the 6/5 (Ladbrokes) on them being the top-medalling European nation.

Surprisingly, Paddy Power has yet to really roll out their Olympics markets. Their top offering right now is the option to bet on Irish boxing hopefuls (insert your own punchlines), but expect the usual PP madness between now and July.

Betfair’s most prominent market at this stage, is the chance to bet on how many golds Team GB will net. Having snagged 19 in Beijing, surely the chances of 23-25 are smaller than the 5.5 available with the ‘Fair. Get right on it!!!