There are two major contests scheduled in the UEFA Championships semi-finals. One is set for today, April 26 – FC Schalke 04 VS Manchester United – and another tomorrow, April 27 – Real Madrid VS FC Barcelona. With two extremely important match-ups, not to mention radiant enmity, it seems like an optimum time to discuss their current situations and betting picks.

With the fascinating rise of online gambling that began in the 1990’s, and continues to see exponential growth to this day, it’s little wonder that Hollywood would decide to make a film about it. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that big name actors bring in big dollars at the box office either.

Sports betting is a highly volatile business. There is no such thing as a “sure thing”. That point is proven time and again as underdogs have come back from the worst of odds to defeat anticipated heroes. Whether by sheer desire, design or a twist of fate, sports bettors have lost millions of cumulative dollars over the last century to unbelievable upset victories.

How many of you are familiar with the opening line from EA Sports games? You know the one… “EA Sports – it’s in the game!” Well it’s not just "in the game" anymore; it’s "in the gamble". Electronic Arts (EA) has signed a deal with Virgin Gaming, a division of the Virgin empire, to incorporate gambling into its online gaming modules.

The Super Bowl line-up was locked into place yesterday as the Green Bay Packers conquered the Chicago Bears, and the Pittsburgh Steelers routed the New York Jets. The AFC Champion Steelers will take on the NFC Champion Packers in the ultimate Super Bowl XLV showdown on February 6, 2011.

It’s been a tumultuous post-season for many football fans as we draw closer and closer to what has, thus far, been a very unpredictable Super Bowl XLV. While most experts were calling for a Falcons / Patriots showdown, both conference leaders were knocked out in their first playoff match-ups. Now the Green Bay Packers seem to be getting the most attention.

The CBS news show 60 Minutes has been running forever, it seems. It is one of the most popular weekly news hours in the United States. But I must admit, I was shocked to see the television show do what appears to be a complete 180 in a single week’s time.

If you live in China, you are probably already aware that gambling over the internet is not legal. The World Cup of Soccer is a momentous occasion for sports bettors and online sports betting companies alike. As such, Chinese authorities are taking this opportunity to put a stop to online soccer gambling.

So many online sports betting enthusiasts rely on the self-professed brilliance of outside handicappers. How do you know how brilliant they are? Did they really do research on the competition, or did they flip and coin and post their picks? And how do you know if you can trust the win percentages some of them boast?

The online gambling industry has maintained its hold as one of the top revenue yielding e-commerce industries in the world for many years running, but it seems that at present, online sportsbooks are taking the lead among related companies by leaps and bounds.

As so many online gambling operators are fighting for rights to market their products in Western Europe, its rather surprising to find that at least one major online sportsbook is actually threatening to leave the eastern-most portion of the continent. Betfair Sports is threatening to do just that, talking of pulling out of the United Kingdom due to inequality issues among operators.

Swedish online sports betting operator Svenska Spel has held an aging monopoly in the region for many years now. With no competition to speak of, the company has grown exponentially as time wears on. But a recent accusation of cheating on the sports betting site’s part may soon change all of that.

A recent report published by Juniper Research essentially blames Smartphones and other hand held devices for a clear increase in online gambling all across the United Kingdom. According to the study’s findings, in excess of two million European citizens are using their mobile devices to place sports betting wagers over the internet.

The National Hockey League (NHL) just got underway Thursday, October 7, and already the Intertops online sports betting operation is accepting wagers on who will claim the Stanley Cup come next April.