WrestleMania XXVIII Betting a Huge Hit, Reports Sky Bet

LONDON, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The gamble taken by online betting company Sky Bet, who offered odds for the first time ever on Sunday's WrestleMania XXVIII, paid off in style, with unprecedented levels of interest shown in the wrestling betting markets.

Sky Bet report bumper turnover on the 8-match card with WrestleMania their third most popular betting event of the day after the two live Premier League football matches between Newcastle United and Liverpool and Tottenham and Swansea City.

Sky Bet's pro-wrestling expert, Ben Wright, said: "We were bowled over by the amount of interest and buzz around the odds and all in all, it was a very successful first foray into wrestling betting. We look forward to locking horns with the punters at next year's WrestleMania!"

78,353 WWE fans descended on the Sun Life Stadium in Florida for the annual extravaganza and UK fans were able to watch the four-hour spectacle live on Sky Sports Box Office. Sky Bet offered odds on all 8 bouts and managed to break even on the night, despite some unfavourable results.

The first result to punish the bookie was Kane's upset of Randy Orton. Kane opened at 10/3, but was backed into 9/4. He duly obliged for punters, as he choke slammed Orton for the upset win.

The biggest betting event of the night was unsurprisingly the headline bout between The Rock and John Cena. The Rock had been heavily supported all week by Sky Bet customers, who moved his price from 6/4 to 5/6. The most electrifying man in sports entertainment pulled off the win, delivering his signature 'Rock Bottom' move to the delight of Sky Bet's punters.

The best result of the night for Sky Bet was Undertaker's victory over Triple H. Customers had piled into Triple H, backing him down to 5/2 from 13/2 to end the Phenom's unbeaten WrestleMania streak of 19 matches but it wasn't to be and Sky Bet traders breathed a sigh of relief as the Undertaker tombstoned Helmsley taking his winning streak to 20-0.

Notes to editor

About Sky Bet

Sky Bet is the sports betting division of Sky Betting and Gaming, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (Sky). One of the country's leading betting and gaming companies, Sky Bet is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and fully licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). Sky Bet offers an online sports betting service http://www.skybet.com and boasts a recently enhanced mobile platform, Sky Bet Mobile. The Sky Bet app is free to download from the iTunes App store. Customers can also bet through their TV or by telephone.

SOURCE SkyBet