England's 7-0 rout of Croatia leaves bookmakers out of pocket
Bettors profited from a one-sided Nations League night in Rijeka, while the weekend also brought wins for Wales, a PDC major for Luke Humphries and a repeat victor at Longchamp, EGR reports.
England's 7-0 demolition of Croatia in the Nations League on Saturday handed punters the upper hand over bookmakers, according to EGR.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scored twice in Rijeka, with Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon also on the scoresheet. Substitute Morgan Rogers added a seventh after coming on for Kane.
bet365's Steve Freeth told EGR: "We had 11 pre-game wagers placed on 7-0, as well as 303 on Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick, which on the face of it was a loser." He added: "However, his replacement, Morgan Rogers, came off the bench and notched the seventh."
The result leaves Thomas Tuchel's side second in their group behind Spain, who beat Czechia 3-1 to make it three wins from three. BOYLE Sports spokesperson Brian O'Keefe said England have since shortened to 5/1 to win the tournament, with Spain still favourite at 9/4 and France at 3/1. The top two sides in each of the four groups in Group A advance to the quarter-finals, ahead of a knockout stage culminating in the Nations League final in June 2027.
Bookmakers also lost out as Wales beat 10-man Norway 2-1 on Thursday, though the Republic of Ireland could not build on a 3-0 win over Israel, playing out a 1-1 draw 48 hours later.
Betfred's Alan Firkins said: "The Nations League has provided some perhaps unexpectedly exciting action, and the home nations have all had reasons to be cheerful." He added: "No one pretends that business or interest levels mimic those attached to the Premier League, but our customers have nevertheless enjoyed the wall-to-wall matches giving the past couple of weeks very much a tournament feel." Firkins singled out England's win in Rijeka alongside Wales's comeback victory in Cardiff as the standout results of the window.
In darts, Luke Humphries beat Gerwyn Price 6-4 to win the BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix in Leicester, becoming only the fourth player to win the title more than once. Phil Taylor remains the most successful with 11 titles, ahead of Michael van Gerwen on six and James Wade on two.
O'Keefe said: "Luke Humphries ended his barren run without a PDC major trophy, beating Gerwyn Price 6-4 in the BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix in Leicester." He added that despite an early exit from the event, Luke Littler remains favourite for the PDC World Championship.
At Longchamp, Daryz secured back-to-back victories in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, holding off Bay City Roller and Diamond Necklace, who finished second and third. Diamond Necklace is already favourite for next year's running at 10/1, with Bay City Roller at 12/1.
Firkins described Daryz's win as the first time a colt had retained the race since Alleged's victories under Lester Piggott in 1977 and 1978, noting that the Aga Khan's four-year-old was sent off favourite at 6/5 and that a career at stud is expected to rule out a bid for a hat-trick of wins.