The Game, Rainy Days,
and Good Friends
David really wanted to see the game. It was the
match of the year and there was no way he was going to miss it. The
rain pelted him like small beads scattering across a tile floor as he
stood outside of the box office listening to the clerk snap repeatedly
that the tickets had all been sold. David was not going to miss this
game, no matter what he had to do.
David was a solid guy, tall and muscular, with a
hint of baby fat on his cheeks that gave him the adorable look of a
school boy. His sandy hair was plastered to his face, giving him the
appearance of a drowned rat as he made his way through the dark streets
towards the pub. As he walked he chanted to himself over and over
again, "bloody tickets." The sound of his voice grew more urgent the
closer got, and his focus was so intent that he did not see that he was
headed straight for a large hole in the sidewalk.
Thud! Down he went. David stepped straight into the construction
opening and never missed a beat. His voice echoed against the concrete
walls.
Slowly he made his way out of the open manhole and continued his
journey. Almost getting hit by two cars, running straight into a light
pole, and getting splashed by a rather large truck did not deter him
from his goal. He finally stepped inside of O’Malley’s, shaking the
rain from his parka and running his hand over his soaked mop of short
sandy locks.
Sitting in the back, hunched over his mug of beer was a seedy looking
man. His unkempt appearance and worn features emitted a warning all by
themselves. David paused, regarding the man cautiously for a long
moment before turning back and heading into the rain once again. His
footsteps were not as determined as they had been previously and his
shoulders slumped as if in defeat. The mantra no longer fell from his
lips matching the rhythm of each step while he made his way to his
apartment.
Walking through the door of his second-story flat he realized he was
not alone. As he turned, he saw that his mates were sitting there
waiting for him and there on his glass coffee table laid three man
united fc tickets tickets to the game!
Spread betting - definition
Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds (or money-line) betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes, and the bet is whether the outcome will be above or below the spread. Spread betting has been a major growth market in the UK in recent years, with the number of gamblers heading towards one million. Spread betting carries a high level of risk, with potential losses or gains far in excess of the original money wagered. In the UK, spread betting is regulated by the Financial Services Authority rather than the Gambling Commission.
Related article on The Sunday Times: World Cup betting to kick off boom in spread betting
