Brit bookies taking bets on top holiday game

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UKPosted Dec 4, 2006 12:37 pm PT

Online gambling site announces odds for the Christmas top slot; Need for Speed the current fave.

Paddy Power Bookmakers, an online odds-making and betting service in the United Kingdom, has today published a list of odds on "contestants" to top the UK holiday sales charts.

The favourite this year is EA's Need for Speed Carbon with odds of 8-to-13. If the title become the best-seller, that would make for a hat trick of number one grabs. In 2005, Need for Speed Most Wanted was top of the charts, and in 2004 it was Need for Speed Underground 2.

Second favourite from Paddy Power is another EA game, FIFA 07, with odds of 4-to-1. In this week's Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) charts, the game knocked the highly anticipated Xbox 360 title Gears of War off the top slot after only one week.

Gears of War is a 10-to-1 shot, along with Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, and Sierra's Eragon. Other possibilities for the number one slot include Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at 33-to-1, Activision's Guitar Hero II at 25-to-1, and THQ's Bratz: Forever Diamondz at 80-to-1.

Paddy Power marketing manager Sharon McHugh said, "We take a lot of money on Christmas specials and this is a popular market with the customers every year. Very often a game like Superman will do well, if the movie has done well, so Eragon could be a bestseller if the box office does well and the kids like it enough to buy the game."

For those feeling lucky, an outside bet would be Eidos Interactive's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Party Edition, which is at 250-to-1 .

90 Comments

  • WLD4

    Posted Dec 12, 2006 1:27 pm PT

    The last time I checked Zelda was dropping tomorrow, Dec. 13. Now I look again and GameSpot says it dropped yesterday, the 11th. What's going on? Somebody confirm Zelda's actual drop date. Please.

    Pretty, please.

  • samuelroberts

    Posted Dec 9, 2006 7:43 am PT

    Eragon will flop!

    Zelda deserves it, probably.

  • J_Vason

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 5:31 pm PT

    i'm voting for legend of zelda twilight princess.

  • Darrogamer06

    Posted Dec 6, 2006 4:35 am PT

    I am sick of NFS always getting the Christmas no 1 spot in the games chart but that is just my opinion and wouldn't mind if it was FIFA or something because it would be a different game.

    There are a few games there that I would really like to be No 1 to make me happy but chances that they will be No 1 are slim to none.

  • UrbanMessiah

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 8:12 pm PT

    OK, fine...That's UK betting, but where are the Vegas and off shore betting odds? I need more action! BTW, to my UK brothers and sisters over there? Someone put me down for five large on FIFA, and two bits on Who Wants To Be A Millioniare...Daddy needs a new HDTV! -=x

  • RayStand

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 5:56 pm PT

    I'm from the UK and yeah gears of war would win it for me. But unfortunately it's only kids who get presents like these from their parents. So I would bet either a footie game or NFS as the winner.

  • Bansheesdie

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 5:46 pm PT

    "and THQ's Bratz: Forever Diamondz"
    Thats what I'm getting, that right there is a system seller.

  • Irve

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 2:21 pm PT

    NFS cardon .. hands down ... no matter how good or bad it's been a tradition .... GoW is already down to 6th with it's main sales out the window it will be lucky to still be in the top 10 at christmas ... and i don't see the Wii getting enough sales to hold Zelda at number one for 3 weeks ... Oh and the reason Leog Star wars is doing so well is three fold 1> it's Lego 2> it's star wars 3> it's a great game for all ages .



    OH and FIFA at number 2

  • Animal91X

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 1:09 pm PT

    All of my millions, which don't exist on Gears Of War !!!

  • janner51

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 12:31 pm PT

    99% of the time football rules our chart, so my money would be on FIFA.

    The UK charts, predictions, amount of PS2 titles, look grim at this time of year due to parents and presents. I'm guessing that's why Bratz, Cars and Lego are doing well in the Charts, and the bookies odds. They're fail safe games for uneducated British parents, grans and grandads, aunts and uncles, who lets face it, are totally clueless. January should see a more adult and modern chart. It''s depressing tho.

  • faytal-ehtee

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:48 am PT

    "For those feeling lucky, an outside bet would be Eidos Interactive's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Party Edition, which is at 250-to-1 ."

    lol, they pretty much destroyed that game now.

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 10:38 am PT

    Why does UK loves NFS that much? It's good... but not that good.
    Where are the football games? REPRESENT YOUR SPORT!

  • Jimbokundesu

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 9:23 am PT

    hex_ten
    I suppose the trends of these crappy games reflect the mass idiocy of the british population *sigh*.

    Take that, Gwynneth Paltrow.

    Seroiusly, though, gimme $500 on Madden 07

  • Deanyzy

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 8:55 am PT

    'I suppose the trends of these crappy games reflect the mass idiocy of the british population *sigh*.' That's so unbelievably ignorant and stupid, i can tell just by those words that you are mostly likely one of those few ignorant americans that give the rest a bad name, go crawl back under your rock and don't come back.

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 8:01 am PT

    CARS for XMAS FTW! I bet my life savings on it

  • freeid

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 7:52 am PT

    So many retarded comments to this its crazy. Its a good job most of you are not old enough to bet as you just drove right over what you are betting on. The bet is what will be the Christmas no 1 game, meaning what will parents most likely buy for their kids.

    If your a parent you cant really go wrong with a footy or driving game. If this was a 25th of july bet rather than 25th of December then gears of war or LOZ:TP probably would be no 1.

  • eggsiboss

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:25 am PT

    i suppose nfs will win, dont know why- these games are pants!

  • EikoAtoride

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 6:20 am PT

    I would bet on German charts, maybe on US and Japan, too, but never on UK charts. I don't understand them and their gaming tastes.

  • Doolum

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 5:13 am PT

    well,what do you know..games are the reason to betting now.!

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