SBC News Bookies' Corner - Man Booker Prize - Who's the literary Skepta?

Bookies’ Corner – Man Booker Prize – Who’s the literary Skepta?

The Man Booker Prize is one of Western literature’s most coveted. This year the winner is being announced on Monday October 24th. The stipulations of the award are that the book must be fictional, penned in English and published in the UK. It’s been running since 1969 and the winner these days gets a sizable £50,000 cheque. 

Ion Tewin, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation from 2006 until his death in April 2015, said of the prize in 2013: “Our judges are not confined to any in-group of literary critics, authors and academics, but over the years have included poets, politicians, journalists, broadcasters and actors. This “common man” approach to the selection of Man Booker juries is, I believe, one of the key reasons why ‘the intelligent general audience’ trusts the prize.”

timreynoldssunbets
Tim Reynolds, SunBets

SunBets’ Head of PR Tim Reynolds, Ladbrokes’ Alex Donohue, Paddy Power’s Lewis Davey and Betway’s Alan Alger spoke to SBC about the niche market from a betting perspective. 

SBC: How do you entice punters to a less ‘glamorous’ market such as the Man Booker prize?

Tim: The beauty of markets like the Man Booker to SunBets is that they’re something anyone can debate on social media.

Our social strategy isn’t about endlessly advertising our odds; it’s about starting a debate and enjoying a bit of a banter. Of course the Man Booker is a slightly “snootier” topic than the next footy manager to be sacked or who’ll win X Factor- but that gives us an opportunity to reach out to a different demographic of customer.

We’ll never see Brexit-type turnover on a market like this, but it’s critical that when a topic trends on Twitter that we can add a fresh angle to the discussion with our odds and support content put out in the press. The Man Booker will always be an award covered in The Sun newspaper, and there’ll always be readers that want to take their opinion on the victor to the next level…winning a few bob!

SBC: Is this a market on which the majority of bettors are not typical punters but avid book fans?

Alan: This is the sort of market that certainly draws in new interest, especially if the topic’s enthusiasts think our markets are inaccurately priced. 

Alan Alger, Betway
Alan Alger, Betway

A few significant bets from such customers can usually remould our odds and then we just sit and wait for the results. In the meantime, your everyday punter might like to get involved, and will usually follow the money and play the favourite. We had a small shock when 7/1-shot Skepta picked up the Mercury Prize this year over short odds favourite David Bowie.

We’re looking forward to seeing if we’ve got this novelty market right, with Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk a very warm 9/4 for the Man Booker, though Thien’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing has recently crept in as favourite at 5/2.

SBC: Do you expect more bookmakers to add these type of markets to their offering, and do you view them as more of a way to engage and get customers on site or a genuine moneymaker?

Alex: The Man Booker prize is never going to be an event which affects the share price, but in the 10 year history of betting on the award it has become a solid market which forms a very important part of our non-sporting portfolio, worth millions of pounds a year in turnover. Whilst these events may look small in isolation, the more of them you trade, the greater your offering for those who are interested in betting on things beyond the usual punting sports. 

Alex Donohue, Ladbrokes
Alex Donohue, Ladbrokes

We’ve got a loyal and growing customer base who love betting on everything from literary prizes to architecture awards and given how informed these customers are, the odds compilation and trading process can often represent an enjoyable challenge which still relies heavily on old school bookmaking instincts.

As a result of the relatively untapped state of the non-sports market, we often see some surprisingly high acquisition numbers on things like the Man Booker, which do not benefit from the extensive marketing support afforded to the main events.’

SBC: After three years solid without a UK winner, and the two favourites this year a South African and a Canadian, but with a Scot and an Englishmen in the shortlist what’s the chances this will be repeated this year? 

Lewis Davey, Paddy Power Betfair
Lewis Davey, Paddy Power Betfair

Lewis: The trend of non-British winners of the Man Booker prize could be set to continue this year. Canadian Madeleine Thien has been well-backed in the past few days and now heads the betting at 1/2. South African Deborah Levy had occupied the top spot for some while and was as short as 11/4 to win but she’s now eased to 4/1 so if the market is right, the prize is heading to Canada.

Scotsman Graeme Macrae Burnet is currently at 11/2 so a UK winner is not beyond the realms of possibility and we’ve certainly seen some patriotic money for the Scot. David Szalay was born in Canada but moved to the UK – so if he picks up the award hopefully we can respectfully claim him as our own and buck the trend!

Check Also

SBC News News International eyes Racing Post takeover

News International eyes Racing Post takeover

News International, the publisher of The Sun and The Times, is in negotiations with the …

SBC News Entain concludes messy 2023 on £879m loss as UK/Euro headwinds continue 

Entain concludes messy 2023 on £879m loss as UK/Euro headwinds continue 

Entain Plc has closed its full-year 2023 accounts declaring corporate losses (after tax) totalling £879m …

Super Group

Super Group FY2023 dragged by costly US impairments

Super Group states that it has overcome a challenging 2023, in which its corporate performance …