Paddy Power: Betting Company Sweats Over Early Payout on ROMNEY

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While Romney remains the favorite for the Republican nomination his odds have taken a significant slide from 1/14 to 2/5, while Gingrich’s odds have been chopped from 6/1 before the South Carolina Primary to 2/1. Following Newt Gingrich’s win in South Carolina, Europe’s largest betting company Paddy Power is sweating over its decision on Friday to pay out early on Mitt Romney winning the Republican nomination.

For next weeks Florida Primary, Romney and Gingrich are joint 5/6 favorites for the win with Ron Paul and Rick Santorum both at a very unlikely 66/1 to record their first victory of the campaign.

A spokesman for Paddy Power said “It looks as though we could have jumped the gun too soon by paying out on Romney. Newt Gingrich is continuing to build momentum and if he succeeds we could end up with some very expensive pie on our face!”

Updates of the said Nominations

Republican Presidential Nomination

• 2/5 Mitt Romney
• 2/1 Newt Gingrich
• 16/1 Ron Paul
• 50/1 Rick Santorum

Florida Primary

• 5/6 Mitt Romney
• 5/6 Newt Gingrich
• 66/1 Ron Paul
• 66/1 Rick Santorum

Next President (Winning Candidate)

• 4/6 Barack Obama
• 5/2 Mitt Romney
• 11/2 Newt Gingrich
• 40/1 Ron Paul
• 50/1 Hillary Clinton

100/1 Rick Santorum

Meanwhile, Paddy Power is also taking bets on what cliché President Barack Obama will say first during this Tuesday’s State of the Union speech. The favorite is “We have more work to do” at 8/1 followed by “Health Care Reform” at 10/1 while “Life is like a box of chocolates” is at a massive 250/1 to be his first utterance tomorrow evening. Tonight at 9PM (US-Time) you can watch the President Barack Obama live Union Speech at YouTube.

• 8/1 We have more work to do
• 10/1 Health Care reform
• 10/1 As I stand here today
• 12/1 Fundamental belief
• 12/1 God Bless America
• 12/1 Crossroads of history
• 12/1 Defining moment
• 12/1 Make Washington work
• 14/1 Common purpose
• 16/1 Pursuit of happiness
• 16/1 Building a better America
• 16/1 Reduce the deficit
• 18/1 War on terror
• 18/1 It won't be easy
• 18/1 Hungry for change
• 18/1 My civil liberties
• 20/1 Honour for me
• 20/1 I have a dream
• 20/1 Willing to listen to each other
• 20/1 Yes, we can
• 20/1 Don't get me wrong
• 25/1 Hard to believe
• 25/1 I'm fired up
• 25/1 Withdraw our troops
• 25/1 There are better days ahead
• 25/1 Do Nothing Congress
• 25/1 We'll have to make hard choices
• 25/1 We can be one people
• 25/1 A new direction
• 33/1 For far too long
• 33/1 Safe from harm
• 33/1 Jobs to the jobless
• 33/1 Reshapes our economy
• 40/1 Deepest gratitude
• 40/1 Greatness of our nation
• 40/1 Possibilities of this nation
• 40/1 Florida Primary
• 50/1 Believe in what this country can be
• 50/1 Unity is the great need of the hour
• 50/1 In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope
• 50/1 We can work together to keep our country safe
• 50/1 Abiding faith
• 66/1 Brighter day will come
• 66/1 Publish tax returns
• 66/1 Washington has a long way to go
• 80/1 Overcome the adversity
• 80/1 Bloated federal government
• 100/1 Diversity of my heritage
• 100/1 Yes, we might
• 250/1 Life is like a box of chocolates

About Paddy Power

Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker and a leading provider of gaming services in the UK, Australia and Ireland. Founded in 1988 Paddy Power is a publicly quoted company and is listed on both the Irish and London Stock Exchanges. Its website www.paddypowerplc.com

Paddy Power Contact Details:

Féilim Mac An Iomaire
Paddy Power plc
Tel: ++353 87 160 7024
Feilim.macaniomaire@paddypower.com

To read my previous article visit PhilHealth Circular No. 022 is an Added Burden to The Millions of OFWs Worldwide 

Romney Sets to Get His Mitts on South Carolina

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Mitt Romney was the 1/12 red -hot favorite with Europe’s largest betting company Paddy Power to win this Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Romney who has already notched wins in Iowa and New Hampshire is followed in the betting by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich at 5/1 and Ron Paul at 14/1.

Further down the list at 16/1 is Rick Santorum who came so close to shocking Romney in Iowa while Rick Perry props up the market at 40/1.

With Romney so far ahead of the chasing pack in the betting, Paddy Power is also running a market without him in the South Carolina primary. Here, Newt Gingrich is the favorite at 4/7 followed by Ron Paul at 6/4, Rick Santorum at 13/2 and Rick Perry at 25/1.

A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Mitt Romney continues to build momentum and looks unstoppable at the minute. The rest of the candidates aren’t throwing in the towel just yet but it looks as though they face an uphill struggle.” 

South Carolina Primary

• 1/12    Mitt Romney
• 5/1     Newt Gingrich
• 14/1    Ron Paul
• 16/1    Rick Santorum
• 40/1    Rick Perry

South Carolina Without Romney

• 4/7       Newt Gingrich
• 6/4       Ron Paul
• 13/2      Rick Santorum
• 25/1      Rick Perry

Republican Presidential Nomination

• 1/14    Mitt Romney
• 14/1    Ron Paul
• 20/1    Rick Santorum
• 20/1    Newt Gingrich
• 80/1    Rick Perry

Next President (Winning Candidate)

• 8/11    Barack Obama
• 5/4     Mitt Romney
• 20/1    Ron Paul
• 28/1    Newt Gingrich
• 40/1    Hilary Clinton
• 50/1    Rick Santorum
• 125/1  Rick Perry

Winning Party

• 8/11    Democrats
• Evens  Republicans
• 66/1    Any Other

Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker and a leading provider of gaming services in the UK, Australia and Ireland. Founded in 1988 Paddy Power is a publicly quoted company and is listed on both the Irish and London Stock Exchanges.

Paddy Power Contact details:

Féilim Mac An Iomaire/ Paddy Power plc/ Tel: ++353 87 160 7024/ Feilim.macaniomaire@paddypower.com

To read my previous articles visit Pruelpo Shares: The Significance of February Fourteen   

Overseas Filipino Workers: What Keep You Going

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From the time I arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines already had produced four presidents – from former presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the newly elected President Benigno Aquino III, still I am in this foreign lands strongly fighting for survival for my extended family and to my beloved country. My youth and strength are already deteriorating. I often feel some joint  pains. And yet, still, I am here undecided to go home with other million Filipinos.

In our country Philippines, we find ourselves contesting against the erratic working conditions and insufficient jobs to accommodate us. Most of us wanted to raise and promote our living standards but we do not possess the necessary resources to climb up the ladder of success.

Every year our country produces thousands of graduates and the labor market could not accommodate them. So there are no options but to look jobs out of the country and it is through working overseas that they can get a solution to the problem. Thousands are leaving our homeland everyday to find their luck in foreign lands.

There are also other reasons such as:

1. For those who want to escape personal and family problems,  living abroad could be a safe haven.
2. For those who want to let go of dark memories or broken love affairs, it could be an asylum.
3. Others were just induced by summons of some friends.
4. And still others were simply deluded for the sake of adventure.

Despite homesickness, which is our greatest enemy, still we Filipinos could well adjust to different races, cultures and standards of living. In addition, our love is intensified. For Filipinos who by nature love doings things for others, domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, gardening and baby-sitting are some of our several expertises.

Philippines is considered as one of the top Asian countries  in terms of exporting workers. In Saudi Arabia alone, there are approximately 1.3 millions Filipino registered workers such as doctors, nurses, skilled technicians, janitors and laborers, hotel staffs, accountants, engineers, housemaids, drivers, teachers and trainers, barbers, medical technicians, computer operators, tailors and many more. They are commonly working in hospitals, establishments, construction firms, industrial companies, private and government offices, supermarkets and malls, hotels and restaurants with courage, dedications and commitments.

It has been noted that working abroad is a confederate for some of us who are fortunate enough to have good jobs and goodly employers. Through our earnings we could build a house and able to send our children to good schools. But in some cases, the fulfillment of being an OFW is overshadowed by the curse of lingering temptation and adultery, especially in the case of OFW’s who left their spouses in the Philippines.

Working abroad is not a fortune for those workers who are being fed insufficiently, overworked, abused, maltreated and working as a sword-point or those who work as shock absorbers or punching bag by heartless employers. It must be concluded that not only those who have courage, determination and resistance should go out of the country, for life overseas is so rugged that it becomes a survival of the fittest, that those who can bear shall stay, but those who can’t should leave.

But despite all these, we, Overseas Foreign Workers are patiently working hard because we want a brighter future for our extended families and children and to help improve the ailing economy of our country through the billions of dollar remittances that we send home.

I am begging for our officials and other feuding politicians in our country to see and consider our greatest sacrifices in foreign lands. It is not enough for us Overseas Foreign Workers to be called as the Modern Day Heroes. They should stop bickering and unite to help cure the country’s debilitating social diseases. They should show vision, unity, determination and motivation to give the people good governance and work hard to achieve peace and order in the country for more investors to invest business. That means  more jobs for the Filipinos and better chance to eradicate corruption for good.