The teams have reached a very important phase in the qualifying series for the Euro 2016 tournament in France. Several sides can strengthen their charming positions while some of them will have their last chance to launch a charge in order to secure a place that grants qualification. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland might decide between each other on who to challenge for advancing, while Northern Ireland and Romania could be happy with a draw in Bucharest. The same goes for Croatia and Italy, and in the meantime England prepares to face an excellent Slovenian goalkeeper in Samir Handanovic.

BBC.com: Euro 2016: Four games which could define qualifying

The European club footballing season might be over, but very important EURO 2016 qualifiers are coming up in the next few days. Scotland is going for the nation’s first major tournament appearance against the Republic of Ireland, a team that is also in the hunt for qualification places.

Northern Ireland, a side that never participated in a European Championship final tournament, are in good position in Group F, and they are going to entertain their biggest rivals, Romania in Bucharest. Wales are also striving to reach their first ever Euro tournament, and they will be in a wonderful place if they beat Belgium in the top match of Group B .

Though raising the number of teams from 16 to 24 could favour several smaller nations, keen followers of live sports results might have noticed that footballing giant Holland did everything in order to miss the event so far. They can tidy up things a bit in their away match against Latvia.

UEFA.com: What to watch out for in Friday’s EURO qualifiers

Iceland and the Czech Republic could edge one step closer to the EURO 2016 finals in Group A with a win from both sides with Tomas Rosicky preparing for his 100th cap. The Netherlands and Turkey have to start really good streaks in order to remain in contention regarding qualification in the final phase of the series.

Netherlands and Turkey do not have the luxury of losing points (Photo: Mackolik)

Gareth Bale might lead Wales to a major event, which is a feature even Ryan Giggs was unable to pull off. The Dragons’ only participation in a major tournament came in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and though they had brilliant players in virtually every generation since, they always failed to qualify. This could change now as Wales is looking to overrun Belgium at the top of Group B.

In Group H Croatia will host Italy and according to gambling news a draw might suit to both sides as well as anyone who place a wager at online sportsbooks. Four of their last six matches against each other resulted in a tie and you can expect another draw as Croatia is sitting on the top of Group H with Squadra Azzurra following them after a two-point gap.

The Guardian: England face tall task to beat Slovenia’s goalkeeper Samir Handanovic

Jan Oblak might be one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, but as things look right now, he won’t get a chance to represent his country in serious matches in the near future, since 30-year-old Samir Handanovic of Internazionale is doing extremely well in goal.

England has to pass Handanovic (Photo: Dailymail)

Handanovic is tall but not too tall to get down for low shots, he is athletic and well-built but thin enough to be agile, and he is okay with his feet on the ball. According to former Italy and Inter hero Francesco Toldo, Handanovic carried his team on his shoulders with his saves, producing outstanding performances week in week out.

He is also a serial penalty killer, having saved 21 shots from the spot in his Serie A career which is only three less than the all-time record of Gianluca Pagliuca’s 24. “My number of saves is greater just because of our ages, but he’ll soon surpass me,” stated Pagliuca according to sports scores news.

The teams have reached a very important phase in the qualifying series for the Euro 2016 tournament in France. Several sides can strengthen their charming positions while some of them will have their last chance to launch a charge in order to secure a place that grants qualification. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland might decide between each other on who to challenge for advancing, while Northern Ireland and Romania could be happy with a draw in Bucharest. The same goes for Croatia and Italy, and in the meantime England prepares to face an excellent Slovenian goalkeeper in Samir Handanovic.

BBC.com: Euro 2016: Four games which could define qualifying

The European club footballing season might be over, but very important EURO 2016 qualifiers are coming up in the next few days. Scotland is going for the nation’s first major tournament appearance against the Republic of Ireland, a team that is also in the hunt for qualification places.

Northern Ireland, a side that never participated in a European Championship final tournament, are in good position in Group F, and they are going to entertain their biggest rivals, Romania in Bucharest. Wales are also striving to reach their first ever Euro tournament, and they will be in a wonderful place if they beat Belgium in the top match of Group B .

Though raising the number of teams from 16 to 24 could favour several smaller nations, keen followers of live sports results might have noticed that footballing giant Holland did everything in order to miss the event so far. They can tidy up things a bit in their away match against Latvia.

UEFA.com: What to watch out for in Friday’s EURO qualifiers

Iceland and the Czech Republic could edge one step closer to the EURO 2016 finals in Group A with a win from both sides with Tomas Rosicky preparing for his 100th cap. The Netherlands and Turkey have to start really good streaks in order to remain in contention regarding qualification in the final phase of the series.

Netherlands and Turkey do not have the luxury of losing points (Photo: Mackolik)

Gareth Bale might lead Wales to a major event, which is a feature even Ryan Giggs was unable to pull off. The Dragons’ only participation in a major tournament came in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and though they had brilliant players in virtually every generation since, they always failed to qualify. This could change now as Wales is looking to overrun Belgium at the top of Group B.

In Group H Croatia will host Italy and according to gambling news a draw might suit to both sides as well as anyone who place a wager at online sportsbooks. Four of their last six matches against each other resulted in a tie and you can expect another draw as Croatia is sitting on the top of Group H with Squadra Azzurra following them after a two-point gap.

The Guardian: England face tall task to beat Slovenia’s goalkeeper Samir Handanovic

Jan Oblak might be one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, but as things look right now, he won’t get a chance to represent his country in serious matches in the near future, since 30-year-old Samir Handanovic of Internazionale is doing extremely well in goal.

England has to pass Handanovic (Photo: Dailymail)

Handanovic is tall but not too tall to get down for low shots, he is athletic and well-built but thin enough to be agile, and he is okay with his feet on the ball. According to former Italy and Inter hero Francesco Toldo, Handanovic carried his team on his shoulders with his saves, producing outstanding performances week in week out.

He is also a serial penalty killer, having saved 21 shots from the spot in his Serie A career which is only three less than the all-time record of Gianluca Pagliuca’s 24. “My number of saves is greater just because of our ages, but he’ll soon surpass me,” stated Pagliuca according to sports scores news.

17th to the 23rd of the month went fast and full: Scotland said ‘no’, choosing to stay in the UK, New York said ‘green’, marching for climate in record numbers, Milan said ‘wow’ hosting the Fashion Week. Europa League and Ryder Cup made fans say ‘I bet’ and Nintendo turned 125. What’s your saying on that?

Meanwhile, in the gambling sector we spotted great pieces of news as well. Check the week out in the following pictures!

Olympics are paying off… debt (Photo: The Telegraph)

A letter sent to the Directory of Social Change (DSC) announced that the UK Government refunded part of the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, GBP69 million to be more precise.

Gov. Chris Christie gives gambling a chance (Photo: Mel Evans)

Before New Jersey players can legally enjoy the delights of betting, there are few more legal snags to take care of.

Good at playing parts, good at playing cards (Photo: Photo: Susan Walsh)

Ben Affleck admitted counting cards. The gambling tycoon from ‘Runner, runner’ either did a thorough research for the movie or he was ‘a natural’ for the part to begin with.

Senet Group will be watching… (Photo: The Senet Group)

The Senet Group has become the watchdog of bookmakers in the UK, pledging to promote responsible gambling standards.

Europa League is a League you can bet on (Photo: Europa League)

Europa League made its début with great matches and even greater betting opportunities, keeping fans connected for all the right reasons.

‘No, thanks’ for now (Photo: Stuart Forster/REX/Stuart Forster/REX)

The ‘No, thanks’ campaign prevailed! After more than 300 years as part of United Kingdom, Scots vote ‘No’ in independence referendum, proving betting odds right.

Keep calm, place a bet and watch the game! (Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian)

Waiting for a ‘blue Sunday’ in Premier League! Odds and stats are keeping fans busy until then, when real football is set to steal the scene.

17th to the 23rd of the month went fast and full: Scotland said ‘no’, choosing to stay in the UK, New York said ‘green’, marching for climate in record numbers, Milan said ‘wow’ hosting the Fashion Week. Europa League and Ryder Cup made fans say ‘I bet’ and Nintendo turned 125. What’s your saying on that?

Meanwhile, in the gambling sector we spotted great pieces of news as well. Check the week out in the following pictures!

Olympics are paying off… debt (Photo: The Telegraph)

A letter sent to the Directory of Social Change (DSC) announced that the UK Government refunded part of the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, GBP69 million to be more precise.

Gov. Chris Christie gives gambling a chance (Photo: Mel Evans)

Before New Jersey players can legally enjoy the delights of betting, there are few more legal snags to take care of.

Good at playing parts, good at playing cards (Photo: Photo: Susan Walsh)

Ben Affleck admitted counting cards. The gambling tycoon from ‘Runner, runner’ either did a thorough research for the movie or he was ‘a natural’ for the part to begin with.

Senet Group will be watching… (Photo: The Senet Group)

The Senet Group has become the watchdog of bookmakers in the UK, pledging to promote responsible gambling standards.

Europa League is a League you can bet on (Photo: Europa League)

Europa League made its début with great matches and even greater betting opportunities, keeping fans connected for all the right reasons.

‘No, thanks’ for now (Photo: Stuart Forster/REX/Stuart Forster/REX)

The ‘No, thanks’ campaign prevailed! After more than 300 years as part of United Kingdom, Scots vote ‘No’ in independence referendum, proving betting odds right.

Keep calm, place a bet and watch the game! (Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian)

Waiting for a ‘blue Sunday’ in Premier League! Odds and stats are keeping fans busy until then, when real football is set to steal the scene.

The Scottish independence referendum is just three months away and it will happen on 18th September 2014. The decision about it came after the Scottish and the UK governments signed an agreement, followed by the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, which dealt with the details around this historic event.

The Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013 and it received Royal Assent in December 2013. The Electoral Commission put forward the following wording for the referendum question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” which people have to answer when they go to vote.

Naturally, this issue is pretty hot in Scotland and there are a lot of scenarios and speculations discussed among people and the media. The latest impressive gambling news came from a Surrey punter, who gambled GBP 400,000 that Scottish voters will say no at independence referendum. More about one of largest political bets even placed can he found on:

TheGuardian: Scottish independence referendum: man bets £400,000 on no vote

Bookmakers around the country are extremely excited about the impressive bet calling it the “biggest political bet ever struck.”

One of the biggest betting houses in the UK William Hill reported that the bettor in question showed a banker’s draft for GBP 400,000 in a branch in south-west London. Keeping in mind that the odds are at 1/4 for a no vote, he will most probably earn profit of GBP 100,000.

Additionally, William Hill reported that it already has a GBP 200,000 bet placed again on a no vote, which isn’t surprising as people’s support for a no vote has grown by eight points to 61%, while backing for a yes vote has declined to 18%.

Graham Sharpe, spokesman of William Hill commented: “As far as we can ascertain, this is the biggest political bet ever struck.”

Moreover: “The previous record was a GBP 200,000 bet also struck on a no vote in the Scottish referendum earlier in the campaign, and the same amount was gambled by a customer who backed David Cameron to become Tory leader.”

And: “We are now well on the way to turning over GBP 1 million on the outcome of the Scottish referendum, which is exceeding our expectations.”

TheIndependent: Scottish referendum set to be the most gambled on political event ever

William Hill is definitely one of the big winners, who are discussed in numerous gambling blogs, as this referendum will most probably earn the company more than any other political vote.

Sharpe added the revenue results on the referendum outcome are very impressive, especially keeping in mind that “our total turnover on the last General Election in 2010 was no more than one and a half million.”

With the current bet of GBP 400,000 the UK is pretty high in the table of political bets, very close behind the biggest reported non-UK bet, which was GBP 419,000. It was placed by an Australian gambler, who bet that Tony Abbott would win the 2013 Australian general election.

TheTelegraph: Man bets £400,000 on Scotland saying ‘no’

The GBP 400,000 wager on the outcome of the independence referendum in Scotland is definitely one of the most commented issues in the UK, prior the vote, which will happen in September this year.

William Hill reported that the bettor, who is part of all conversations in the gambling circles, is middle-aged man from Surrey and didn’t have Scottish accent. He placed the bet through a banker’s draft and will have the chance to “make profit” of GBP 100,000 if his prediction comes true.

In reality, “there are less than 100 campaign days to go until Scottish voters go to the polls to decide whether their country should remain part of the United Kingdom.”

Naturally, all three parties in UK’s parliament offered deals to Scotland if it rejects the independence, like more powers on the issues of tax and spending.

However, there are some controversies regarding the support, as last week Gordon Brown, who supports the “No” campaign against independence, accused David Cameron of making a “big mistake” in confronting Scotland against England in his attempt to save the union.

The former Prime Minister expressed his concern that threatening the Scottish population with cuts of jobs and bankruptcy if they vote for independence, transformed the debate and made it simply “Scotland versus Britain.”

Reuters: Gambler in England bets 400,000 pounds that Scots will reject independence

One of the “world’s biggest ever political bets” will most probably bring the bettor who placed it quite impressive revenue.

The GBP 400,000 bet is twice as big as the one of GBP 200,000, also placed on a no vote, by a Scottish man at an earlier stage of the independence referendum campaign.

Despite the larger percentage of people who will most probably vote “No”, in comparison to the supporters of Scottish independence, there are still a lot of voters who haven’t made up their minds.

Thus: “The bookmakers said they had shortened their odds on a “no” vote to 1/5, suggesting this was now more likely to happen than previously thought. Their odds on a “yes” vote stand at 10/3, meaning winners getting 10 pounds back for every three they bet.”

The Scottish independence referendum is just three months away and it will happen on 18th September 2014. The decision about it came after the Scottish and the UK governments signed an agreement, followed by the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, which dealt with the details around this historic event.

The Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013 and it received Royal Assent in December 2013. The Electoral Commission put forward the following wording for the referendum question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” which people have to answer when they go to vote.

Naturally, this issue is pretty hot in Scotland and there are a lot of scenarios and speculations discussed among people and the media. The latest impressive gambling news came from a Surrey punter, who gambled GBP 400,000 that Scottish voters will say no at independence referendum. More about one of largest political bets even placed can he found on:

TheGuardian: Scottish independence referendum: man bets £400,000 on no vote

Bookmakers around the country are extremely excited about the impressive bet calling it the “biggest political bet ever struck.”

One of the biggest betting houses in the UK William Hill reported that the bettor in question showed a banker’s draft for GBP 400,000 in a branch in south-west London. Keeping in mind that the odds are at 1/4 for a no vote, he will most probably earn profit of GBP 100,000.

Additionally, William Hill reported that it already has a GBP 200,000 bet placed again on a no vote, which isn’t surprising as people’s support for a no vote has grown by eight points to 61%, while backing for a yes vote has declined to 18%.

Graham Sharpe, spokesman of William Hill commented: “As far as we can ascertain, this is the biggest political bet ever struck.”

Moreover: “The previous record was a GBP 200,000 bet also struck on a no vote in the Scottish referendum earlier in the campaign, and the same amount was gambled by a customer who backed David Cameron to become Tory leader.”

And: “We are now well on the way to turning over GBP 1 million on the outcome of the Scottish referendum, which is exceeding our expectations.”

TheIndependent: Scottish referendum set to be the most gambled on political event ever

William Hill is definitely one of the big winners, who are discussed in numerous gambling blogs, as this referendum will most probably earn the company more than any other political vote.

Sharpe added the revenue results on the referendum outcome are very impressive, especially keeping in mind that “our total turnover on the last General Election in 2010 was no more than one and a half million.”

With the current bet of GBP 400,000 the UK is pretty high in the table of political bets, very close behind the biggest reported non-UK bet, which was GBP 419,000. It was placed by an Australian gambler, who bet that Tony Abbott would win the 2013 Australian general election.

TheTelegraph: Man bets £400,000 on Scotland saying ‘no’

The GBP 400,000 wager on the outcome of the independence referendum in Scotland is definitely one of the most commented issues in the UK, prior the vote, which will happen in September this year.

William Hill reported that the bettor, who is part of all conversations in the gambling circles, is middle-aged man from Surrey and didn’t have Scottish accent. He placed the bet through a banker’s draft and will have the chance to “make profit” of GBP 100,000 if his prediction comes true.

In reality, “there are less than 100 campaign days to go until Scottish voters go to the polls to decide whether their country should remain part of the United Kingdom.”

Naturally, all three parties in UK’s parliament offered deals to Scotland if it rejects the independence, like more powers on the issues of tax and spending.

However, there are some controversies regarding the support, as last week Gordon Brown, who supports the “No” campaign against independence, accused David Cameron of making a “big mistake” in confronting Scotland against England in his attempt to save the union.

The former Prime Minister expressed his concern that threatening the Scottish population with cuts of jobs and bankruptcy if they vote for independence, transformed the debate and made it simply “Scotland versus Britain.”

Reuters: Gambler in England bets 400,000 pounds that Scots will reject independence

One of the “world’s biggest ever political bets” will most probably bring the bettor who placed it quite impressive revenue.

The GBP 400,000 bet is twice as big as the one of GBP 200,000, also placed on a no vote, by a Scottish man at an earlier stage of the independence referendum campaign.

Despite the larger percentage of people who will most probably vote “No”, in comparison to the supporters of Scottish independence, there are still a lot of voters who haven’t made up their minds.

Thus: “The bookmakers said they had shortened their odds on a “no” vote to 1/5, suggesting this was now more likely to happen than previously thought. Their odds on a “yes” vote stand at 10/3, meaning winners getting 10 pounds back for every three they bet.”