By Julian Goldsmith, 22 December 2008 10:36
Prediction markets react extremely quickly to events - as betters back their opinions with their own cold hard cash, it's in their interest to be more informed than the average man in the street. However, no prediction is foolproof, as this game illustrates.
This graph shows how market predictions will fluctuate over a short period of time - even as short as a 90-minute football game, such as Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur on 29 October.
A: David Bentley scores to put Spurs ahead in the first ten minutes of the game. Score 1-0 Spurs
B: The equaliser arrives 20 minutes later, with Mikael Silvestre scoring his first goal for his new club. Score 1-1
C: Silvestre's defensive partner then puts Arsenal ahead shortly after half time. Score 2-1 Arsenal
D: Emmanuel Adebayor, returning to the starting XI, puts Arsenal further ahead 15 minutes later. Score 3-1 Arsenal
E: Spurs are given some hope following a goal from substitute Darren Bent. Score 3-2 Arsenal
F: The hope doesn't last long, as Robin van Persie restores Arsenal's cushion. A victory for the team is looking comfortable, an astonishing £821,346 traded on Arsenal at Betfair's minimum odds on 1-100. Score 4-2 Arsenal
G: The final four minutes. First, Tottenham's Jermaine Jenas pulls one back to make it 4-3. Then, in the third minute of injury time, Aaron Lennon follows up to convert after Luka Modric's strike came back off the post to make it 4-4
Photo credit: Betfair
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