When it comes to predicting betting trends in the United Kingdom, there are not a wide selection of publications to choose from.  However, the great-grandson of the eminent press baron, Lord Beaverbrook, is hoping to help change that with the new UK national newspaper, The Sportsman. 

Max Aitken is serving as the Managing Director of The Sportsman, which is being targeted to the fast-growing crowd of internet poker players and football bettors.  While being interviewed by Bloomberg, Aitken said the newspaper predicts that a gambling boon is going to take place in the UK - fueled by the very same crowd they are marketing to.

And although newspaper advertising has fallen in the last six months - as evidenced by Trinity Mirror Plc's The Racing Post, who felt a drop in ad sales last year - the UK gambling industry itself has grown from 5 billion to 40 billion in the last ten years.  With statistics like these, The Sportsman is confident they will be able to not only give Trinity Mirror a run for their money by offering a vaster selection of sport picks, but will also be successful at getting casinos and betting shops to advertise.

Today marks the day of the first issue of The Sportsman, which will cost 1 for weekday editions and 1.2 on weekends. Circulation is being aimed to average around 40,000 copies per day.  As for the advertising, the majority of it will likely come from William Hill and Ladbrokes - two of the UK's leading land-based, as well as online gambling operators.