A Japanese court has sentenced former yakuza member Yoshimasa Sakai to prison in connection with charges of taking bets on baseball games that involve ex-players of the Yomiuri Giants, Kyodo reported.

According to the news outlet, Tokyo District Court Judge Yuko Ito ordered the 37-year-old to spend 18 months in prison, suspended for three years.

Sakai, an ex-member of Japanese crime syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi, was found guilty of collecting some ¥1.27 million ($11,093) in bets on baseball games. According to the court ruling, the man took commissions from bets placed on 22 professional and high school baseball games between March and October 2014.

“His criminal offense was chronic and the amount of money was not small,” Ito said in the ruling. However, the judge noted that Sakai is already “remaking his life” after reflecting on his actions and breaking from the syndicate.

Week 15 of the English Premier League sees Chelsea keep the top spot with their eighth win on the spin against a stubborn West Brom side; Sunderland sink to the bottom and much more.

 Chelsea got the job done against a stubborn West Brom side to win their eighth consecutive game and keep a three-point gap ahead of Arsenal at the top of the table.

The win shouldn’t have come as a surprise – West Brom hadn’t won at Stamford Bridge in 38-years. It was always going to be a thorny tie for Antonio Conte’s men, with West Brom unbeaten in four and recording their best start to a Premier League season in donkey’s years.

Chelsea’s hero was again Diego Costa. The Spaniard found it difficult to find space all afternoon, but with 15-minutes remaining he out muscled Gareth McAuley on the far right side of the pitch, cut inside the penalty area and smashed the ball into the roof of the net with his left peg. It was Costa’s 44th Premier League goal in 64 games, and his 5th in 6.

The Europa Group stages have ended with the favourites Manchester United going through to the knockout stages after a win in Odessa; Southampton exit after failing to win at home and much more.

Jose Mourinho called Manchester United’s victory over Zorya ‘solid’ and ‘professional’ as his side progressed to the knockout stages after a hit and miss group campaign.

United travelled to Odessa knowing a point would have been enough to qualify, but also wary that they had failed to win away from home in Europe in over a year with five straight defeats.

Mourinho wanted the game called off when he saw the state of the pitch, but the bobbles didn’t prevent Henrik Mkhitaryan from dancing through the defence with the grace of John Travolta to score his first goal for the Red Devils. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the second with time running out, his sixth goal in seven games.

Highlights of the final group games in the Champions League including the top of the group tussle between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Lyon looking for a win against Sevilla, and much more.

 If you are looking for a sneaky outside bet in the Champions League then why not stick a few bob on Borussia Dortmund?

The German side travelled to the Bernabeu to face the defending champions safe in the knowledge that a point would put them in Monday’s draw in the top spot. It took Madrid 53 minutes to put the Germans in their place, thanks to two goals from Karim Benzema, but this Dortmund side is a decent outfit.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for the visitors in the 60th minute, before setting up Marco Reus to score the equaliser with two minutes remaining. Reus’s tap in was Dortmund’s 21st goal of the league phase, a record in the Champions League. After the game, a reporter asked Aubameyang if it was true that he wanted to sign for Madrid and he said yes. You have got to admire his honesty.

Week 14 of the English Premier League sees Chelsea become the new favourites after beating Man City, Liverpool drop points at Bournemouth, and the Swans sink to the bottom.

 It was a game that pitted the two top marksmen in the Premier League. Man City v Chelsea; Sergio Aguero v Diego Costa; coolness personified versus spontaneous human combustion. And yet it was the Argentine that blew a gasket.

You get the distinct impression that Sergio Aguero and David Luiz don’t send each other Christmas cards. Luiz should have had his marching orders for a clear obstruction on Aguero as he moved clear on goal. The referee didn’t even give a foul and Aguero found his retribution with one of the most horrific tackles in Premier League history.

And while all of this was going on the usually hyper-aggressive Costa was as calm as a Caribbean cucumber scoring one and setting up another in an impressive 3-1 victory.

A Japanese badminton star who was stripped of his right to attend the Rio Olympics could return to work in the spring, prompting Lee Davy to question the crazy world of rules and regulations.

I want to go to Japan, and I don’t. I’ll get lost, and everyone will bow when I ask for directions. They kill dolphins like we kill trout. There is a strange fascination with child pornography. And there is something odd about visiting a country that sits on top of so much seismic activity they call the surrounding area the ring of fire.

 I nearly forgot.

It’s illegal to gamble inside a casino in Japan.

A Japanese badminton star who was stripped of his right to attend the Rio Olympics could return to work in the spring, prompting Lee Davy to question the crazy world of rules and regulations.

I want to go to Japan, and I don’t. I’ll get lost, and everyone will bow when I ask for directions. They kill dolphins like we kill trout. There is a strange fascination with child pornography. And there is something odd about visiting a country that sits on top of so much seismic activity they call the surrounding area the ring of fire.

 I nearly forgot.

It’s illegal to gamble inside a casino in Japan.

This is a guest contribution by Daniel Smyth of SunBets.co.uk. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

2016 has been a year to remember for English football fans. Back in the summer we witnessed the shock of all shocks when Leicester City came from absolutely nowhere to win the Premier League. Despite being 5,000/1 outsiders when the season kicked off, the Foxes, if you’ll excuse the pun, out-foxed everyone to achieve an historic victory.

Although Leicester have since faltered in the league (they’re still defying the odds in the Champions League), the entertainment hasn’t stopped since the summer. Indeed, as 2016 has welcomed the dawn of a new football season, some unexpected shenanigans have kept fans, pundits and odds makers on their toes.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Manchester United on a free, Tottenham have gone unbeaten in 12 in the Premier League, and Crystal Palace have surprised everyone by being even more disappointing than they were last season. All-in-all, 2016 has been a great year for fans of the beautiful game, which means the pressure is on 2017.

The sports betting arm of Spanish gaming operator Codere has inked a multi-year betting partnership with football powerhouse Real Madrid.

On Wednesday, Codere Apuestas and Real Madrid announced the signing of a new three-year official betting partnership. The parties sealed the deal in the presidential box at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where Codere Group CEO José Antonio Martinez Sampedro (pictured left) was presented with a ceremonial jersey by the team’s director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueño (pictured right).

Butragueño said the tie-up may be scheduled to last three years but “our desire is it for it to be long-haul.” The deal ensures Codere’s visibility among La Liga fans, coming as it does following the scheduled end of Codere’s one-year sponsorship of Real Madrid rival Valencia.

Codere has already launched a dedicated Real Madrid section on the company’s upgraded Spanish-facing betting site Codore.es, which made its fresh-faced debut late last month. Codere launched a major marketing push to pimp the new site and its wider variety of casino content, including slots from NetEnt.