Eurovision Song Contest Betting
It’s camp, it’s chaotic, it’s Eurovision, and it’s back to light up your screens this coming Saturday evening. Making its debut in 1956 and held every year since – with the exception of 2020 – the flamboyant songfest is one of the longest-running music contests on the planet, drawing in millions of viewers with its kitsch appeal.
In recent years, Eurovision has also become one of the biggest novelty betting events of the year, regularly coming out ahead of the likes of X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent in terms of global turnover. With this year's contest taking place in Liverpool, British fans, in particular, will be at the ready to fill out those slips, with a range of markets available, including outright winner, Top 5 Finish, Top 10 Finish, and to Finish bottom. Here we take a look at how the competition operates and pick out this year's main contenders.
The Voting Process
Each year the vote is split into two halves – with each competing nation supplying a Jury Vote and a Public Telephone Vote, with equal weight granted to each. When assessing the contenders, it is, therefore, crucial to balance songs likely to boast mass public appeal, with those which may tickle the eardrums of the possibly more classically minded “expert” Juries. However, at Eurovision, it’s not all about the song….
Rampant Political Voting
Historically, certain nations have awarded points to other friendly nations, year after year after year, with the quality of the entry seemingly holding little – if any - relevance. The Scandanavian block of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland invariably support one another, as do the Balkan and Iberian nations.
How many times for example have we seen Greece and Cyprus award each other maxiumum points!
Alliances tend to be based on geographical, political, or cultural ties and remain steady over the years. How many times for example have we seen Greece and Cyprus award each other maxiumum points! The UK can only really rely on Ireland and Malta to keep the points tally ticking over – placing more emphasis on the quality of the song.
Possibly the strongest example of global politics influencing the result came only last year. Ukraine were well behind following the Jury vote, but ultimately won in a landslide following overwhelming support from the European voting public.
2023 Main Contenders
As ever, this year's cast of hopefuls lacks nothing in terms of variety, from piano-led ballads to techno boppers, screamo hard rock, and everything in between. Austria possibly comes out on top in the barmy stakes, with an entry based around the unusual theme of a receptionist being possessed by the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe. Croatia aren’t too far behind with what appears to be a nightmare version of the Village People, but the anti-war theme of Mama šč may yet strike a chord with voters. Madness aside, we now turn to those nations whom the bookies deem most likely to come out on top. (All odds quoted are from William Hill.)
Sweden – 4/7
Red hot favourites for this year’s award are six-time winners, Sweden. If the sight of the terrifyingly manicured songstress Loreen – and the opening few bars of Tattoo – ring a few bells, that’s because Loreen has been here before, having won the 2012 edition with the Euro smash hit Euphoria. Like its predecessor, Tattoo has also topped the Swedish charts, and the favourites have a good recent record in this – winning each of the past three editions.
Finland – 5/2
Also proving popular with punters is Finland’s entry, Cha Cha Cha, with inspirational lyrics such as “There’s no tomorrow when I grab a pint tightly” seemingly resonating across the continent. Upbeat and with a typically OTT stage show, Käärijä’s performance will likely be one of the more memorable of the night – which never hurts when garnering votes.
Ukraine – 8/1
Or perhaps Ukraine could do it again. With the war in the country still ongoing, and close to 8 million Ukrainian refugees spread throughout Europe, they seem likely to at least do well in the public vote once again. This year's tune - provided by Tvorchi – is one of the more sensible of the evening, falling into the R&B slow-burner category. That brings the danger of becoming a little lost in the chaos, but with public sentiment still firmly behind the nation, it isn’t without a chance.
Spain – 16/1
Unsuccessful at Eurovision since winning back-to-back editions in 1968 and 1969, Spain came close in 2022, with Chanel’s performance of SloMo finishing third – and likely lingering long in the memory of a certain section of viewers. This year it is the turn of Blanca Paloma and the significantly milder song EAEA. Boasting a strong Arabic feel, the tune seems likely to boast broad cross-cultural appeal and could go well.
The UK Challenge
Coming oh so close in 2022 with Sam Ryder and Spaceman filling the runners-up spot, the task of landing a victory on home soil has been handed to Mae Muller. The imaginatively titled “I Wrote A Song” tells the tale of a cheating partner, is easily one of the more modern chart-friendly efforts in the line-up and will undoubtedly be well received by the home crowd. However, odds of 33/1 suggest a win would be something of a shock.
Interesting Outsiders
Of the others, Italy (40/1) boasts one of the strongest vocalists at the event in Marco Mengoni, and the plaintive Due Vite seems likely to hit the mark with the Jury voters. Blanka of Poland (200/1) meanwhile promises to be this year’s Chanel. The simple but catchy bubblegum pop of Solo may stick in enough heads to sneak into the Top 15 or Top 10.
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