Eurovision Song Contest Betting Celebrates Diversity

The history of Europe is littered with abominations and atrocities. It gave the world fascism, communism, and terrorism, it exported the violence of the crusades and enshrined the abuse of children in the Catholic church, it has slaughtered untold millions in two world wars, dabbled in genocide several times and originated football hooliganism. It’s a dreadful place. It even keeps this tradition for horror alive today with the Eurovision song contest betting that after all the rest, who’ll notice?

2017 Eurovision Betting Odds

• France – 50/1
• Netherlands – 40/1
• Armenia – 33/1
• United Kingdom – 28/1
• Romania – 20/1
• Belgium – 20/1
• Sweden – 20/1
• Bulgaria – 7/2
• Portugal – 9/4
• Italy – 5/4

Back this weekend having survived another year of ironic disinterest the Eurovision Song Contest explodes into its grand finale in Ukraine on Sunday. What began so many decades ago as a twee, deeply uncool competition giving us pop classics like the Brotherhood of Man’s “Save All Your Kisses For Me”, ABBA’s “Waterloo”, and “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” by Celine Dion in 1988, has these days warped into a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of itself, an annual piece of now traditional European silliness.

Today Eurovision Song Contest betting has been compared with placing a bet on sports in the European union. The ironic self-deprecating nature of the event mixed with the most ridiculously over the top flamboyant enthusiasm you’ll ever see anywhere has earned the event swathes of fans across the continent all ready to hit up Bet365 to back their nation’s entry. Partly this is nationalism at work, there’s plenty of opportunity to laugh at the foreigners of course, but mostly it’s because it’s fun.

Celebrate Diversity With The Eurovision Song Contest

When Dana International won with “Diva” back in 1998 the LGBT community saw acts could enter the Eurovision Song Contest betting on getting a fair crack of the whip from the public, quite a big thing, and as the competition has continued to evolve, gaining ever larger audiences, it was often referred to wryly as “The Gay Olympics” and was described by the Pink Pages themselves as “the gayest event in the world” leaving those in the European Union gambling news of this ethos would get around.

Indeed another indication of just what this event is like will have been spotted by the more detailed oriented among you. Dana International isn’t from Europe. Sharon Cohen is from Israel. Israel is not in Europe. At the Eurovision Song Contest no one cares. Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest betting the old adage “the more, the merrier” still applies even allow the Australians to compete, and for those unaware Australia is about as far from Europe as you care to get without a space capsule.

Bet365 Has All The Eurovision Song Contest Betting Odds

For those taking advantage of Euopean Union gambling laws there are 26 nations lining up for the grand finale and the bookmakers like Bet365 are taking full advantage of this bonkers tradition giving all the odds, but just who should you back? Well the Israeli entry IMRI with “I Feel Alive” doesn’t look likely to repeat 1998 with odds of just 150/1 to win the prize, and Australia languish at 66/1 with Eurovision Song Contest betting probably best done by avoiding Isaiah & “Don’t Come Easy”.

Eurovision Song Contest betting sees the ever enthusiastic UK has Lucie Jones with “Never Give Up On You” at 28/1, Sweden’s Robin Bengtsson has “I Can’t Go On” at 20/1 as does Belgium’s Blanche with “City Lights”, although it’s probably Bulgaria with Kristian Kostov and “Beautiful Mess” at 7/2 or Portugal’s Salvador Sobral at 9/4 who actually stand a chance of beating the current favorite Francesco Gabbani with “Occidentali’s Karma” at 5/4. Will they manage it? Who can say. We’ll find out Sunday.