Euro 2012 and the Traditions of Sports Betting

The upcoming Euro 2012 Football Championships, taking place in Poland and Ukraine, are a big payday for the sportsbooks. Just the way Christmas is for the retail stores. What are the sports betting traditions in countries involved in this tournament?

When it comes to Ukraine, the country doesn’t have clear laws related to wagering on sports. As a result, much of betting takes place under the table, just like in the United States. In America, however, the betting market is way bigger. The American Football games alone generate tens of billions of dollars in illegal bets annually.

Ukrainian football punters will find it quite hard to make bets on their national team. Not only due to the legal issues, but also for sport-related causes. Ukraine is playing in Group D together with France, England, and Sweden. Only two best teams will make it out of the group. The hosts will find it very hard to do. Unfortunately.

The other host, Poland, fully allows for sports betting to occur under the Polish gambling laws. Nevertheless, placing bets on sports is still an activity which only a small segment of population pursues. Poles prefer the lottery.

The online sportsbooks in Poland offer full range of betting options since many of these are foreign sites which present their entire betting platforms to the Polish residents. Poland is playing in Group A with Russia, Czech Republic, and Greece. This group is known as the easiest group there is.

There are 16 nations competing overall. Some nations such as England and Ireland have strong sports betting traditions. On these islands, not only land-based betting shops prosper, but online and mobile betting venues are widely accessible.

While England is expected to make it out of the group, Ireland is considered to be a lost cause. The Irish team must face Spain, Italy, and Croatia in Group C. These are very formidable opponents. Most football punters will say Spain and Italy will make it to the quarter-finals.

So we don’t leave a group alone, there is Group B, also known as the Death Group. It is composed of Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Denmark. Football punters looking to place bets on these teams will surely see some great moments during matches among these teams.