Study Shows Germany’s Sports Betting Monopoly Worst During World Cup

European consumer organization Right2bet, which tracked seven state-run monopoly online sportsbooks with regard to payouts during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has released its final tally of results – and it appears those who bet on sports in Germany are the biggest losers.  

The Right2bet World Cup Report analyzes the odds offered on World Cup matches by six monopolies: Denmark’s Dansk Spil, France’s PMU, Germany’s Oddset, Greece’s OPAP, The Netherlands’ De Lotto, and Sweden’s Svenska Spel. While overall Right2bet found the monopolistic sportsbooks to offer 32% shorter odds than at private operators (and 35% worse when betting the home team), bettors were found to be a whopping 48% worse off with Oddset as opposed to typical online sportsbooks in Germany. 

Sweden and the Netherlands’ companies offered well worse odds as well, with successful punters 40% poorer in the former and 35% poorer in the latter on winning bets. Despite new competition entering France under the new French gambling laws, France’s former monopoly still left customers with an average win of 31.5% less payout; OPAP of Greece did barely better at 31% under average. Only Denmark’s Dansk Spil can be said to have offered a competitive odds, at 14.4% lower than average.  

The importance of these numbers is clear: These non-competitive rates threaten to turn customers away from the legally proscribed online sportsbook. “Millions of EU consumers who wanted to bet during the World Cup were subjected to hugely inferior prices by the monopolies that their governments strive so hard to protect,” said Right2bet spokesman Ari Last.