Money Behind Euro 2012 Football Championships

The current Euro 2012, taking place in Poland and Ukraine, is a result of massive efforts both countries put into preparations. New stadiums, hotels, and highways were build, while railroad stations and airports expanded.

In Poland alone, 70 billion Polish zloty ($20 billion) was spent. Four new stadiums in Warsaw, Poznan, Gdansk, and Wroclaw were build, while hundreds of kilometers of created (this year 400 km alone). The public spots for football fans were added, such as the one in the center of Warsaw where as many as 100,000 will watch the games on large outdoor screens.

It is expected that as many as 700,000 foreign visitors are coming to Poland as a result of the football championships. The matches will be broadcasted to 200 nations, from which UEFA, the European football association, is expected to gain $1.3 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in transmission royalties.

An extra billion euro will further stack UEFA’s coffers from which the association will pay out to the national teams. The higher they go, the bigger the payout. Thus, winning isn’t only about glory, but about big money.

The football betting is expected to grow as well during the Euro 2012 Championships. The online sportsbooks in Poland, while not as popular as in England or Ireland, are nevertheless getting lots of exposure. The younger generation prefers online sports betting, while older people like to place cash football bets among themselves.

What is helping sports betting in Poland to grow is that the Polish gambling laws allow for it.

Top online sportsbooks such as Bet365 provide sports wagering to the Polish punters and come with Polish language versions. This allows the Polish punters to enjoy the football fiesta while making bets on various outcomes of the matches taking place in their country as well as in Ukraine.