The very first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Switzerland in 1956. It was a humble affair compared to today’s standards and the organisers couldn’t have possibly expected the competition to take off in the way that it has.
Frequently abbreviated to ‘Eurovision’, the competition looks to identify the best song from that years’ list of entries. Most of the continent takes part while the event has now extended to include nations outside of Europe.
The initial 1956 edition featured just seven countries, each of whom performed two songs each, and it was eventually won by the host nation. Over time, Eurovision has expanded with most countries now looking to be involved. The changing landscape of Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s also saw the competition expand and it’s even headed outside of the continent. Australia are the newest members of the Eurovision family and it would be no surprise to see the contest become more of a global event in the future.
Fans of Eurovision will know that the show has featured many star acts over the years. The list of previous winners doesn’t, however, get any bigger than Sweden’s ABBA who sang their classic hit Waterloo in 1974. Most champions won’t be able to replicate the career that ABBA enjoyed but they, and other acts, continue to inspire the new contestants every year.
In this guide, we will take a closer look at Eurovision odds and how they work. It’s a competition that attracts plenty of interest from the betting community so it’s important to take a moment to consider Eurovision options for semi final bets, together with the markets that will be in place for the final itself.
What to expect in Eurovision 2022
The 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place this May in Turin, Italy, following Måneskin's 2021 win with their song "Zitti e Buoni". The event will take place at the Palasport Olimpico. and many of Europe’s most successful Eurovision nations will be taking part. The format for the 2022 edition should be a familiar one for regular viewers and it involves a preliminary stage which begins in the week leading up to the final.
Scheduling is just being finalised and the semi finals will happen on the 10th and 12th May. There are, as you would expect, two semis in prospect and each of them has three separate stages for the contestants to negotiate. Countries in each half of the draw will have to make it through a Jury Show and a Family Show before finally heading to a live performance. Viewers can participate in the voting process as they look to send their favourites through.
Waiting in the final are a series of countries who have already qualified for the main event. This is the finals night which will be held in Italy this year and the countries that progress to this stage will sing their songs just once.
At the end of this sequence, a brief interlude will follow before the voting begins. Each of the voting nations is able to allocate votes to 20 different contestants. Their favourite song will receive 12 points, their second favourite 10 points, then 8 points for the third favourite and this pattern will continue all the way down to their 12th favourite song which receives a solitary point.
As we will see when we analyse the Eurovision 2022 betting odds, the market has already identified some favourites. Some of the contestants at the top of the outright betting are already through to the final stages while others have to make it past that tricky semi final phase.
Betting on the Eurovision
One of the reasons why Eurovision betting odds attract so much interest lies in the simplicity of the markets. This isn’t an event that carries scope for complex side bets so the odds for Eurovision tend to focus mainly on the outright winner.
Identifying the winner requires some research and, like any market, Eurovision will require some knowledge of the subject. Our Eurovision odds will be in place in the days and weeks leading up to the competition and prospective bettors can use those to identify the favourites and to see whether there is any value in the chasing pack.
Don’t worry, you shouldn’t have to listen to every single song unless you really want to. There are lots of news and opinion pieces around and many customers only elect to listen to those songs that they are interested in staying on.
Patterns from previous editions can also be useful and it may be worthwhile taking a closer look at winning Eurovision bets from previous years. Did the favourite always win or was there a surprise from within the chasing pack? Did a so-called novelty act come through to take the trophy?
Those novelty acts might include the winners of Eurovision 2006 - Finnish Death Metal band Lordi who triumphed with their unforgettable tune, Hard Rock Hallelujah.
The most successful countries can also provide a useful indicator. Over the course of Eurovision history from 1956 to 2019, Ireland are the most decorated nation with seven wins, followed by Sweden with six, while the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and France have five victories each.
Voting patterns can also play a part in the final result. It is said, perhaps rather cynically at times, that certain countries like to look out for their close neighbours when the round of voting begins. There may be an element of truth to that theory but the only way to determine this for certain is to look back through history and analyse previous results.
This may seem like an onerous task but it’s no different to undertaking in depth research levels for traditional sports betting. Those that are serious about Eurovision odds will want to carry out this type of study.
The focus for the majority of bettors is on that overall winner but it may be possible to find other options. Check the markets in the days leading up to the event to see what’s in place as there can be bets for Eurovision 2021 that relate to a high placed finish. Top four and top ten wagers could be available.
Eurovision 2022 Odds
Eurovision 2022 betting odds are available in our sportsbook page under TV & Novelty section and the markets will fill up in the days leading up to the final. Early indications show that Ukraine are attracting interest with their song ‘Stefania’. Italy are also among the favourites, with the song ‘Brividi’, sung by the duo Blanco and Mahmood, the latter a previous Eurovision contestant.
It’s important to remember that early ante post Eurovision odds will include those countries that are still to perform in the semi finals. They may not make it through but, once qualified, their Eurovision 2022 betting odds will tend to shorten so it’s up to the individual bettor to decide whether or not to make an early stake.
Once the semi finals are underway, the Eurovision odds will effectively become part of our live markets. The figures will inevitably change and, in some cases, it’s likely that prices will shorten once a nation has made it through to the finals in Rotterdam.
Of course, those countries who are eliminated through the semi final process will be removed from the market and any stakes that have been placed on them will be forfeited.
In future years, that scheduled format could change: Potentially we could see even more countries joining in the fun and becoming part of the wider Eurovision family. For now, however, Eurovision 2022 keeps to the scheduling that has made it such a popular part of the continent’s TV viewing and there’s certain to be a lively set of betting markets to back it up.