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Put your money where your mouth is
The whole of Europe is set to go betting crazy
Anyone who believes they already know the outcome of this summer's European Championships has never had a better chance to put their money where their mouth is.
Euro 2000, despite boasting fewer games and fewer teams than World Cup 98, is set to become the biggest betting event in sporting history.
£40m was gambled on the last World Cup, but the internet effect means even that remarkable sum is set to be eclipsed by the championships in Holland and Belgium.
"The internet has opened up markets in Europe which simply didn't exist before," explains William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe, adding: "we are expecting massive interest and our liabilities should be more widespread this time."
So, the bookies are happy, but the punters are set to be smiling too, whichever angle you look at it from. British-based customers are tempted by the fact that internet betting is tax-free, so they are nine per cent better off before a ball has even been kicked.
Beyond Britain, the attraction is a betting freedom never experienced in France, Spain or the wider reaches of Europe.
"It's a completely different culture," adds Sharpe. Fans in France struggled to get a bet on their own team at the last World Cup, but now they are able to bet 24 hours a day."
Patriotism doesn't always follow in football, but Sharpe concedes that Hills still stand to lose a fortune should England, currently 10-1 for the tournament, lift the trophy on 2 July.
There is also a little jingoistic irony shining through in some of the novelty bets being placed in the run-up to the tournament, not least by the 250-1 Hills are offering on Germany beating England on penalties in the final!
These days, you can bet on almost anything in football; from the number of corners in a game to the combined total of the shirt numbers worn by goalscorers, and Sharp is expecting a stampede in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
"We would expect to start taking some obscure bets nearer the time but we are already receiving several, including the first goal of the tournament and the first player to be sent off," he explains.
If all that sounds too complicated, then just try sticking to the good old fashioned outright winners.
Holland are favourites at 3-1, while Spain's dominance of the Champions' League has seen them trimmed to a tempting 11-2.
Lively outsiders see Sweden offered at 14-1 and The Czech Republic, with a perfect qualifying record under their belts, at 20-1.
But the biggest market move has been for co-hosts Belgium, in to 20-1 from as much as 50-1 just a month ago.
Easy, isn't it?
The whole of Europe is set to go betting crazy
Anyone who believes they already know the outcome of this summer's European Championships has never had a better chance to put their money where their mouth is.
Euro 2000, despite boasting fewer games and fewer teams than World Cup 98, is set to become the biggest betting event in sporting history.
£40m was gambled on the last World Cup, but the internet effect means even that remarkable sum is set to be eclipsed by the championships in Holland and Belgium.
"The internet has opened up markets in Europe which simply didn't exist before," explains William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe, adding: "we are expecting massive interest and our liabilities should be more widespread this time."
So, the bookies are happy, but the punters are set to be smiling too, whichever angle you look at it from. British-based customers are tempted by the fact that internet betting is tax-free, so they are nine per cent better off before a ball has even been kicked.
Beyond Britain, the attraction is a betting freedom never experienced in France, Spain or the wider reaches of Europe.
"It's a completely different culture," adds Sharpe. Fans in France struggled to get a bet on their own team at the last World Cup, but now they are able to bet 24 hours a day."
Patriotism doesn't always follow in football, but Sharpe concedes that Hills still stand to lose a fortune should England, currently 10-1 for the tournament, lift the trophy on 2 July.
There is also a little jingoistic irony shining through in some of the novelty bets being placed in the run-up to the tournament, not least by the 250-1 Hills are offering on Germany beating England on penalties in the final!
These days, you can bet on almost anything in football; from the number of corners in a game to the combined total of the shirt numbers worn by goalscorers, and Sharp is expecting a stampede in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
"We would expect to start taking some obscure bets nearer the time but we are already receiving several, including the first goal of the tournament and the first player to be sent off," he explains.
If all that sounds too complicated, then just try sticking to the good old fashioned outright winners.
Holland are favourites at 3-1, while Spain's dominance of the Champions' League has seen them trimmed to a tempting 11-2.
Lively outsiders see Sweden offered at 14-1 and The Czech Republic, with a perfect qualifying record under their belts, at 20-1.
But the biggest market move has been for co-hosts Belgium, in to 20-1 from as much as 50-1 just a month ago.
Easy, isn't it?
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