Eurovision Betting 2008

Eurovision Betting Preview

The 53rd Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Belgrade on 24 May 2008. Much reviled in the past for the lightweight, bland Europop character of the songs, the contest has attracted further disparagement in recent years because of the blatant bias in the voting. In the last few years the contest has expanded to include countries that one didn’t realise were in Europe until otherwise decreed and voting has become more guided by political friendship or enmity rather than the catchiness of the tunes. In other words, if the country next door supplies your gas then vote for their song but if they shot your President since the last contest, then don’t.

Our Top recommended bookmakers for Eurovison Betting

All this will probably not deter the flow of online Eurovision betting, however, and connoisseurs will have their usual field day, flocking to wager their hard earned readies. Assistance in eliminating the absurdity of the voting comes in the form of a new and deeply complicated format but one which expands the range of betting possibilities. Apart from the ‘Big Four’, France, Germany, Spain and the UK and the host country, Serbia, which have an automatic place, there are thirty eight countries vying for a place in the final. Heats will determine which twenty countries then proceed to two semi-finals each consisting of ten contenders.

The Eurovision Song Contest Voting System

Voting in the semis will be determined by a mechanism too tedious to describe but which is intended, through seeding, to eliminate the potential distortion caused by countries which have previously voted for each other to a suspicious degree.

The UK has won the event on five occasions and come second a record fifteen times. Our most recent victory was ‘Love Shine a Light’ by the excellent Katrina and the Waves in 1997 and before that, ‘Making Your Mind Up’ by the less than excellent Bucks Fizz in 1981. In an all-time-greats vote, ‘Waterloo’, by Abba, was considered to be the best ever song.

On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of the 2007 venue city, Helsinki, handed over the ‘Eurovision Keys’ to the Deputy of Belgrade. This will now become an annual ceremony, presumably in an effort to lend some gravitas to the event. The ceremonial key ring holds a key from each of the countries that have, thus far, hosted the event.

Eurovision Betting Custom

As is customary, the show will be televised in all participating countries as will the semi-finals although those outside the Big Five will televise only their own semi-final. Terry Wogan, as usual, will act as host for the UK broadcast of the final, and one marvels at his staying power in still being able to keep a straight face. Actually, he hasn’t kept a straight face on this show for a while now, come to think of it.
For those fans of Eurovision betting who have not yet surrendered the will to live, there will ultimately be the opportunity to wager on twenty five finalists. If ever there was reason to take up the many offers of free bets offered to new customers of online betting services then this festival of the jaw-droppingly awful must be the most persuasive.