The odds given to teams in a match are not nearly as important to British punters as hunch or feel, according to a new YouGov survey shows betting intentions around the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship.
As excitement builds around the Euros – which was postponed until June of this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic – our survey shows 18% of UK adults are likely to place money on some aspect of the tournament.
Among our findings, roughly a third of those UK adults say their hunch or feel is the most important factor when deciding how to bet (35%), more of a factor than the previous results of a team (22%) or the odds (14%). Other things that factor into a punter’s decision include promotions available (12%) and support for one’s country (7%).
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of adults likely to place a bet on the Euros will do so on individual matches, significantly more than the 42% who plan to bet on the championship winner. About one in five punters (22%) plan to put money on an accumulator or parlay, 19% will wager on a group winner and 15% will place in-game wagers. A small proportion will place prop bets (18%), spread bets (4%) or bets on other aspects of the tournament (2%).
When it’s time to place a wager, most bettors will turn to online bookmakers to do so (76%), while just 15% will place a bet in-person. One in seven (14%) will place bets casually with family or friends.
If you want to capture the attention of this audience, you might want to turn to social media, as roughly a quarter (26%) say they’ll be scrolling and chatting during matches. The same number (26%) will also be on gambling sites to check odds, place bets and cash out. More than one in seven (15%) will be searching for details about players, teams, and previous matches. One in five (21%) say they’ll attempt to keep working if the game takes place during working hours.
The COVID-postponed Euros have been eagerly anticipated and, as one of the biggest sporting events to take place since the beginning of the pandemic, it’s likely to be a banner month for gambling providers.
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Methodology: YouGov polled 1,500 British adults online on May 20 between 8:47 a.m. ET and 9:30 a.m. ET. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region, and social grade. Results are nationally representative of adults in Great Britain. The margin of error is 4.6 for the overall sample. Learn more about YouGov Direct.
