Eurovision fans put money where their mouths are
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European bookmakers are raking in the cash as bets on the likes of Germany and Serbia come flooding in. No, we're not talking about the World Cup, we're talking about Eurovision. Bookmakers have to take into account previous voting patterns, political landscapes and to a lesser extent, the song!
Picking a winner has been getting tougher each year. The competition has expanded since its early days, and now includes eastern European and even some non-European countries like Israel, who last won the competition in 1998.
This year another non-European nation, Azerbaijan, is the favourite to walk away with the 2010 Eurovision crown, but there is strong competition. Breathing down their neck is Germany, with 19-year-old pop sensation Lena Maier-Landrut, and Serbia, who have opted for a Balkan beats song.
Bodo Braunmühl from world online bookmaker Betfair says: "Predictions aren't as easy as in sports markets." Adding: "There is a jury and there is public voting and to predict those two elements is not very easy. So you look at the songs and you ask experts if they see potential in those songs, and you think about the countries and how popular they are in Europe."
Dennis Lalla organises Eurovision-themed events at one of Berlin's longest-running gay clubs. "This year it is very hard to predict as there isn't such a clear number one like last year, like the Russian song, or the Serbian song or the Finnish song, which stood out," the self-confessed Eurovision addict told Euranet.
In previous years, the competition has been attacked for being too political and not having enough to do with the songs. Cynicism surrounding the competition is understandably rife when Balkan countries or Scandinavian countries award maximum points to each other, and disregard others.
Nonetheless according to Eurovision die-hard fan Dennis Lalla, it still has to be a good song: "It has to have appeal to everyone - to a farmer in Iceland, an office worker in Greece and a grandma in Portugal." The final is in Oslo this Saturday.
