Who Will Win Eurovision 2018?
Every year, online betting sites get inundated with bettors placing wagers on their favourite television programs and major entertainment events. One event, which attracts the attention of just about every keen punter is the Eurovision Song Contest. Commonly referred to as Eurovision or the Grand Prix, it is the longest running international television song contest in the world and can attract anywhere between 100 and 600 million viewers. It also has the honour of being the most-watched non-sporting event anywhere in the world!
The Origins of Eurovision
Eurovision was first held back in 1956 and was based upon the 1951 Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy. The competition is held primarily between the members of the European Broadcasting Union and its format is quite simple. Each participating country must submit an original song that is performed on live television and radio. Each country then votes for the best song from the other participating countries to determine the most popular song in the competition.
Notable Winners
The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest gains a small boost in their musical career and short-term fame. Rarely does the contest progress to a major international musical career but there are notable exceptions of course. The most famous of these include ABBA, who won back in 1974 for Sweden, Celine Dion who won in 1988 for Switzerland, and Buck Fizz who won in 1981 for the United Kingdom.
Eurovision 2018
The upcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will be the 63rd edition of the prestigious musical event. The host country will be Portugal, who won their very first title in 2017 with the song Amar pelos dois, performed by Salvador Sobral. This year, 43 countries will be participating including Russia, who is returning after an absence from the 2017 edition.
Betting Predictions for 2018
For anyone interested in online gambling and betting on the winner of Eurovision, predicting who will emerge triumphant can be difficult, especially considering many of the countries have as yet, not nominated a performer or a song. However, a quick glance at betting sites will give you a good idea of which country is pipped to win and Eurovision even features a page that collates all the odds from different sportsbooks. Historically, Ireland has the most wins under their belt, with 7 wins in total. However, their most recent win was back in 1996, which is possibly why they are sitting at number 34 on the list. The current odds favourites are Sweden. They hold the record for the second highest number of wins, with 6 in total. In 2012, Loreen took the honours for Sweden, singing Euphoria, and in 2015 Måns Zelmerlöw won with his song Heroes.
Sweden The Current Favourite
Sweden’s impressive performances in the past 5 years have made them this year’s favourite so far. Interestingly, Australia, who has only competed 3 times, are currently sitting at number 3 in the betting odds table. Since joining the competition, they have consistently scored high in each competition, and have already chosen their singer in form of the talented Jessica Mauboy. Russia are also high up on the betting list and have the honour of being the country with the most top 5 finishes. They too have chosen their artist, with Yulia Samoylova taking the stage. Spain, who came last in 2017 are just behind Russia on the betting odds, and have picked their performers and song. The country will be resting its hopes on the shoulders of Amaia Romero & Alfred García Castillo who will be singing the song Tu Canción (Your Song). Finland also find themselves in the top-10 list of betting odds. Having won back in 2006, they will be wanting to repeat that achievement with their latest talent in the form of Saara Aalto. It is not yet known what song Saara will be singing, but judging from her talent, she will be a major competitor. As the competition draws nearer the odds may change, and as always the contest looks set to deliver plenty of thrills and spills along the way!
