YouGov: A closer look at gambling intentions around Euro 2020
Oliver Rowe, global sector head for leisure and entertainment at YouGov, analyses potential betting behaviours of British punters during this summer's major international football tournament
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 on betting intentions around the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship.
As the Euro 2020 tournament begins – 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, regardless of whether they are a football fan. Of course, those who do follow the sport are twice as likely to place a wager on the tournament (37%). Our data also shows Brits between the ages of 25 – 49 are most likely to participate in some form of gambling around the quadrennial football event.
This is also a lucrative audience. Brits with a reported gross personal income above £50,000 are notably more likely to gamble on the games.
YouGov polled 1,500 British adults online on 20 May. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region and social grade. Our overall results are nationally representative of adults in Great Britain.
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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. While roughly three-quarters (78%) of likely bettors are on Facebook, a notable portion are also on Instagram (54%), Twitter (53%), LinkedIn (29%), Pinterest (25%), Snapchat (23%) and TikTok (15%).
During matches, roughly a quarter (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.
The event – featuring 24 teams playing 51 matches in 12 cities – kicked off 11 June between Turkey and Italy and will wrap up 11 July.
Having worked with YouGov for more than a decade, Oliver Rowe has advised companies including Tesco and Barclays on their reputation management. He now brings that experience to bear on a sector which includes the betting and gaming industry in his role as global sector head for leisure and entertainment.