England fall short, but betting searches score big at Euro 2024 

England fall short, but betting searches score big at Euro 2024 

Explore our insights from a busy summer that captivated the nation in the latest edition of our Summer of sports blog posts  

As the dust settles on Euro 2024, football fans across Europe are left reflecting on another summer of thrilling international competition. While England’s dream of bringing football home once again fell short in Germany, there was a different winner that captured the spotlight— the online betting markets. 

Here, we discuss the key takeaways from Euro 2024 betting, the impact that England’s run to the final had as part of an explosive trend in online betting, and how your brand can leverage the next international tournament to take market share.  

England fail to bring football home as betting markets take centre stage   

Hopes of seeing an end to the years of hurt in which the Three Lions have failed to win a trophy were replaced by devastation, as goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal cancelled out Cole Palmer’s strike to ensure Spain lifted the trophy in Berlin’s Olympiastadion. 

In all honesty, Spain were worthy winners. Outsiders in the preliminary tournament betting odds, La Roja won all of their games at Euro 2024, defying their initial 9/1 odds.  

Even when the bookies slashed the Spanish to 9/2, many still questioned Luis de la Fuente, but having lifted the trophy with a 100% record, could this be the start of an international dynasty for Spain?   

Aside from the final, Euro 2024 witnessed a significant rise in betting-related searches, with fans turning their attention from the pitch to placing wagers like never before.  

As we prepare for the return of club football, it’s clear that the buzz surrounding Euro 2024 extended far beyond the matches themselves, marking a new chapter in the relationship between football and betting. 

Key Takeaways

Similar to our last post on Copa America, we chose to delve into search data to identify market trends and the rise in popularity between Euro 2024 and the last final three years ago, when England were beaten on penalties by Italy in 2021. 

Notably, there was a 55% increase in searches related to Euros betting, shifting from 297,960 searches in July 2021 to a peak of 462,740 in June 2024.  

Excitement was clearly palpable across the big betting brands, with many leveraging England’s chances before the tournament. However, as games went on—notably after the post-group stage adjustments—Spain were seen by the bookies as the front-runners. 

That, combined with the initial hype of tournament football, which saw matches played three times a day for the first few weeks of action, led to a decline in searches from June to July at 253,830—highlighting the importance of your brand getting ahead and leveraging the pre-tournament popularity.  

Why such an increase in searches? 

England reached the final of both Euro 2021 and Euro 2024, so while Gareth Southgate’s side’s performance was notably still impressive, the increase in searches is clearly a byproduct of demand for sports betting in the UK market.  

The most bet-on match of the tournament so far has been on England’s opener against Serbia, where the rising star of English football, Jude Bellingham, secured the only win so far for the Three Lions. 

Flutter Entertainment has provided insights into betting across the Euros, with data from Entain showing that only 20% of UK bets at the time were backing England to win the tournament. However, 25% of UK fans backed captain Harry Kane to find the back of the net more than anyone else, and he shared the tournament’s Golden Boot award with five players, including Spain’s Dani Olmo. 

Portugal tops the charts as the most patriotic nation with 60% of home bets on the 2016 winners.  

The biggest Bet Builder won so far during the Euros came via a customer hitting 16 legs to win £17,000 ($21,996.47) in Belgium’s 2-0 win over Romania.  

How can your brand capitalise?  

The recent Euro stats, coupled with the surge of betting-related searches, demonstrate why you need to prioritise international football content ahead of World Cup 2026, which is expected to be watched by millions around the world and hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  

Enhanced search engine optimisation (SEO) and content strategies are good places to start. Combined with a bespoke link-building campaign around a specific tournament and other football events, like the Premier League or Champions League, can enhance your visibility online.  

Big operators found success in launching special promotions, such as free bets and boosted odds when England played, and instant payouts. Eight in 10 players across Europe said fast payouts were an important factor when choosing an online gambling or betting provider. 

What’s next? 

Our expert team at Receptional can help you apply these strategies and build a strategy ahead of the next international football tournaments.  

We’re big enough to have specialists who have established relationships with multiple tier=one betting brands and work across a variety of teams to collaborate easily. 

For all things international football, be sure to read our previous blog post, ‘Copa America 2024 sees 200% growth in online betting searches,’ and look out for the final edition of our summer of sports series next week, where we continue to break down 2024’s major sporting events with in-depth trend analysis. 

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