Eurovision Song Contest Odds 2013 – Novelty Betting (May 18)

Considering there are still two months before this year’s Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Malmo, there has been a surprisingly active ante-post market with several countries attracting healthy support. Could it be that this year’s contest is going to be lifted above the banal and predictable?

The Netherlands’ entry is the latest to see a flood of money. The Dutch haven’t qualified for the final since 2004 but they’ve pulled off a bit of a coup this year in persuading Anouk Teeuwe to represent her country. The blonde had a Europe-wide hit with ‘Nobody’s Wife’ in the late Nineties and is very popular in the Low Countries. Her song ‘Birds’ has made an early impression on neutrals and those fancying a bet should probably take Ladbrokes‘ 9/1 as the former wild-child is as short as 11/2 in other places.

Belarus has been another nation attracting support. Alyona Lanskaya will sing a Belgium/British collaboration called ‘Solayoh’, a Latino pop number that should get a few of the male judges hot under the collar. Lanskaya has been recording at London’s Abbey Road studios and getting some good advice on how to perform her song in Sweden so expect a professional production. Belarus are now into 20/1 with Stan James.

Cyprus may be a general 100/1 but Despina Olympiou is reckoned to be an outsider with a decent chance of picking up a few votes with ‘An Me Thimase’ though Denmark (4/1 with Betfred) and Norway (6/1 with Stan James) are still the two countries leading the way in the early betting. The Scandinavians seem to be enjoying a renaissance in Eurovision and the Danes have managed top 10 finishes in two of the last three competitions. Emmelie de Forest sing ‘Only Teardrops’ and is sure to get a good reception on the night while Margaret Berger and ‘I Feed You My Love’ represents the Norwegians. Norway’s  Alexander Ryback landed a monster gamble in 2009 so their prominence in the betting is no surprise.

Hosts Sweden are one of the most successful countries in Eurovision, having won the competition four times since Abba first hit the spotlight in 1974. Robin Stjernberg and ‘You’ is a general 10/1 this year while the United Kingdom seem to have abandoned the boy-band experiment and have again turned to a veteran performer. Gravelly-voiced Welsh songstress Bonnie Tyler will attempt to revive British fortunes with ‘Believe In Me’. It’s not a bad song but no British entry has managed a top 10 place for more than 10 years and bookmakers don’t fancy Bonnie’s chances of reversing that trend. She is 33/1 with BetVictor and sportingbet.