Eurovision: Which Song Contests Can You Bet on in 2024?

There is no bigger song contest in the world than Eurovision. The popular event has been going on since it was inaugurated in 1956 and remains popular to this day. It has something of a cult following, and for many, offers a lighthearted escape from reality and into the world of glitzy and sometimes cheesy music.

The appeal of the Eurovision Song Contest hasn’t slowed and if anything in the last decade has gone through a big revival, attracting a new set of followers. It’s also one of the most popular non-sporting contests at online betting sites around the world. There’s a big demand for the Eurovision Song Contest betting, and here we take a look at the event, what markets are available and everything you need to know about the 2024 edition.

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

As the name suggests, it’s a song competition where nations are represented by an act. All of the acts that reach the final do their best live performance and then it’s over to the judges. The judges are representatives of other nations, which can actually lead to politics getting involved with some countries refusing to vote for others, and some staunchly standing by allies.

Countries can choose to enter or not. Such is the case of Romania, which entered last year but opted not to do so in 2024. Despite being a euro-centric contest, Australia takes part through invitation.

Betting on the Eurovision

When we talk about betting (whether on sports or non-sporting events like Eurovision) the first question that arises is how to choose a quality bookmaker. This is where independent reviews and ratings should come to aid. For example, the leading site in Russia with the rating of top legal bookmakers is https://legalbet.ru/. Their rating is based on a unique methodology that takes into account a number of factors, giving users access to safe platforms for sports betting on all major events from the FIFA World Cup to Grand Slam Tennis.

While the betting sites that are linked don’t provide odds on non-sporting events, depending on your global region you can get access to them. For instance, bets on such events are commonly found among many licensed operators in Africa and Europe.

Markets like the Outright Winner, To Qualify For The Finals and even Totals on the number of points individual countries will score can be examined for Eurovision betting.

When is Eurovision 2024?

The 2024 Eurovision is hosted by Malmo, as Sweden won last year’s editions with Loreen’s song “Tattoo”. That’s one of the big traditions of the competition, that the winners get the honour of hosting the next edition.

The main event of the Finals is on May 11th, 2024. But before that, there are two semi-finals on May 7th and May 9th. Ten nations from each semi-final will move through to the Final. In total, there will be 37 countries entering the contest which is organised by the European Broadcasting Union.

There is a Eurovision Song Contest Big 5 - France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK who all automatically qualify for the finals. Sweden, as host, also takes an automatic place in the Eurovision 2024 Finals.

Who are the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest Favourites?

The current favourite for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is Croatia, which is represented by artist Baby Lasagna with the song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim''. It’s a tongue-in-cheek song about the economic emigration of young Croatians and is part of Baby Lasagna’s debut album.

Ukraine has been one of the front-runners for success this year. Ukraine were popular winners in 2022 with the Kalush Orchestra. This year it is a song called “Teresa & Maria”, a power pop song from Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, which looks as if it could pull in plenty of support.

Italy’s Angelina Mango with her song “La Noia” is a catchy pop song with a Latin feel. The title translates as “The Boredom” and is very modern and current with a good chance of going deep into the contest. Other nations projected to be in the mix are Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden and Israel.

All-Time Leaders

Ireland and Sweden hold the joint record for the most Eurovision wins with seven each. The last time Ireland won was back in 1996, whereas Sweden has taken three titles since 2012, so have been one of the modern powerhouses of the Eurovision Song Contest.

France, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are all joint second with five previous wins each. Luxembourg are returning to the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 31 years but representative Tali with a song called “Fighter” is currently a big outsider.

Who Will Win?

That’s the question everyone will have answered on May 11th. It’s time to strap in for another long night of pop glam, some folk music, soulful ballads and thumping dance music. It’s a unique music spectacle with perhaps Italy taking a big fancy to land their fourth title.