Weekend Review: Bookies recall “tale of two days” as international football takes the limelight
Euro 2020 qualifiers take centre stage as a Raheem Sterling hat-trick costs Betfred £150k
International football dominated the betting market this weekend as the Premier League made way for the opening round of Euro 2020 qualifiers.
England got the action underway with a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley on Friday night, including a hat-trick from player of the season candidate Raheem Sterling.
Sterling’s three goals cost Betfred £150k according to PR executive Peter Spencer, with the winger priced at 33/1 to bag another hat-trick tonight as England travel to Montenegro.
Special night in so many ways ☝🏾✨ RIP Damary, gone but u will never be forgotten. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AIJ0YVi5SY
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 22, 2019
Spencer said the operator usually suffers in the absence of top-flight football, with margins down across the board, but Gareth Southgate’s exciting young team has reportedly given punters the incentive to bet on international football again.
“We normally struggle with no Premier League but there is a real enthusiasm for Southgate’s England team – we have experienced an upsurge in business on England matches,” said Spencer.
William Hill described this weekend as a “tale of two different days”. The operator’s Rupert Adams said Saturday was “shocking” as the top nine online selections all won in a result for acca-backers.
“Spain, Italy, Luton, Bosnia, MK Dons, Sweden, Switzerland, Lincoln and Greece all won. Only Bury who were 10th did not come off,” said Adams.
“Sunday was much better, although the both teams to score coupon was a significant loser. A big thank you goes to Croatia, Holland and Slovenia,” he added.
Doubters gonna doubt us @DFB_Team 🇩🇪👨🏾🍳 #NEDGER
📷: @DAZN_DE @ToniRuediger pic.twitter.com/SHEUSDiHi8— Serge Gnabry (@SergeGnabry) March 24, 2019
Germany’s 3-2 win on Sunday evening over qualification rivals Holland was Kindred’s biggest event of the weekend.
“We finished a fair chunk ahead, although Germany’s last minute winner went against us as the draw was obviously the least-backed result,” said Kindred sportsbook analyst Ali Gill.
“Our biggest losing match was Italy’s 2-0 win over Finland in a weekend that, all things considered, we were pretty happy with the margins on the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
“Surprisingly England’s 5-0 win over the Czech Republic left us only very marginally ahead, as the rout was well expected and the win to nil was well-backed,” he added.