Across Europe, the countdown to the Euro 2020 tournament is well and truly underway. One of the most popular and exciting football competitions in the world, the Euros also represent the perfect opportunity for a flutter or two.
Even those who aren’t usually partial to placing wagers find themselves tempted to spice things up when the Euros roll around. Some of whom turn out to be luckier than others, but this kind of wagering is about far more than luck alone.
Tipping the Odds in Your Favour
Of course, there’s nothing anyone can do to guarantee their success with any type of sports betting. There’s always an element of chance – unless you’ve mastered the art of predicting the future.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty you can do to at least tip the odds slightly in your favour. The more strategically you approach your Euro 2020 wagers, the less likely you are to walk away empty handed.
With this in mind, here are our top six tips for betting on the Euro 2020 tournament like a pro:
1. Leave loyalty out of the equation
Right off the bat, loyalty is your worst enemy when it comes to sports betting. Irrespective of how loyal you are to a particular team or player, this is a strictly business affair. This is where the difference lies between betting with your heart and betting with your brain.
Let your common sense be your guide and trust your instincts. If you’re an England supporter and you’re 500% sure they’re going to lose, place your wagers accordingly. Don’t bet on one team or another simply because you think it is the rightthing to do. Only bet when it is the smart thing to do, which could mean betting against your own team or players.
2. Do some research
You can’t predict the future, but you can learn a lot from the past. By this, we mean checking out the recent history of your team’s performance against the teams they’re set to face once again. If they’ve met 10 times over recent years and haven’t won a single time, chances are history is going to repeat itself. Again, it’s a case of letting logic be your guide and betting with your brain.
That said, just because a team has never won a single game at the Euros in the past decade doesn’t mean they won’t surprise the world this time. Hence, it’s a good idea to avoid getting carried away and betting too much on what seemed to be ‘dead certs’. There’s really no such thing, even when it seems like a sure bet.
3. Minimise outside bets
An occasional outside bet during a major tournament can be exciting to say the least. You place money on an underdog or an unlikely result, with the prospect of taking home a sizeable profit if things go your way. It’s not likely to happen, but it might…and it can be fun to try on occasion.
Nevertheless, any betting opportunity where the odds are well and truly against you means a near-guaranteed loss. There will be very rare occasions when the outside bets come in, but the other 99.9% of the time you’ll be saying goodbye to your money. Outside bets are not to be avoided entirely, but should nonetheless be approached with care. Don’t bet anything you aren’t willing to lose, as that’s probably what’s going to happen.
4. Stay within your means
On that note, the key to responsible and enjoyable sports betting means remaining within your budget at all times. Only you can determine exactly how much you can comfortably afford to lose. Establishing a betting budget means acknowledging the fact that there’s every chance you’ll lose every penny of it. You might turn a profit, but you might also lose the lot.
With tournaments like these, it’s best to set yourself a maximum budget at the start of the tournament and stick to it like glue. If your budget is £100 and you lose it all on a careless first bet, bad luck…and game over. Reaching your budget is the first step towards irresponsible and dangerous gambling habits, which must be avoided at all costs.
5. Consider collaboration
Joining forces with friends and family for a flutter on the Euros can be great for three reasons. Firstly, pooling your money together means that you all gain access to more wagering opportunities than you would alone. In addition, you can make use of each other’s knowledge, insights, experience and instincts. Thirdly, there’s something so much more enjoyable about gambling as a group, when there’s a whole bunch of you cheering for the same outcome.
If you’re planning on betting on the 2020 Euros, you’ll find the whole thing even more amazing as part of a group. If your friends and family aren’t interested, try setting up a collaborative betting group at work.
6. Keep clear-headed
Last up, there’s one guaranteed way of screwing up your entire experience when betting on the Euros this summer. On one hand, you could argue that yes – a beer or two is all part and parcel of the experience for millions of football fans. On the other, you need to take into account the potential repercussions of intoxicated decision making.
Alcohol alone is responsible for hundreds of millions of pounds worth of gambling losses every year. Just a few drinks down the line, you start making the kinds of decisions you wouldn’t even think about when sober. Unless you are 100% clear-headed, you shouldn’t be placing wagers of any kind until you are.
In Summary…
As with all types of sports betting, placing wagers on the 2020 Euros is all about common sense. Listen to your head over your heart, establish your budget and do your homework.
For an even more enjoyable experience, team up with friends, family or colleagues at work and pool your resources. And once again, avoid intoxication at all costs if you’d prefer to keep your hands on your cash.