Media Alert: Online bookies look to finish 2018/19 season on a high with Champions League betting boom

Champions League Final: under-par Liverpool win as Spurs stutter

Worldpay predict over 6000 bets a minute placed in run up to kick-off.

Champions League Review: Spurs face Liverpool after heroic night in Amsterdam31 May 2019, London – The 2018/19 European football season will come to a close this weekend with Liverpool going head to head with Spurs in the Champions League final. Online bookies could see high volumes of bets as punters try to win big ahead of the summer break. Operators could increases of as much as 18 per cent on bets placed versus an average weekend.

Analysis by Worldpay of last years’ final revealed that pre-match betting peaked two minutes before kick off with online bookies taking around 6000 bets per minute on the game. Online operators should also be prepared for an increase in live betting with analysis from last years’ match showing a peak just before the start of half time when 4000 bets a minute were placed.

Steffan Jones, VP for Gaming EMEA at Worldpay commented, “The Champions League final is a marquee event for online bookies. This year’s all England affair could see even more gains for UK operators as sports fans take part in some friendly North vs South rivalry.

“Our analysis indicates that the Champions League attracts more casual punters looking to place a social bet. Whilst the volume of bets made on the game soars, average wagers remain low at £33. Mobile is likely to be the channel of choice with the volume of in play bets also peaking.

It’s imperative for operators to ensure that the mobile journey is easy to navigate for these more social bettors. Making sure that both deposits and payouts are seamless and platforms are well equipped to cope with spikes in traffic during key moments of the match could make the difference between casual punters remaining loyal or looking elsewhere when they next fancy a flutter.”