One of the UK’s biggest bookies has said it lost out on winnings paid in the women’s Euros final as patriotic fans got behind the Lionesses, while the men’s Club World Cup drew in “surprising” global support.
Entain, which owns betting shops Ladbrokes and Coral, said the tournaments were among the most bet-on sporting events of the year so far.
England’s Lionesses were victorious in the Women’s Euro 2025, having beaten Spain on penalties in last month’s final.
So-called “patriotic punters” typically get behind their own team or country by betting on them winning.
If results go in the favour of gamblers, this can result in losses for bookies who have to pay out the winnings.
Rob Wood, the group’s finance boss and deputy chief executive, told the PA news agency: “We did lose a little bit of money on that match.
“But because it was a draw at 90 minutes, that wasn’t a bad outcome.”
The latest tournament was the group’s most bet-on women’s Euros ever, beating 2022, driven by a surge of activity in Spain and Brazil.
Mr Wood said the women’s Euros “didn’t overlap the Club World Cup, so it helps to fill the void” left between men’s international football matches.
The finance chief also said the Club World Cup tournament, where 32 teams competed in the US, was a popular addition to the calendar for its customers.
The final, which saw Chelsea defeat Paris Saint-Germain, was the most popular football match by the number of bets taken for Entain.
“What was fascinating is that in some parts of the world it was huge for us, really popular, and in other parts there wasn’t a lot of interest,” Mr Wood told PA.
For example, the level of support in Brazil was “really surprising” with double the number of bets for the tournament than for South America’s Copa America.
“We really leaned into the tournament and it paid off,” he said.
