Eurovision Odds - Romania and Russia

The betting on Eurovision is hotting up folks. Betfair has taken more than £400,000 in Eurovision bets and we expect £1m on the night, which is tonight, if you’re reading on Saturday 21 May. Place your bets now please.

For the latest Betfair Eurovision odds click here.

hecklerspray has created an entire Eurovision Betting channel with a full rundown of the contenders as well as a Betfair tutorial for the brave. Best get some practice in - Big Brother betting on Betfair is three months of fun, and it starts next week. We know you’ll be back for that one.

So, onto the contest. The worst trophy in Eurovision history was given to the winner of the 1996 contest held in Oslo. It was a stone in a cage. The strangest contest came in 1969 when four countries won. One of the winners wore a dress made of porcelain and broke the stringent ‘no dancing’ rule.

Today we’re looking at Romania and Russia…

Romania (pop. 22,355,551: a country in southeastern Europe)
The Eurovision entry for Romania this year will be Luminita Anghel, a singer and TV presenter. She’ll be backed by Sistem, an "unconventional percussion band" who are angry at the organisers for banning fire in their performance. They’ll be singing Let Me Try, a song from the viewpoint of a clingy ex-girlfriend. It also has one of the oddest lyrics of the competition - "I can feel your heart with brakes". Answers on a postcard, please. Current odds - 47/1

Russia (pop. 144,526,378: the largest country in the world)
Representing Russia for Eurovision this year is Natalia Podolskaya, a 23 year-old former law student. Her song is the double negative-tastic Nobody Hurt No One, a tirade against the war and guns and stuff. It starts with the cheery ‘what cold war?’ line "Hello sweet America, where did our dream disappear?". It was co-written by the woman behind Celine Dion’s The Power Of Love. Current odds - 64/1

There we have it - two songs tackling two common themes in this year’s contest. The "Don’t leave me" song and the "America is rubbish" song. To see the full list changing in real time, head over to the ‘Special Bets’ section of Betfair.com where you can also take a stab at betting on the winner.

Get free bets when you join Betfair.com! Enter the promotional code WEB111 during sign-up for £10 free, or WEB222 for £20 free

[story by Stuart Heritage]