UK sports betting back with a bang as EURO 2020 reignites passions

The commencement of the EURO 2020 tournament has had a dramatic effect on sports betting in the UK, with bets erupting as it kicked off, according to Worldplay, one of the iGaming sector's most widely used online payment processing providers.

The competition, delayed by a year, has so far seen bettors and football fans in the UK up their stakes in the competition.

Ian Kay, VP of Gaming and Trading for EMEA at Worldpay, said: "The Euros are always a popular sporting event for betting activities in the UK, and that trend looks set to continue this year".

"Our analysis shows a surge in the volume of bets made ahead of the opening match of this year's tournament", he added.

According to data, and perhaps predictably, games involving the British teams were especially popular with bettors in the country, and betting peaked just prior to England's first game in the competition, against Croatia.

Online operators took 38 payments every second during the game, and Mr Kay suggested they would need to be prepared for an increase in betting for evening kickoffs.

Worldpay analysis also reiterated that operators should make investments in smooth customer experiences for online betting since football fans will be placing multiple bets across the summer.

"Operators need to understand the payments journey is the differentiator to providing the best user experience, and this can be done without compromising on security", Mr Kay added.