Weekend Review: Champions League Final fills bookies' satchels
Another cup final draw favours the layers, while rugby, F1, and boxing results go the punters' way
The Bank Holiday banquet of sport saw bumper turnover for operators, topped by the “perfect result” in the Champions League Final.
“A draw in 90 minutes is always an ideal result in a major final and even though strictly we’d have preferred Atletico to lift the trophy, it was still an excellent result,” Ladbrokes’ Alex Donohue said.
“The all-Madrid final was our sixth biggest turnover match of all time and we got the perfect result,” added Unibet’s William Vickery.
And bet365 said the 1-1 scoreline in 90 minutes was “probably the best we could have asked for” after the firm gave back over ?7m due to its in-play offer.
Meanwhile, the play-off finals also attracted significant betting interest, with Ladbrokes reporting plenty of accumulators across all of the games, and lots of action on derivatives like correct scores and first goalscorers.
“All three of the play-off finals were very competitive betting heats so we came out marginally ahead,” said Donohue.
Unibet reported particularly good turnover on the League 2 play-off final with little other sport on thanks to the rain at the French Open.
Punters got their own back in the weekend’s rugby, with England a popular choice to win and cover the handicap against the visiting Welsh squad. Saracens was also well-backed to beat Exeter in the Premiership final.
Patriotic boxing punters had a good weekend too, as a late flood of money came for Tony Bellew to win the vacant WBC cruiserweight title, and the Liverpudlian duly delivered with a third round knockout in front of 15,000 fans at Goodison Park.
Elsewhere William Hill reported taking a hit from the Monaco Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton held off the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo to take top spot on the podium and reward backers.