With only around six hours to go before the result of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 is final, a quick look at the bookmakers' odds confirm the favourites that Europe has been betting on.
Bookmakers William Hill, Paddy Power and Coral all agree on the big favourite: Ukraine's Verka tops the betting with the shortest odds from all three. The three firms also concur on the second favourite, putting Serbia's Marija Serifovic just a little way behind Ms. Serduchka. Only at the third position do the bookies begin to differ – William Hill have Latvia on the third shortest odds with Belarus in fourth position, whilst the other two have the same two countries reversed.
Georgia's debut entry Visionary Dream might be a good outside bet with odds ranging from Coral's 25-1 to William Hill's 41-1. At the lower end of the scale, chances of a win for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania are languishing in the lowest positions across the board, ranging from 80-1 to 100-1.
What do the figures mean?
When taking these figures into account, fans should bear in mind that they reflect not only expert opinion, but also the confidence of other betting punters, as odds are shortened or lengthened according to how many bets each participant attracts. Therefore they serve as a better indicator of public confidence in the entries, rather than an expert prediction. The only true indicator will begin in less than five hours' time!
