Entain expects more than three million people across Europe to place bets on the upcoming 2020 European Championship, twice as many as bet on the 2018 World Cup.

The operator said that its UK customers have placed the most bets so far, with almost half of UK fans betting on France to win the tournament, which gets underway on Friday 11th June 2021.

Data from Entain’s global database shows that, in bets placed by around 1.5 million fans between January and May, France has attracted the most bets to win the tournament at 28%. England and Belgium follow at 20% and 12% respectively.

A total of 47% of bets from fans in all counties are on which nation will win the tournament, followed by which player will be the top goal scorer at 15%. UK fans have placed most bets on England’s Harry Kane to be the leading scorer (23%), ahead of Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (22%).

Entain’s player database also shows that football fans from smaller European countries are more likely to bet on their national teams than fans from larger countries.

The group will host almost all customer activity across its European brands on in-house technology for the first time in an event of this size, allowing Entain to gain “a unique insight into the expectations and betting behaviours of fans across the majority of countries taking part in the tournament, which it can then use to tailor its offers and their experiences accordingly.”

Entain Chief Executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen commented: “Most betting will be after the tournament starts, and we expect to see roughly twice as many fans placing bets on the Euros as in the last World Cup, reflecting the growth of our business in the past three years. With offers across most countries taking part we’re perfectly placed to offer fans exciting experiences.”