Wimbledon betting turnover diminished by Murray exit
Without Andy Murray, peak viewership for the Wimbledon final fell from 17m to 10m, and the betting action on the tournament was also hit.
A spokesman for bookmaker Coral told Gambling Insider : “As with England being knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage, Murray’s exit saw a drop-off in turnover from the less frequent tennis punters who tune in and have a bet because the British star is in action.”
However bookmakers weren’t too sad to see the Scot defeated, as he posed the greatest liability to their profit.
The eventual champion, Novak Djokovic, still made a dent in their pockets though as he started the tournament the 7/4 favourite.
“Murray and Djokovic were really the only players that punters wanted to back,” said the spokesman.
Despite a diminished turnover, Wimbledon still ruled the roost on a busy Sunday of sporting action, which also featured the Tour de France and the British Grand Prix.
“The Wimbledon final was by far the biggest event of the day ̶ F1 and Tour de France are niche events as far as betting is concerned.” said Coral.
Indeed in terms of public betting interest, Wimbledon dominates its own sport as much as others – approximately one third of the year’s tennis turnover is generated in ‘The Fortnight’.
Perhaps surprisingly, interest is also unaffected by the gambling glut of the World Cup.
“There are two types of tennis punters, the tennis regulars who bet regardless of other sporting events, and the ‘once-a-year’ fans who just love Wimbledon,” said Coral.
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