"Who's going to win? York or Wrexham? Wycombe or Chesterfield?" The question is not being posed in an English village betting office but in Athens, by Greeks caught up in the new gaming craze, 'Let's Bet'.
They say sport unites people more than anything else and over the last two years the nation's most popular odds-betting game has brought Greeks in touch with foreign clubs on an unprecedented scale, from the English premier league to obscure third division squads.
It appears to be a winning combination: nearly two million people, an estimated 18% of the population, are hooked on 'Pame Stoichima?' (literally, 'Wanna bet?'), currently the Greek Soccer Pools Organisation's (OPAP) biggest money-earner, with sales jumping 28% to 718 million euros in the first half of 2002.
Proceeds and a partial sell-off of the state-run company have generated a further 508 million euros for the culture and finance ministries who disperse the windfall to fund sports, culture, the arts, and the upcoming Olympic Games in 2004.
Sampling on the world's leagues
"We collect teams from other countries to complete the coupon list, which is 216 games," says Pavlos Bekiaris, sports manager at OPAP. Winning depends on correctly guessing the outcome of the match, for which fixed odds are provided. "There are no Greek teams. We use matches from the Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Swedish and Scottish leagues, depending on the programme", says Bekiaris. English, Italian, Spanish and German teams are the most popular.
The coupon is issued twice weekly and also includes UEFA Champions League matches as well as games in countries like Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Norway and Argentina. "We choose from all over the world, but mostly from Europe, so players can choose what they prefer," Bekiaris says.
Even sports newspapers have changed their pages to cater to 'Let's Bet' players. "We have a section with news about teams to make it easier for the players to decide if they're going to bet or not," says Greek daily Sportime journalist Michael Fountoukides. But he is somewhat baffled by the scale of interest, especially from people who know very little about the teams. "I've followed soccer since I was a kid, and I knew East Fife (a third-division Scottish club) from before betting came along," he says. "But most people bet without even knowing what the teams colours are!"
National pastime?
Many players watch foreign games on Eurosport or pay-TV channel Nova, but there are a lot of matches that aren't televised. It doesn't stop the betters, who pore over sports papers or have their ears trained on the radio. And there are a host of Greek websites catering exclusively to 'Let's Bet' results and winning strategies.
One can start playing with as little as 30 cents and win over 730,000 euros. But for many players, the winnings are literally their bread and butter. "I limit myself to betting 12 euros each time," says rental car driver Sotiris Kassapian. "I get my cigarettes and we get our milk and stuff." If Greeks can bond with their foreign soccer counterparts while pursuing a favourite pastime, fund the Olympic Games and win enough to help support themselves all in one go, 'Let's Bet' might just be the perfect match.
