Do the Bookies’ 2026 Special Bet Markets Feature Goodwill?

by Roy Brindley, 16 December 2025

Christmas is the season of goodwill. Bookmakers have been generous with their special bet markets, but are they bearing any gifts?

Santa Claus is checking his bookmaker apps to see if bookmakers are bearing gifts! © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• The festive period’s ‘specials’ markets have been unwrapped.
• Callum Turner is odds-on to be the next Bond.
• Normal service is predicted at the Eurovision Song Contest. The UK is 33/1.
• New Jersey World Cup final could be a clue to Bon Jovi’s halftime performance.

9/4 Call The Midwife is the top Christmas Day TV show, 33/1 the UK enjoys Eurovision Song Contest success in 2026, and 5/6 The Weeknd headlines the halftime show at the World Cup final. These are just a few of the special bets online betting sites are offering punters ahead of the festive season.

Christmas embodies the spirit of goodwill and generosity, but do the ‘specials’ tabs, found at the homepage of the UK’s biggest and best online betting sites, come bearing gifts? There are certainly plenty of markets to choose from. Here, we ask: Are there any genuine gifts?

Finally, a New James Bond

James Bond fans’ long wait for a follow-up to 2021’s No Time To Die is about to come to an end. In October, The Sun reported ‘Bond 26’ will go into production in April 2026. Denis Villeneuve, known for films such as Dune, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and Sicario, has been confirmed as the director of the new film.

The perennial question of who will star as the next 007 remains unanswered. Since Daniel Craig was killed off in No Time To Die, almost every single male actor under the age of 45 with a hint of a British accent has been subject to speculation that they could be given a Walther PPK and a license to kill.

William Hill bookmakers appear convinced that the actor Callum Turner, who starred in The Masters of the Air and The Boys in the Boat, is the most likely actor to be appointed as the next James Bond. The famous betting firm quotes the 35-year-old as its 10/11 favourite in its ‘next 007’ betting market.

Not the 007 question
https://t.co/Efa92KTaGL pic.twitter.com/7qXVxh8f8U

— spotlessmind (@_suninaries) September 9, 2025

Other online betting sites are less certain, and the best odds available on other candidates are as follows: 2/1 Callum Turner, 4/1 Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 4/1 Anthony Boyle, 8/1 James Nelson-Joyce, 10/1 Theo James, 12/1 Jonathan Bailey, 14/1 Harris Dickinson.

Bookies Give UK Little Eurovision Hope

Regarding long waits, the UK has not won the Eurovision Song Contest since 1997. Will 2026 mark a return to the winner’s enclosure? With seven-time winners, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia all boycotting the competition, theoretically, the nation’s chances should be much improved.

Despite a near miss in 2022 – when Sam Ryder finished second – bookmakers are expecting a result more in line with recent results. 25th in 2023, the UK finished 18th and 19th in the past two Eurovisions. Online betting sites’ Christmas specials’ odds on a 2026 UK Eurovision victory are quoted at a dismissive 33/1.

Bookies Divided on Top TV at Christmas

Unlike the prospect of Wham! claiming the Christmas number one song – where all companies quote 1/5 or shorter – the UK’s betting firms are divided on which TV show will have the distinction of being ‘most watched’ program on December 25th.

The online betting arm of Betfred quotes the BBC1 broadcast of The King’s Speech as its 10/11 favourite. Rival firms rate that broadcast’s chances at 2/1. At the same time, Betfred’s 9/4 quote about Call The Midwife stands out, as the period drama is 4/6 with rival firms.

Odds-on backers do have plenty of ‘specials’ to get stuck into. Norway at 4/7 to win the most golds at the Winter Olympics, or 5/6 about Keely Hodgkinson winning the 800-metre Commonwealth gold, are examples.

Keir Starmer, currently polling amongst the most unpopular Prime Ministers of all time, is 4/6 NOT to be Prime Minister at the end of 2026. The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is only slightly bigger, at 5/6, to headline the 2026 World Cup final halftime show.

Bon Jovi and England Can Score in New Jersey

With Drake (7/2), Beyonce (15/2), Coldplay (10/1), Pitbull (10/1), and Shakira (10/1) also thought to be in contention, The Weeknd’s odds are very short. Nevertheless, the shrewd money might be attracted to 33/1 shots, Bon Jovi.

The rock band may be reaching veteran status, but unlike The Weeknd, Drake and Coldplay, they are American. Notably, they are from New Jersey (with an album named New Jersey to prove it), and the 2026 World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

As for the World Cup, England are 6/1 second favourites to win the competition. The price is a point bigger than the best odds currently available on England to win the T20 Cricket World Cup or be the nation that lands the Grand Slam in Rugby’s 2026 Six Nations.