Knighthood and Damehood Betting Odds 2020

Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

Novelty betting covers so many options: If you can think of a situation – a set of awards or a political vote – then chances are there is a market already set up. Maybe not every bookmaker gets on board to embrace each option but there is a likelihood that at least one operator will become involved.

That’s the case with UK honours – those who receive a knighthood or damehood in recognition of their services to a certain industry – most commonly sport or entertainment. We now have some options for 2020 so let’s get straight on and see if we can make some profits.

Rules and Regulations

Firstly, there are a couple of points to note: The market is quoted in relation to any named person receiving a knighthood or damehood in 2020. So this could be in the New Year’s Honours list, the Queen’s Birthday Honours or any separate occasion such as the outgoing Prime Minister Honours which we saw in 2019.

Secondly and more obviously, it has to be a knighthood or damehood – OBEs and their like simply do not count. You are free to check all terms and conditions but we thought it worth mentioning those points.

Market Leaders

David Beckham

With one solitary exception which we will come to, the only bookmaker we could find listing prices for this market was William Hill. That has the potential to change as we get close to the 2020 New Year’s announcement but at least we know that this operator is competitive and rarely, if ever, out of step with the rest of the industry.

Having cleared all of that up, we can now move on to the market leader. David Beckham is available at Even Money and he carries the shortest price by some way. Of course, it’s not about picking a single winner here and you can back all of the following names if you want but, as we’ll see, that Even Money price is a strong endorsement.

‘Becks’ hasn’t kicked a football in anger for some years now and he hasn’t got a particularly high profile in terms of charity work. Interestingly, it’s been reported in the past that he has been overlooked for a knighthood because of his involvement in a tax avoidance scheme. It’s all behind him now and at the start of 2019, it was shown that Beckham was one of the UK’s top 50 taxpayers. Official recognition from the Queen may now be overdue but those Even Money odds look a little short to us.

Following on are Gareth Southgate at 6/1 and Daniel Craig at 7/1. The two men are involved in very different careers but in a sense, they are both at similar stages. Southgate took England to a World Cup Semi Final in 2018 but the fact that he was overlooked at the time doesn’t suggest he will be receiving a knighthood just yet. Similarly, we think that Craig also has work to do. He’s a long term James Bond but we suspect that the big honour will only come when he official vacates the role.

Mid-Range Picks

Gareth Southgate

A gap starts to open up now and we have Lewis Hamilton at 10/1, followed by three names at 12/1 – Jimmy Anderson, Mary Berry and Olivia Colman. We mentioned that there was one other bookmaker quoting a single price and it’s therefore interesting to note that Colman is as short as 7/2 with Betway.

We think we can take advantage here: Olivia Colman has enjoyed a stunning year on the silver screen and the pinnacle came when she landed an Oscar for her starring role in The Favourite. That’s a huge achievement and we are confident it will be followed up by a Damehood as early as the New Year.

Mary Berry also makes strong claims and while Lewis Hamilton’s sporting achievements are hard to match in any field, he also has a tax issue from his past which needs to be taken into account.

Outside Punts

Of the full list of names that William Hill have made available, the longest odds are currently shown at 100/1. Both Tyson Fury and Piers Morgan share those numbers and while they may seem to be a joke – Fury’s comeback in the world of boxing might just set him up for honours in the future. A knighthood looks extremely unlikely for either man, however, so we’ll have to move on.

Some shorter options include Claire Balding and Jonny Wilkinson who can both be claimed at 20/1. Harry Kane and Ellie Simmonds are next on the list at 25/1 while Ben Stokes can be found at 28/1. Of those names, Wilkinson is long retired and could be an option and maybe he might just piggyback on a Rugby Union World Cup success for England.

Less likely options include Paula Radcliffe and Jamie Oliver who are both quoted at 33/1 while the last name on William Hill’s list is former Prime Minister Theresa May who can be picked up at 50/1.

Verdict

There are lots of interesting options here and we’ve already made some suggestions both for and against. While nothing is certain, Olivia Colman has enjoyed an outstanding year and that 12/1 figure from Hills looks to offer exceptional value.

Our second tip is also available at 12/1 but it represents more of a ‘punt’. Cricketer Jimmy Anderson is England’s leading test wicket taker of all time and the first player from this country to claim 500 test victims. In the same way that Alastair Cook was awarded a knighthood when he retired from test cricket, we are certain that the Lancashire seamer will be referred to as Sir Jimmy Anderson in the future.

Will 2020 be too soon? Injury issues meant that we saw very little of Anderson this summer and while he may still have a role to play in England’s attack, he needs to regain 100% fitness to do so. There is a chance that the curtain will come down on that test career before too long so, you may want to take that 12/1 price before it starts to shorten.

Best Bets:

• Olivia Colman to receive a Damehood in 2020 at 12/1 with William Hill
• Jimmy Anderson to receive a knighthood in 2020 at 12/1 with William Hill