The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (SPOTY) is a trophy given out each December to the Briton deemed to have achieved the most outstanding sporting success over the 12-month period. Over time, BBC Sports Personality betting has become highly popular – read on to find out how you can get involved!
- Award Structure for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- Best Betting Sites for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Odds, Tips & Predictions
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Tips & Predictions
- Popular Bets for BBC Sports Personality of The Year
- History of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Past Winners
- Sports That Have Produced the Most Winners
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
Beginning in 1954, the award was initially decided by a panel of sports journalists for 58 years before a public vote off was introduced in 2012.
Award Structure for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The final shortlist of nominees is announced to the public a few weeks before the award ceremony takes place in December. Although this wasn’t originally the case, these days, the winner is decided by public vote on the night.
Best Betting Sites for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
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BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Odds, Tips & Predictions
We've published the best odds for the 2022 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as our expert tips and predictions.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Odds
| Sports Personality | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 5/1 | bet365 |
| Harry Kane | 14/1 | Paddy Power |
| Emma Raducanu | 14/1 | Paddy Power |
| Eve Muirhead | 16/1 | Paddy Power |
| George Russell | 16/1 | bet365 |
| Zoe Alcroft | 20/1 | Ladbrokes |
| Tyson Fury | 20/1 | William Hill |
| Raheem Sterling | 25/1 | Paddy Power |
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Tips & Predictions
We've listed below who we think, at the time of writing, are the leading contenders for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Lewis Hamilton for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- Sir Lewis Hamilton has already won this prize twice in his career: in 2014 and in 2020. Last year, the driver could have easily ended up holding the Formula 1 Drivers Championship Trophy if not for a late decision by the race organisers in Abu Dhabi, which allowed rival Max Verstappen to clinch the title ahead of the Englishman in the final lap. That would have been his 8th Championship title, making him the undisputed Formula 1 champion. Currently, he sits tied first with legend Michael Schumacher, who also has seven championship titles to his name.
- 2022 could be the year Lewis Hamilton rises to the top of that table alone, but with the changes done to the Formula 1 cars this season, he might not even be the favourite to win the trophy, especially after Ferrari got a great start to the season. Should he manage to win the title and put England on top of the Formula 1 Driver charts, he would surely be the prime contender to win the BBC award.
- Check out our F1 Betting Guide to see the odds on Hamilton winning the championship.
Harry Kane for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- Following their recent performance in the European Championship, the English football team once again faces the prospect of winning an international trophy this year as the FIFA World Cup gets closer and closer. One of the main men in the squad is captain Harry Kane, who safely booked a place for England at the prestigious tournament with 12 goals in 10 games during the qualification round.
- The goalscorer from Walthamstow is just 5 goals off topping the charts for goals scored for the England national team, and he will be hoping to do so while taking the Three Lions all the way to the final. His season with Tottenham so far has been fairly quiet when compared to other years, but once he gets into scoring mode, there is just no stopping him.
- A great performance in Qatar at the World Cup finals could surely see Kane winning many votes for the SPOTY, with his odds of 14/1 at Paddy Power potentially shortening if he continues to deliver goals for team and country.
Emma Raducanu for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- After enjoying immense success at the US Open, Emma Raducano stole the hearts of the English public and won last years SPOTY by a huge margin. Given her talent, we really would not be surprised if she stunned the tennis world with yet another huge win at some point throughout the year – perhaps at Wimbledon, where she will hopefully compete in front of a home crowd. The odds of her doing so are at 12/1 at bet365.
- Raducanu did have a bit of a slow start to 2022 after being knocked out fairly easily by Rybakina in Sydney, after which she then failed to make it to the final stages of other competitions despite facing seemingly weaker opposition.
- Last year, at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu was downright sensational. She surged through to the final without dropping a set, and then beat out Leylah Fernandez with ease to claim the crown. Raducanu etched her place in history by becoming the first qualifier to win the US Open, and the first British women to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade in 1977. Maybe she could win a back-to-back US Open title, who knows?
- Raducanu is joint-second favourite with odds of 14/1 at Paddy Power. We suggest keeping an eye out on her matches, especially in the Grand Slam tournaments.
Best of the Rest – Other Top Contenders for BBC SPOTY
- At the time of writing, the fact that George Russell now forms part of the Mercedes team with Lewis Hamilton likely leaves him in the former's shadow this season, as seems to be the case with any of the Mercedes teammates. We struggle to see how Russell could outshine his teammate on the track, and would not be inclined to place any bets on him at an early stage in the season. In spite of this, we have seen Russell's driving skills, and know that he is always up for some good competition, so we will be watching out for his performances just the same.
- Elsewhere, Eve Muirhead, who is part of the Team GB Olympic team, became an Olympic curling champion during the Winter Olympics in Beijing early on during the year. This was no easy feat, however, given the timing and the fact the medal was won in a relatively minor sport, Muirhead might not by fancying her chances of winning the award. At the same time, she has already won the biggest award there is to win in the sport this year, while all the other contenders still have to prove themselves.
Popular Bets for BBC Sports Personality of The Year
As a special bet, there is not a great deal of betting options other than to bet on the recipient of the award. Having said that, there are other awards that are given out on the night, and bookmakers have been known to offer odds on these markets too.
Outright Winner
This is straightforward and uncomplicated – in fact, all these bets in this type of category are. All you have to do is simply try to predict the winner of the main award, which has in the past been won by Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, Tony McCoy and Andrew Flintoff. It is always worth considering which sporting mega events will be taking place that year to see from where likely contenders will emerge. Also, it has to be said that the winner has, more often than not, been male. In this case, the FIFA World Cup would be surely an event to take into consideration.
Top-Three Finish
The top three finishers in the public vote are announced in ascending order. Therefore, there are opportunities – much like in an each-way bet – to lodge a wager on a candidate finishing in the top three. The value of the leading competitors for the award will not be overly compelling, although there can be surprises that can provide bang for your buck.
Team of the Year Winner
This, like the following two bets, is chosen by a panel. The award is given to the British – or in rare cases, a foreign – sports team that is believed to have produced the best sporting achievement over the past 12 months. The West Indies cricket team, as well as the Canadian team behind the champion racehorse Nijinsky, have been the two foreign recipients of the award. In 2020, Liverpool won the award for the fourth time after winning the Premier League.
BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
This is a pretty self-explanatory award, one which goes to the young sports star deemed to have had the best sporting year. Past winners include Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray, Theo Walcott, Tom Daley and Phil Foden.
BBC World Sport Star of the Year
This final award goes to a non-British athlete (of either gender) who the panel believe has performed better over the past 12 months than any of the other names on the final shortlist.
Past winners include Roger Federer, who has won the award four times, Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt, who have both won the award three times, Björn Borg, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Steffi Graf, Jonah Lomu, Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo, Shane Warne, Rafael Nadal, Francesco Molinari, and Boris Becker, who was 18 when he won in 1985 – the youngest male to have received the award.
Khabib Nurmagomedov became the first Russian and first MMA fighter to win the award in 2020.
History of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- The BBC's Sports Personality of the Year was the brainchild of Paul Fox, a sports editor at the corporation. The first ever awards were held at the Savoy Hotel on 30 December that year and were hosted by Peter Dimmock.
- The first winner was the middle and long-distance runner Christopher Chataway. Up until 2012, a panel of 30 sports journalists each submitted a list of 10 contenders, from which a final shortlist of 10 nominees was drawn up.
- In 2011, following a final shortlist entirely composed of men being submitted, this method was criticised and later abandoned to make way for the existing vote method.
- The awards ceremony has no fixed venue, although the BBC’s recent move to Manchester has seen it held at Dock10 Studios in Salford since 2020. The 2021 ceremony was screened on BBC One, marking the 68th edition of the awards.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Emma Raducanu | Tom Daley | Adam Peaty |
| 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Jordan Henderson | Hollie Doyle |
| 2019 | Ben Stokes | Lewis Hamilton | Dina Asher-Smith |
| 2018 | Geraint Thomas | Lewis Hamilton | Harry Kane |
| 2017 | Mo Farah | Jonathan Rea | Jonnie Peacock |
| 2016 | Andy Murray | Alistair Brownlee | Nick Skelton |
| 2015 | Andy Murray | Kevin Sinfield | Jessica Ennis-Hill |
| Year | Winner | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Rory McIlroy | Jo Pavey |
| 2013 | Andy Murray | Leigh Halfpenny | Tony McCoy |
| 2012 | Bradley Wiggins | Jessica Ennis | Andy Murray |
| 2011 | Mark Cavendish | Darren Clarke | Mo Farah |
| 2010 | Tony McCoy | Phil Taylor | Jessica Ennis |
| 2009 | Ryan Giggs | Jenson Button | Jessica Ennis |
| 2008 | Chris Hoy | Lewis Hamilton | Rebecca Adlington |
| 2007 | Joe Calzaghe | Lewis Hamilton | Ricky Hatton |
| 2006 | Zara Phillips | Darren Clarke | Beth Tweddle |
| 2005 | Andrew Flintoff | Ellen MacArthur | Steven Gerrard |
| 2004 | Kelly Holmes | Matthew Pinsent | Andrew Flintoff |
| 2003 | Jonny Wilkinson | Martin Johnson | Paula Radcliffe |
| 2002 | Paula Radcliffe | David Beckham | Tony McCoy |
| 2001 | David Beckham | Ellen MacArthur | Michael Owen |
| 2000 | Steve Redgrave | Denise Lewis | Tanni Grey-Thompson |
Sports That Have Produced the Most Winners
| Sport | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place | Total Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 18 | 14 | 19 | 51 |
| Formula One | 8 | 9 | 1 | 18 |
| Tennis | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Football | 5 | 7 | 10 | 22 |
| Boxing | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| Cricket | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Cycling | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Sport | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place | Total Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figure skating | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Golf | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Swimming | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 |
| Eventing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Snooker | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Rugby Union | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Rowing | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Motorcycle Racing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Show Jumping | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Horse Racing | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Sailing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Rugby League | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Triathlon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Darts | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Diving | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cart | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gymnastics | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rallying | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Key Stats
- Ian Black won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1958 at the age of only 17, and is to date the youngest winner of the award.
- One year earlier, Dai Rees became the oldest winner of the Sports Personality of the Year in 1957, after he captained the Ryder Cup golf team to victory over the USA.
BBC Sports Personality Betting FAQs
You will find betting markets for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in the ‘Specials’ section of your bookmaker's official website or app.
Typically, no. This is generally an outright winner market only. Some betting sites do offer a top-three finish market, although these are rare.
This year, the awards event will be broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday 18th December 2022.
While the location has not been confirmed as of yet, the venue has been shifted around the United Kingdom after being situated in London for the first 51 editions. Most recently, the awards in 2020 and 2021 were hosted in Salford.
Andy Murray has won the most BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards with three crowns to his name, triumphing in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award brings down the curtain on the British sporting schedule for the calendar year, celebrating the best and most poignant achievements regarding sport in the United Kingdom and Ireland. There are unique betting opportunities available for wagering on the event, including outright betting on the recipient of the signature award.
Leading bookmakers are diverse in their approach towards betting on this award, ensuring that there is value to be found on their markets as they would for any other events covered. We believe that there are great opportunities for punters as revealed by this year's BBC Sports Personality betting odds, so we really do recommend giving this a go!