Play a part in this summer’s sporting events

However much of a couch potato you are, there’s always a way to get involved in big sporting events. And 2014 is a great year to start developing an interest in sport, even if the only way you like it is as a TV viewer. Already we’ve had the Winter Olympics in Sochi in Russia, this spring has seen horse racing events like the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the UK, and other big horse races are just around the corner – like the Kentucky Derby in the States in May.

As for tennis, there has already been the Australian Open in January, with the French Open happening in May and the Wimbledon Championships coming up in June. All these events are televised and are great to follow, as you see the top players playing at their absolute best. To make things more interesting, you can get a bet on whatever you’re watching on Betfair or another betting site. The good thing about using Betfair is that it’s a betting exchange, so there’s no bookmaker as such, it’s just ordinary people placing bets and accepting others’ bets.

But the biggest sports event this year has to be the FIFA World Cup, which takes place in June in Brazil. You can already see the odds on www.betfair.com for which team is most likely to win. Brazil are the favourites and Argentina are second favourites. However if you want to back an outside chance, Betfair currently has England priced at around 33/1.

The football World Cup is such a huge event that even if you’re not interested in the beautiful game, you’d do better to develop an interest if only for the time the World Cup is on. Everyone else you know will be down the pub watching or having World Cup parties at home – if you can’t beat them; you may as well join them and have some fun!