Jake is a Football and Entertainment betting expert, with a Man City season ticket and a deep knowledge of reality TV betting angles
- Wham! have shortened back into favourite to be this year's Christmas Number One
- Former favourite Band Aid drifts after controversial release
- LadBaby hit the Christmas Number One spot for five years in-a-row before Wham!
Wham! has shortened back into favourite to be this year's Christmas Number One
Wham! have now moved back in to favourite with UK Betting Sites to have this year's Christmas Number One with their iconic song Last Christmas now the 6/4 favourite in the latest market.
The 80s popband is made up of the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley and they finally grabbed the Christmas Number One spot last year with their iconic track 39 years on from its release.
This year is its 40th anniversary and the latest odds from Bet365 now put it above Band Aid to grab the top spot after the two flipped around in the betting market once again ahead of the busy festive period.
Band Aid is also celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special rerelease featuring various acts over the years singing the songs but the song has been marred with controversy over its production.
That has seen it drift out from odds-on favourite with Bet365 to 2/1 for the Xmas top spot this year with Mariah Carey following behind as third favourite in the betting market.
| Christmas Number One 2024 | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Wham! | 6/4 | 40.0% |
| Band Aid 40 | 2/1 | 33.3% |
| Mariah Carey | 5/1 | 16.7% |
| Liam Payne | 15/2 | 11.8% |
| Reverend and the Makers | 10/1 | 9.1% |
| Tom Grennan | 14/1 | 6.7% |
| Richard Ashcroft | 18/1 | 5.3% |
| One Direction | 18/1 | 5.3% |
What the expert says...
Former favourite Band Aid drifts after controversial release
Band Aid 40 was announced at the start of the month and instantly became the betting favourite to be Christmas Number One but that has all changed since it was released on Monday.
The latest version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? is titled 2024 Ultimate Mix and features voices from the previous three recordings all together for a new single.
Ed Sheeran spoke out about the song saying that he wasn't asked permission for his voice to be used on the track and that he would have “respectfully” declined the request to appear.
This hasn't sat well with many fans and has subsequently seen the song drift out to 2/1 second favourite in the betting market to grab the Christmas Number One spot for 2024.
Christmas Number 1 2024 - Betting Odds and Info
LadBaby hit the Christmas Number One spot for five years in-a-row before Wham! last year
Social Media influencers LadBaby have previously been Christmas Number One for five years in-a-row before Wham! won in 2023 with the YouTuber's not releasing a song last year.
LadBaby's Christmas songs are all released for charity with the profits going towards food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
Ladbaby, real names Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, told the Metro they would stop their releases last year saying, "After five amazing years we’ve decided to pass the baton over to the Great British public and we’re not going for Christmas number one this year."
2024 though may see them return to the Christmas Number One battle and it would be no surprise to see them hit the top spot once again if they do so.
