Sports Personality of the Year Award 2025 Odds

Popular Sports Personality of the Year Betting Markets

You’ll find Sports Personality of the Year odds available on three main betting markets, as follows:

• Winner — An outright bet on the athlete to win Sports Personality of the Year
• Each-Way — An each-way bet consists of two separate bets: one on the athlete to win, and another on the same athlete to finish in the top three. Odds will be smaller to reflect the spread of risk, with increased winnings if the athlete chosen wins. 
• Top-Three Finish — Punters can also bet on athletes to finish in the top three. 

Sports Personality of the Year Awards

Sports Personality of the Year isn’t just concerned with one individual – there are a number of other awards given at each ceremony. We’ve detailed the biggest awards below. 

Team of the Year

This award is given to the sporting team that’s produced outstanding results throughout the year. Wigan Warriors won the award in 2024 after they collected a clean sweep of trophies, including the World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leader's Shield and the Grand Final. The three Team of the Year awards before then were given to England’s men’s and women’s football teams, and Man City.

World Sports Star of the Year

Formerly known as the Overseas Personality of the Year, this award is given to a non-British sportsperson who’s made a significant contribution to one sport over the year. It’s voted for by a collective of 30 sports journalists, and recent previous winners include Armand Duplantis, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Rachael Blackmore and Eliud Kipchoge.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The SPOTY Lifetime Achievement Award has been a regular feature of the ceremony since 2001, recognising outstanding contributions to sport over the course of an athlete’s lifetime. The list of previous winners is an impressive collection of sporting giants, include 2024 victor Sir Mark Cavendish.

Helen Rollason Award

Named after a BBC Sport presenter who died from cancer in 1999, the Helen Rollason Award is given to an individual who’s achieved great things in the face of adversity. Many recipients of this award have continued to play professional sport despite learning of serious illnesses. Other recipients include fundraisers for charities and sporting causes. The award has been a feature of the SPOTY ceremony since 1999; recent winners include Mark Prince, Rob Burrow, Jen Beattie, and Captain Sir Tom Moore. 

Coach Award

Athletes wouldn’t be anything without their coaches, and this award celebrates their contribution to sport. This award was won by Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter in 2024 after they played a significant role in firing Keely Hodgkinson to 800m gold at the Paris Olympics.

Young Sports Personality of the Year Award

Previously known as the Newcomer Award, this award is given to one individual aged 17 or younger as of January 1 of that same year. Swimmers, divers and gymnasts have dominated the list of winners, which stretches back to 1999. Luke Littler won the award last year after his sensational breakthrough year in darts.

Unsung Hero Award

Sport in the UK, particularly at the amateur and semi-professional levels, is underpinned by individuals who make substantive but unrecognised contributions to clubs, communities and events. The Unsung Hero Award, introduced in 2003, gives those people the recognition they deserve. Last year's winner was Jean Patton who works as a volunteer and instructor at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington.

Former Sports Personality of the Year Award Winners

As you can imagine some pretty famous figures have won the Sports Personality of the Year Award, including Andy Murray who stands alone with three wins.

Other multiple winners are Lewis Hamilton, Nigel Mansell, Henry Cooper, and Damon Hill who have all been victorious twice apiece. Meanwhile, the defending champion is Beth Mead who won last year following her stunning performances for England and Arsenal.

Sports Personality of the Year Format

The SPOTY ceremony is broadcast live on the BBC in December and is presented by a number of presenters, including Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, while long-time host Gary Lineker has stepped aside.

The show works through each individual award, explaining the achievements of the nominees in each category. How those nominees are selected depends on the award, but the Sports Personality of the Year is decided by the British public, who can vote via the BBC Sport web page. 

Other awards, such as the World Sports Star of the Year, are voted for by sports journalists. Nominations for the Unsung Hero Award can be given by anybody in the UK over the age of 16 who wish to recognise the achievements of a local unsung hero. 

Sports Personality of the Year Betting Tips

You can check back regularly to the BettingOdds SPOTY page for expert betting tips. Here’s how you can make the most of this page. 

Read Our Betting Tips

As the nominees are finalised and the SPOTY ceremony approaches, we’ll be bringing our readers exclusive insight and betting tips on the winners in each category. To get an idea of where the smart money might be, make sure you return to this page closer to the date. 

Compare Odds

Our grids make it easy for readers to compare Sports Personality of the Year odds from all the leading bookmakers across a range of markets and awards. If there are any nominees currently competing in major sporting events – such as Ben Stokes at the Cricket World Cup – it would be sensible to get ahead of the trend before he performs another masterclass.

Analyse Past Winners and Sports

It’s a good idea to study previous winners of SPOTY and the sports they represent to identify any consistent trends. We’ve compiled a list of every winner since the ceremony began in 1954 to make this easier for you. 

Keep an Eye on Important Sporting Events

If there are any major sporting events between now and the ceremony in December, consider how these could affect SPOTY odds and nominations. Note any outstanding team and individual performances and track high performers across multiple sports.

Never Bet More Than You’re Willing to Lose

Sport is unpredictable, and gambling on sport is even more so. There are never any guarantees, which means you should only ever bet what you’re happy to lose. This is one of the key pillars of responsible gambling and should be followed at all times.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Sports Personality of the Year...