Germany or Argentina? When Rio de Janeiro answers that question by late tonight, most of the world will be happy.
The betting market, however, won't be. There are more questions at stake there: who will score the first goal? Will the first goal be scored in the first half? Will it go to extra time? Each question is worth crores of rupees.
As for the obvious question, Germany are bookmakers' favourites.
The odd here is Rs 0.75 for every tenner – that's for every Rs 10 you bet, you get a return of Rs 10.75.
The RoI (return on investment) on Lionel Messi's Argentina will be Rs 1.25 for every tenner – that's for every Rs 10 you bet, you will get Rs 11.25 back. (see box)
Over Rs 900 crore has already changed hands for the 2014 World Cup football final and Rs10,000 crore for the month-long championship.
Messi is fancied to score the first goal -- the odds are 5-1. Germany's Muller and Klose are at 6-1 and 7-1 respectively. A no-goal situation has also drawn attention (6-1).
"It will be a good match of talents and the odds are a clear indication that this encounter will dish out good football,"said Maniklal, president of the Western India Bookies Federation.
Why's Germany the favourite? It has the likes of Miroslav Klose, Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil, to name a few, in the squad. This is how the reasoning goes in the satta market.
Argentina are playing in their fifth final and this gives Messi an opportunity to prove he is one of the greatest players of all times.
For once, the horses can rest and cricket can wait.
How the betting market works
The economics of the betting market goes against the conventional theory of higher the risks, higher the reward.
In the betting market, higher the return a team promises, lesser its chances of a victory.
So, a return of Rs 10.75 on Germany and Rs 11.25 on Argentina means the chances of Germany winning the FIFA cup are higher.
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