Betting experts give the odds of Milton Keynes winning City of Culture status

Online better experts have revealed the odds of Milton Keynes being successful in winning coveted City of Culture status.

Earlier this month, the government announced MK was one of nine places longlisted for the title and it has now been given a £60,000 grant to prepapre its official bid in time for the 2025 awards.

Could the Station Square artwork help Milton Keynes become the official City of Culture 2029?

placeholder image — Could the Station Square artwork help Milton Keynes become the official City of Culture 2029?

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If successful, the city could secure £10 million in government funding to deliver its cultural programme, which would boost the local tourism economy and strengthen our cultural infrastructure.

The eight other longlisted contenders are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.

Now experts from betting tips platform, the Online Betting Guide (OLBG) has caluclated that the city’s odds of beating all these are 8/1, making us the seventh most likely place to win.

According to OLBG, Wrenham is top of the list to win while Blackpool sites second with odds of 6/4.

Jake Ashton, Current Affairs Editor at OLBG.com, comments: “Wrexham being odds-on suggests the experts see it as the standout candidate right now. There’s strong momentum behind the city, both culturally and in terms of profile.”

You can view the predictions again by clicking here.

MK City Council is leading the local application, working in partnership with organisations from across the city including Universal, The Open University, Stadium MK and Milton Keynes Islamic Arts and Culture. Residents, communities and cultural partners will be invited to help shape the bid as it develops.

If successful, Milton Keynes’ City of Culture year 2029 would coincide with the opening of a major new £76 million, 4,000‑capacity venue in the city centre.