Love Island UK: What Are The Odds In The 2022 Betting?

Hit UK dating show Love Island returns next week with 11 new Islanders, including a fishmonger, a paramedic and a waitress, looking for love in a stunning Majorcan villa – and betting sites have been pricing up who will end up as Top Male and Top Female this year.

The show will air from June 6 in the UK but Australians can catch Series 8 on 9Now from June 8, with contestants set to get to know each other before hopefully coupling up with the partner of their dreams and landing the show's £50,000 cash prize.

Throughout the series the new couples' love will be tested as several "bombshell" contestants will head to the villa to try to match up with an Islander who has taken their fancy. Expect to see tears, tantrums, clashes, and perhaps even some bedroom fumbles.

This year's series will feature the programme's first-ever deaf contestant, Tasha Gouri who is an 3.75 shot. She is joint top female favourite with Gemma Owen, the daughter of former England footballer Michael Owen - the pair have both attracted plenty of support in the Top Female category in Love Island betting.

Australian betting sites are also struggling to split masters student Liam Llewellyn and fishmonger Luca Bish when it comes to Top Male.

Love Island Odds 2022

Female Contestants:

Gemma Owen

Gemma is perhaps the most high-profile of the initial 11 Islanders in this year's series, due to being the daughter of ex-Liverpool star Michael. She is 3.75 joint favourite with Tasha, via Ladbrokes, to be crowned Top Female.

While her dad regularly put the ball in the back of the net for England, the 19-year-old from Chester has represented Great Britain in dressage since she was 11 years old, which has given her a thirst for winning.

But Gemma's football pundit father isn't too pleased about her taking part in the dating show.

"I still wouldn't say that my dad is buzzing about me doing Love Island," she told MailOnline.

"He's very supportive in whatever I decide to do. He didn't have a massive tantrum or anything like that. He was pretty chilled, he trusts me not to do anything to embarrass him. He took it quite well."

Tasha Gouri

The 23-year-old model and dancer is well fancied by TV specials betting sites to be among the main contenders come the end of the series, with Betfair making her their favourite at 3.0 for Top Female, slightly ahead of Gemma at 3.5.

Tasha, from Thirsk, went viral on social media last year after she took part in a jewellery shoot with ASOS that featured her cochlear implant, which provides a person who has moderate-to-profound hearing loss with sound perception.

In the villa, potential suitors may be in for a treat as the star admits she would give someone a dance to impress them, describing it as her "best talent", but the self-confessed joker is yet to ever fall in love, so her fellow Islanders may have their work cut out.

Paige Thorne

Paige, a 24-year-old paramedic, is third favourite to be crowned Top Female, with Betfair offering odds of 5.5 on the Swansea native flying the flag for Wales.

She claims to have tried out every potential suitor in her home city, which has led her to the villa.

"In Swansea there is just no-one I can find, I’ve tried and there’s just nobody there anymore," Paige said. "I need to break out and broaden my horizons."

Best Of The Rest For Top Female

Londoners Indiyah Polack, a 23-year-old hotel waitress, and Amber Beckford, a 24-year-old nanny, are the longshots in the Top Female category.

Indiyah has vowed to bring "flavour" to the villa after being "single for some time", but that could well continue if the bookmakers' odds are anything to go by as she is best priced 7.0 to triumph over the other single ladies.

But Amber, a 11.0 shot for Top Female, will be turning red if the lads show off any flashy signals in front of her.

She said: "I don’t like guys that show off. I don’t like flashy, showy-offy guys – just have a personality and make me laugh."

Male Contestants:

Liam Llewellyn

Just like with the battle for Top Female, online betting sites are struggling to separate South Wales native Liam, 22, and 23-year-old Luca, from Brighton, when it comes to Top Male.

Bookies have priced Liam up as 3.5 favourite for the crown, with Luca at a seemingly generous 5.0. But Betfair have Luca at 3.5 and Liam at 4.0 – let the battle commence.

The show's new-look villa has a bigger workout area than ever this year, which could potentially play into strength and conditioning masters student Liam's hands – or his quads if it's a leg day – and perhaps explains his short odds.

Liam certainly seems up for the fight, admitting he is "so competitive", but he claims he wouldn't get in another couple's way if they are "made for each other". Have you seen Love Island before, pal?

Luca Bish

Fishmonger Luca is also determined not to be a stinker on this year's show, admitting he is "proper competitive" and "hates losing", but insists he is "not a homewrecker".

Liam admits he has "high standards" and appears to mean business because he's already been discussing potentially having kids off the back of the show.

Asked why he's chosen to take part in the series, he said: "When you actually look back at Love Island, you can see how many couples it’s genuinely made. I don’t know how many kids Love Island has made but there are a few aren’t there?"

But at best priced 5.0 for Top Male, bookies can't see much fishy about him just yet.

Davide Sanclimenti

Business owner Davide, who hails from Rome, will be hoping to be the Italian stallion in the villa and outdo his 7.0 odds for Top Male. He is pinning his hopes on his "Italian charm" doing the business for him. Don't expect him to be shy among the ladies if the below comments are anything to go by.

He said: "I’m good looking and I’ve realised since I first arrived in Manchester, a lot of English girls actually love me. They love to be around me and I love to be around them." How modest.

Best Of The Rest For Top Male

The other male Islanders who will be hoping to prove they are great betting value are Andrew Le Page – a 27-year-old real estate agent from Guernsey, who lives in Dubai - and senior microbiologist Dami Hope.

Both are 8.0 shots to take the title and Dami, 26, from Dublin, will be hoping for some help from the stars as he aims to find his perfect match.

"When I’m actually in a relationship, I think it’s a star sign thing," he said. "I’m an Aries but I’m very passionate – I always used to put that person first. If they had something they wanted to do or something they were passionate about, I’d make sure that even if it’s something I’m not talented at I’d get talented at it just so it helps them."

Completing the initial Top Male betting is 23-year-old Ikenna Ekwonna, who is in pharmaceutical sales. Despite being a 11.0 shot with Ladbrokes, he speaks very highly of himself in more ways than one.

He said: "Look at my height – I’m 6ft 5ins. I don’t think there's that many people my height, with my complexion or my looks!"

Top that, lads!