PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

WILL WWE EVER BECOME A POPULAR BETTING MARKET?

Close to a decade ago, sports bettors were taken aback as oddsmakers started accepting bets for professional wrestling, or WWE. This opened up a whole new topic in the gambling industry - could WWE become popular in the market?

It became a hotly divided and debated topic amongst bettors and bookies alike. Some feel betting on a game that has a predetermined outcome is not considered a sport, but rather entertainment, and should not belong on any sportsbooks, even the big sportsbooks.

Whilst many feel scripted sport is nothing more than a ploy to get money from punters, there are those who think there is great potential in this market that is still relatively untapped and still very much in its infancy stage. 

What Can You Bet On in Wrestling?

Any sportsbooks that do offer wrestling will currently only take wagers on events on WWE. WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment, and they are the biggest professional wrestling company there is. They broadcast to around 1 billion viewers in 30 languages across 180 countries.  WWE is a company that is publicly traded and each share goes for around $57. 

In fact, WWE’s flagship show, Raw, has been running for over 25 years and has well over 1,000 episodes - making it the longest-running show that is in episodic form in history. The company and the entertainment value are just getting bigger as the years go by, and has now entered pop and mainstream culture. So, it makes perfect sense that it would be a huge revenue generator for sports betting. Sports channel ESPN’s partnership with the company did not hurt either. 

Events To Bet On

The difference between wrestling and other sports is that most sportsbooks will only allow bettors to wager on certain events, even though WWE holds over 500 events a year. In the beginning, you could only wager on four specific events, namely; the Survivor Series, Wrestlemania, Summer Slam and Royal Rumble. 

Today, there are close to 14 events that can be wagered on, including certain bets during actual matches on RAW. 

Betting lines are generally released by sports betting sites a couple of days before the Pay-Per-View (or PPV) events. 

Why is Pro Wrestling a Lucrative Market for Bookies?

There are a few reasons why tapping into the wrestling industry could be a huge thing for many online betting sites. 

Firstly, they could expand the market to include many more WWE PPV events, as well as the matches on RAW. At 500 events a year, bookmakers' revenue margins would increase tremendously. They could also look at expanding into other pro wrestling promotions from an international perspective. 

Secondly, live betting brings with it a thrill unlike any other. Imagine placing wagers as the action unfolds before your very eyes?

There also isn’t much time for punters to read odds and lines as they are released a few days before, so the advantage would be on the sports betting site’s side. 

Finally, allowing bettors to take future bets in an industry that is ever-evolving and the script can change at a moment’s notice would be incredibly fun. Due to rumors and leaked plans surrounding big PPV events, WWE is known to change their original plans to ensure no one cheats, and the lines could be tempting enough that some players might do it regardless. 

Conclusion

Back in the old days, organizers of pro wrestling events would make sure the phrase “card subject to change” appeared on all marketing items, so that if a wrestler was unable to make a match, fans would not turn into a mob if they had come to see that particular wrestler. 

This is a phrase we can even apply to pro wrestling betting. It’s growing slowly and steadily in the sports betting market and both bookmakers and punters are adapting accordingly. There are huge opportunities for both to make good money. 

WWE is a force to be reckoned with, not just as an entertainment powerhouse but as an investment and a marketing agency’s dream. They are now firmly entrenched in mainstream culture, so why shouldn’t they be a part of another entertainment aspect - sports betting?

One thing is for sure; the card is definitely subject to change in this arena. 

 

Image: Unsplash

Author Bio: Vinod Gill is a writer who specializes in writing content on Sports and Gaming subjects. He is a Digital Marketing Consultant, Blogger, and Co-Founder of Journalreporter.

 

 

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet