Beyond Sports Exploring Unique Betting Opportunities in Politics

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Sports’ relationships with betting and gaming providers can potentially threaten their reputations and relationships with fans. A more judicious approach to revenue maximization and product development might be necessary.

Novelty prop bets allow enthusiasts to place wagers on non-sporting events and outcomes such as award shows, reality TV competitions, and political elections. These wagering experiences can add a layer of excitement and intrigue to beloved cultural phenomena.

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Entertainment Events

Entertainment prop bets, also known as novelty props, offer players a chance to wager on non-sporting events and outcomes. They can include things like who will sing the National Anthem before a sporting event, award shows, reality TV competitions, political elections and other notable events in popular culture. The popularity of this type of betting is largely due to its uniqueness and potential to attract people who might not consider themselves traditional sports bettors.

The rise of these kinds of betting markets is a significant driver of gambling advertising exposure in sport, as shown by the high level of coverage on major sporting events (e.g., NBA’s multiyear partnership with Sportradar). These factors are likely to shape young sport fans’ positive attitudes towards sport gambling and increase motivational salience of sports betting-related cues.

Furthermore, the cultural confluence of sport and gambling is exacerbated by the growth of E-sport, which refers to organized video gaming competitions with a professionalized structure, regulation and fan communities (Lopez-Gonzalez and Griffiths 2018). These trends are all likely to contribute to increased motivational salience for gambling among sports fans, particularly young ones.

Political Events

Although betting on sports is still the most popular event for wagering, political events are growing in popularity and can be an excellent opportunity to explore unique prop bets. Novelty props, also known as entertainment or special prop bets, allow you to place a wager on non-sporting events such as who will sing the national anthem before a sporting event, award shows, reality TV competitions, and even political elections.

Politics can offer some of the most intriguing prop bets because of their real world ramifications and impact on society. They can also be an excellent way to generate value bets by identifying undervalued candidates or opportunities.

Studies of sports betting use among young people often find that gambling is viewed as an activity facilitating social cohesion and mate ship (Deans et al. 2017). In addition, research has shown that a player’s level of expertise in football does not influence their ability to predict the outcome of matches (Huberfeld et al., 2013; Khazaal et al., 2012).

Live Sports Betting

The mass adoption of legal sports betting has created a new type of fan and a new opportunity for brands to connect with them. In-game betting odds are now a regular feature on TV broadcasts and online, making it easier for fans to place bets without missing important game elements.

Interestingly, interest in sports betting doesn’t always correlate with fandom for specific teams and leagues. For example, while NFL fanship is the highest, it’s also the least interested in sports betting. Conversely, NHL fanship is a little lower than the NBA, but they are the most interested in sports betting.

While the main bets like winner of political races get the most attention, the betting market has a wealth of political prop bets. These bets can range from who will lead a certain country to what trade deals will be struck in the future. The randomness of these bets can produce some exciting results and create a social buzz among users.

Media & Entertainment Trends

Media and entertainment trends continue to evolve as consumers demand more immersive experiences. These industry changes are driving a variety of opportunities that companies should explore.

These props are different from traditional sports wagering and cover topics like who will sing the national anthem prior to a sporting event, reality TV competitions, awards shows, political elections, and other non-sports related events. These types of props are popular in the entertainment sector and are a great way to diversify your betting portfolio.

While many believe that sports betting is gambling, the positive connotations of this activity in society reduces this perception (Deans et al., 2017; Lopez-Gonzalez et al., 2018a, b). Additionally, sports betting is often associated with social interaction and mate ship, further reducing the association between gambling and sport (Bimson & Kaufman-Ross, 2024). The combination of these factors reduces consumer perception of risk and promotes an illusion of control. This allows sports bettors to enjoy the thrill of winning while also gaining a sense of accomplishment from their prediction skills.