Betting on pro wrestling gives you the chance to risk your money at events with a predetermined outcome, although just a certain number of people know for sure who will win.
That being said, many bettors were able to put money on Charlotte retaining her WWE Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 32. (Most sportsbooks had Charlotte at +140, so it was a valuable pick).
Wrestling has never hid that their outcomes are predetermined. Casual fans and children take it too seriously but at the end of the day most people know that it isn’t “real,” that the best wrestler isn’t always the winner and that foreign objects or outside interference can also play a part. WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world and the most popular and even they refer to what they do as “sports entertainment,” making it clear that they accept that fans know is not “real.”
This hasn’t been an issue to wagering, as sportsbooks like Bovada, 5Dimes, bet365 and Pinnacle set odds for WrestleMania and all the monthly pay-per-view events from WWE, helping the field of “entertainment” betting grow even more. Prop bets for Dancing With The Stars or other reality shows pull huge numbers of bettors, which was unexpected a few years ago.
Perception of Pro Wrestling
Professional wrestling is considered entertainment instead of a fighting sport like MMA or boxing. Even WWE wants people to know that they’re in the sports entertainment business and it can be hard to handicap wrestling because it’s not statistically based. However, you can still make some research before making your picks and you should wait as much as possible to place your bets because lines can change significantly as the events get closer.
Sure, sportsbooks love to offer more variety to their customers, but they don’t involve too much money for now, and the more established online sports betting sites are keeping limits low on professional wrestling (usually between $25 and $50). For example, if you want to bet on an underdog, you can risk up to $50, and if you bet on a favorite, you won’t be able to win more than $50. Why?, because sportsbooks are uneasy with the possibility of bettors gaining an edge. This is why the sportsbook at the Las Vegas Hilton can’t take bets on pro wrestling. The Nevada Gaming Control Board prohibits it and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks have to stick to it, but it can change in the future.
Can WWE keep the element of surprise alive? Some story arcs are predictable, but fans still expect the unexpected and some surprise outcomes can take place, like when Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s 21-0 streak at WrestleMania 30. In order to shock the fans, Lesnar, The Undertaker, the top bookers and writers were probably the only ones who knew the details of the match and the outcome. Lesnar and The Undertaker might have gone over what they wanted to happen during the match, but they likely weren’t told who would win and how until the same day of the event.
What could have stopped a WWE writer or wrestler from telling their brother to put it all on Brock Lesnar against The Undertaker at WrestleMania? Would WWE wrestlers or staff be disciplined? Probably. But keep in mind that nothing could have stopped an Academy Awards’ independent auditor from telling a brother or cousin who would win an Oscar.
Online sportsbooks are still learning how to set the lines for WWE events and it’s still a challenge usually reserved for those who love wrestling in their respective offices. Oddsmakers have to watch the card and decide who they think is a more logical winner based on what they know about the product. Sportsbooks usually see a ton of movement on their pro wrestling lines whenever a WWE event takes place and they’re learning how to adjust accordingly. It will be interesting to see how pro wrestling betting evolves in the near future.
