Although many betting customers enjoy placing wagers on sports, there is also the opportunity to place bets on television shows, with online bookmakers regularly creating betting markets so that customers can bet on their favourite reality TV programmes and sometimes even the soaps!
Recreational gamblers enjoy betting on television programmes considering that they might be a regular viewer who wants to place a few small bets and make things interesting in the process. Most online bookmakers will have a “TV” or “Specials” area of their website where TV betting markets can be found.
Below is a list of TV shows that are popular for betting, including the Oscars which is actually an awards ceremony but does actually showcase the best films by being on television.
Most Popular TV Shows for Betting
- The Oscars: the film awards are held every year to celebrate the best movies and many bookmakers will offer betting markets on awards such as Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Movie.
- Sports Personality of the Year: although this is sports-related, the BBC show is actually on TV and celebrates sport on an annual basis. There is a chance to vote for the SPOTY Main Award winner as well as Team of the Year and Best Overseas Sportsman or Sportswoman.
- X Factor: this show is highly popular across many countries including the UK, the US and Australia. Customers enjoy placing bets on the Overall Winner, along with Top Male and Top Female. Some bookmakers offer customers the chance to bet on Winning Judge.
- Strictly Come Dancing: bet on the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in a number of different countries. Celebrities compete to get the biggest scores from the judges and then they hope that the public will keep them in. You can also bet on Next Elimination every week.
- Eurovision Song Contest: this annual music competition continues to be highly popular despite the poor standard of songs, with many punters enjoying a bet on different countries to get the largest number of votes from fellow European nations.
- Big Brother: this is still a popular TV show in many countries and you can often get to bet on Winner, Top Male, Top Female and Next Elimination. The odds change on a frequent basis according to what’s happening.
- Mercury Music Prize Award: the Mercury Prize is awarded to the winning musical act who produces the best music album in the eyes of the judges. The betting is often unpredictable and different bookmakers have different views.
- I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here: every year in the UK, we get to see I’m a Celebrity where assorted celebrities go into the Australian jungle. They are set a wide range of challenges and customers can bet on markets such as Winner, King of the Jungle, Queen of the Jungle and Next Elimination.
- Love Island: this is a popular ITV show which sees single men and women go to an island looking to match up with someone from the opposite sex. Popular markets include Top Man, Top Woman, Winning Couple and Next Elimination.
- Coronation Street: there are often betting markets available for this popular TV soap, especially when there’s been a character murdered and there is speculation over which person did it.
- EastEnders: like Coronation Street, it’s not uncommon for certain bookmakers to create betting markets centred around murders or even being able to bet on viewing figures, including whether it will be the most watched programme on Christmas Day.
- Game of Thrones: this massively popular show has seen many customers want to bet on the outcome of certain episodes. You can potentially bet on who will be the next ruler and bookies will have prices available.
How to Get the Best TV Odds
It’s important to note that TV betting markets tend to go up and down quite quickly. For example, I’m a Celebrity betting is only going to be available just before the show is screened all the way through to when the programme ends.
The same applies to other reality TV shows such as Big Brother and Love Island. Some TV special betting markers like The Oscars might have a longer shelf life as soon as the shortlist is known, while it’s not uncommon for a newly-released film to be added to a list.
To access the latest TV betting specials, we recommend that you visit the TV section of Odds1x2.com where you can find the latest available betting markets. The great thing is that not every bookie will have betting markets available for a particular show, although you can quickly find out where they are available.
Should more than one operator have betting odds available for a TV special, then you are able to compare the different prices and plump for the selection with the biggest price across the board. You’ll be surprised how much the prices differ across the operator websites.