Entertainment Betting – How and Where to Place Novelty Bets

Eurovision Betting

The Eurovision Song Contest is extremely popular with punters, especially because its format lends itself well to betting. Things start with the two midweek semi-finals, during which around 15 countries in each compete for 10 places in the final.

This is then followed by the grand final, where over 25 countries battle it out for the big prize. The final points are decided by a combination of professional judges and the general public. This gives a unique edge to this competition that can make it hard for the sportsbooks to predict.

Naturally, this opens up the potential for you as a bettor to beat the bookies. By following trends of public and professional opinion, you just might be able to pick a winner. On top of that, there are plenty of other Eurovision betting markets, including top 5, top 10 and last place.

TV Show Betting

Even though TV shows are scripted, there are still plenty of opportunities to bet on certain outcomes. There are many closely guarded secrets in TV that only a handful of people know ahead of release. If the betting sites think that they can spin a profit by taking bets, they will.

It’s not only the bookies that have the chance to make a profit though. If you manage to call it right and win, you might find yourself up. Some examples of TV show betting include wagering on changing actors, such as who will be the next Doctor Who.

It is also possible to bet on the final outcome of long-running popular TV series. For example, before Game of Thrones ended, there were sites taking bets on who would be the ultimate ruler of Westeros. Dramatic shows, such as soap operas, are also well suited to the world of online wagering.

Reality Show Betting

Reality TV is the ideal entertainment format for betting. For the most part, the outcome of these shows is decided by a public vote. This makes it virtually impossible for anyone to know the winners in advance. Meaning, bookies will usually offer higher odds than they would with other forms of entertainment.

Good options for reality show betting include the likes of the X Factor, Big Brother, and Love Island. On these types of shows, someone is eliminated every week, presenting regular betting opportunities. Unlike the Oscars or Eurovision, you don’t have to wait for a one-off event to have a punt.

If you want to try and get a win over the bookmakers when betting on reality shows, there are plenty of ways to try to do so. You will find no shortage of online fan forums, gossip columns and social media pages. These can give you an idea of public opinion, so you can pick who’s most likely to go next.

Awards Ceremonies

Awards ceremonies offer great options for betting, especially the big ones such as the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs. If you want to turn your head to something a little bit more sophisticated, you can even take a punt on the next Nobel Prize winners.

Like scripted TV shows, the results for many of these awards are predetermined. Although only a handful of people know the result in advance, rumours can quickly start to affect the odds. This can sometimes mean that the bet limits for award ceremonies can get quite low.

On the other hand, some award ceremonies are protected from leaks and rumours ruining the betting. For instance, the People’s Choice Awards are 100% voted for by the public with the final count made while the show is happening live. This makes it more akin to reality show betting.

Politics and Elections

Some of the most special bets can be found in the world of politics, where just about anything is possible. Elections are the most common thing to bet on in politics, especially closely contested ones. For example, the Trump vs Hillary result in 2016 was a huge upset that saw the sportsbooks lose out.

It’s not just elections that that markets are offered on when it comes to politics betting though. The biggest odds can sometimes be found in futures bets. For instance, picking the next US President or UK Prime Minister one or two years in advance.

Politics betting doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the politicians themselves either. For example, you can bet on things such as the next country to leave the EU. Or, whether North Korea and South Korea will unite by a certain year.

The Weather

The weather is a daily topic of conversation almost everywhere in the world. And while it will always be forecasted, it can never be 100% predicted correctly, not even by the experts. Once again, this leaves the door open for the bookies to let us have some fun.

Most punters choose to go for the marquee weather events throughout the year. The hottest and coldest days of the year are very popular markets, as is snow on Christmas Day. Some betting sites even turn their attention to landmarks, and take bets on lakes and rivers freezing over.

Again there are sportsbooks that look at the long term when it comes to betting on the weather. Over/under markets on the likes of average temperature or rainfall over the year are now available. There are even weather versions of correct scores, with operators taking bets on the exact temperature on a given day.

Box Office Movies

Blockbuster movie fans are in luck, as box office movies offer another great form of entertainment betting. Of course, you cannot bet on what actually happens in the film. Movie scripts tend to be leaked well in advance of release. Still, there are more betting markets than you might think.

For the most part, betting sites focus on box office performance rather than what happens on the screen. Top grossing film of the year is the most common market, but you can also bet on X finishing above Y. Of course, Oscars betting also ties in with this as well.

Occasionally, the chance to bet on something that happens in the film itself does pop up. As is the case with Doctor. Who, there are plenty of online bookmakers who will take odds on the next actor to play James Bond.

The Royal Family

Love them or hate them, the British Royal family makes the news all over the world. They also present a surprisingly large number of markets to bet on as well. “Who will be the next monarch” is the easiest go-to market, but as it’s a line of succession, the odds are not the best.

Instead, you might want to turn to markets such as the next Royal to have a baby, and what that baby’s name will be. On top of that, you can also bet on the date of the baby’s arrival. Longer odds are available for picking an exact date, while you are able to increase the probability by picking a week, or range of dates.

The best opportunities for betting on the Royal Family occur when a big event is on the horizon. When a Royal Wedding is taking place, you can bet on who will attend, what colours certain people will be wearing, and lots more.

Celebrities

Much like the Royal Family, celebrities’ lives are played out in the public eye, meaning that there are always bets to be found. The next famous couple to get married or divorced are two options that can be found on most entertainment betting sites.

On top of that, odds are offered on the next celebrity to be arrested, or when an incarcerated celeb will be released. While it might be slightly tasteless for some, the option is there to wager on the next celebrity to die, or who will pass away this calendar year.

Moving slightly left-of-field, you can turn your attention to the mega-rich, and wager on what they might do in the near future. For example, “what company will Elon Musk purchase next” is one that never goes away. It is even possible to bet on the next celebrity to get cancelled or booted off social media.

Current Affairs

This sort of ties in with politics betting, which also arguably falls into this category. However, the current affairs net is cast much further and wider than that. For instance, there are always bookies taking bets on the next “person to be named Times Person of the Year”.

Major world events also fall under the current affairs blanket, with bookies taking bets on when and where they will take place. You can wager on the country to host the next climate summit, and the politicians and celebrities who will attend.

Again, there have been some slightly distasteful bets taken here in the past, with odds having been offered on high profile court trials. The first current affairs wager was placed in 1964, when a man bet £10 that a human being would walk on another planet before 1970.

Special Sports Bets

Some forms of entertainment betting are still related to sports, just not what happens on the field. For example, odds awards ceremonies such as the Sports Personality of the Year, and the Ballon d’Or are available on most sites.

Additionally, you can also look at the circus around sports events themselves, and where they will be hosted. Bookmakers will always take wagers on who will host the next Summer Olympics or FIFA World Cup. For such events, novelty bets on the opening ceremonies are also extremely common.

Another thing that the bookies turn their attention to in relation to sports is ownership. Premier League Clubs and NFL franchises are bought and sold all the time. As a result, bets on what club will be sold next or who will be the next owner of Manchester United are also common.

Outright Winner

This is the most basic betting market, and it simply involves picking the winner of a particular award ceremony or event. Generally speaking, the odds for this market will be longer the further away the event is.

Place Betting

If you don’t want to pick a winner, or there is a clear favourite and the odds are too short, place bets provide a great alternative. This involves betting on those who finish in 2nd or 3rd place, or even the top 5 or top 10.

Each-Way Bets

An each-way bet is a combination of two separate wagers, winner and place. If you were to bet £10 on Sweden winning Eurovision, £5 of that would be a bet on them winning. The other £5, would be on them getting a place finish.

Accumulators

An accumulator combines multiple different entertainment bets into a single wager. For your accumulator bet to win, all of your selections need to be correct. If you get even just one of them wrong, then your whole bet loses.

Forecasts

This type of bet involves picking two candidates who you think will finish in first and second place. For your bet to win, both of your picks just have to finish in the top two places. You don’t have to pick the correct order.