The world of online bookmakers is often associated with betting on the likes of football, horse racing or cricket, however many punters are choosing to bet on TV and entertainment with many online operators offering a great depth of markets in this particular area.
Traditionally, bookmakers have always offered betting markets on major sporting events, however in recent years there has been a huge growth in non-sporting markets with TV Specials coming to the fore. It’s not hard to see why with the main television companies churning out some hugely popular TV shows such as Britain’s Got Talent, X-Factor, I’m A Celebrity, Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island and many more. Indeed many free betting sites offer a range of promotions and free bet bonuses which can be used on these reality shows, thus offering more in the way of value when betting on the many markets available.
Millions regularly tune in to these shows each week and many of those choose to vote for their preferred contestant, these sometimes taking the form of a well-known celebrity or perhaps just a member of the public with a special talent. These shows vary considerably in format but they have one thing in common – they provide the bookmakers with a chance to offer a greater wealth of non-sports betting markets.
Betting on TV specials is huge business and the bookies have reacted to their popularity by offering a greater range of betting markets. You can bet on which contestant you expect to win and the odds on this understandably change following each round of the competition, however you can place bets on a variety of other markets. One of the most popular is who will qualify for the next round of the competition or who will be eliminated, the latter being a hugely popular market for the likes of I’m A Celebrity where millions regularly tune in to see who will leave the jungle.
Other shows such as Love Island have a strong split in terms of male and female contestants and here you can find markets on top male or top female, again odds changing following each round of the competition. Where celebrities are involved, the initial favourite will be someone who is hugely popular with the general public or who has excelled in their sphere of influence, however these odds can fluctuate wildly if they fail to impress in the competition once it gets underway. Similarly, celebs who aren’t generally liked (and there are quite a few) can win the public vote should they prove to be highly competitive or entertaining. As such, their odds on winning the particular competition can shorten considerably from week to week.
With TV betting, you don’t even need to back a winner. You can choose a contestant to finish in the top-three, or indeed you can back them to finish in the bottom three, either in the final round or in the earlier stages of the competition. Dancing on Ice gives punters a chance to back someone to fall on their bum during their routine. The betting markets are endless although they are clearly tailored to the differing formats of each competition.
TV Specials aren’t confined to reality television. There is a vast choice of TV events on which betting markets are provided, the more popular ones being the BAFTA TV Awards, The Oscars, Eurovision Song Contest, even Soap Operas. You can bet on who will be next to leave the cobbles or who will be the next landlord/landlady of the Queen Vic. Finding odds for these markets is usually very simple, bookmakers generally listing ‘TV Specials’ or ‘Entertainment’ amongst their sports listings.
All-in-all, TV Specials betting has become hugely popular in recent years and is a great way of adding excitement to the growing and varied range of entertaining TV shows.